Nigerian music executive and rapper Olamide Adedeji, popularly known as Olamide, has called for a cultural shift in how indigenous African traditions and products are perceived, asserting that African heritage is not diabolical and should be embraced with pride.
Speaking at the premiere of actress Tayo Sobola’s movie, Ose Dudu (The Black Soap), the YBNL record label founder highlighted the ongoing stigmatisation attached to traditional practices and items, noting that misconception often overshadows their intrinsic value.
Addressing attendees, the music icon emphasized the need for continuous sensitization regarding African culture, pointing to everyday items like traditional black soap (Oṣẹ Dudu) as examples of heritage that should be celebrated rather than feared.
”Promoting the culture and trying to sensitise people that our culture and our tradition are not diabolical and should not be demonised, and we are proud of who we are, our culture, and our heritage,” Olamide stated. “I’m a Yoruba boy; if you give me black soap, I will gladly collect it.”
His remarks join a broader ongoing conversation within the African entertainment industry, where cultural figures increasingly use public platforms to dismantle long-held religious and post-colonial biases surrounding indigenous remedies, arts, and lifestyle practices.
