The fifth wife of the Ooni of Ife
The Ooni of Ife’s fifth wife is pretty interesting.
Ronke Ademiluyi is the great-granddaughter of the late Ooni Ajagun Ademiluyi, King of the Ife Kingdom in South West Nigeria.
Having earned a law degree from West London University, she founded Africa Fashion Week London. It is one of the largest annual fashion events in the UK, which supports the work of designers with African fashion designers and designs.
More than 70,000 people attend Africa Fashion Week London every year and it features more than 1000 designers and exhibitors from Africa and the global diaspora.
To connect with young African designers from all over the continent who can’t afford the logistics of going to London to display their work, she established a sister event in Nigeria, Africa Fashion Week Nigeria, in 2014.
She co-founded the QMA international initiative with His Imperial Majesty Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, the King of Ife Kingdom, and was appointed the Queen Moremi Legacy’s global ambassador in 2017.
Going by feminist ideologists one can see how becoming a fifth wife of an African monarch isn’t exactly ideal, but it is one of those times where culture and religion override education and western ideologies.
The Ooni himself is not an illiterate man. He’s a chartered accountant, but because of his position, he is now a man deeply entrenched in traditional customs, rituals and culture.
Plus, he just got married to his fourth wife recently.
One wonders if the offer and her acceptance to be the fifth wife comes from her history as a great-granddaughter of a past Ooni of Ife, her links to the palace and its culture were so strong that she had to come back again.
Still, many people have questioned her decision, but who can say no to the king?
