TikToker undergoes cleansing after filming Oloolu procession in Ibadan

TikToker undergoes cleansing after filming Oloolu procession in Ibadan

A female TikTok content creator, Wasilat Olalere, has undergone traditional cleansing rites after recording and sharing footage linked to the annual Oloolu Masquerade Festival in Ibadan, Oyo State.

The incident attracted widespread attention after videos circulated online showing Wasilat participating in traditional rites at the Oloolu compound. Some social media users also circulated unverified claims that she had died following the incident.

However, the TikToker has dismissed the death rumours and maintained that she did not record the sacred Oloolu masquerade.

Speaking during a telephone interview on Lagelu FM’s Ibi Aye N Lo programme, Wasilat said she only filmed people moving through the Oremeji area of Ibadan and did not intentionally capture the revered traditional figure.

“I am not dead. I did not capture the Oloolu masquerade. May I not be implicated; I did not record Oloolu,” she said.

According to her, she was standing in front of her family’s shop when she saw people moving through the area, including a vehicle belonging to the Oyo State Security Network Agency, also known as Amotekun.

She said the Oloolu masquerade did not pass through the route where she was standing and insisted that she only recorded the crowd before uploading the footage to TikTok.

Wasilat said some users later advised her to delete the video. She added that people approached her at the shop the following day over the footage.

The spokesperson to the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Chief Adeola Oloko, also clarified that the TikToker did not record the sacred Oloolu masquerade itself.

Oloko said she reportedly captured Alawo Oloolu, a figure associated with the Oloolu tradition, after mistaking it for the main masquerade.

“She did not capture Oloolu; she mistook it for Alawo. We contacted the Mogaji of the Oloolu compound, and he confirmed that a woman who mistook Alawo of Oloolu for the real Oloolu masquerade captured it on the street,” Oloko said.

He added that Wasilat reportedly experienced health challenges after uploading the footage, prompting her family to seek assistance from the traditional custodians.

According to Oloko, the family contacted the Oloolu compound, where the prescribed rites were carried out in accordance with local customs.

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He said the Oloolu tradition is governed by longstanding restrictions and that women are traditionally prohibited from viewing certain aspects of the procession.

However, Oloko said he could not confirm claims that Wasilat disguised herself as a man to secretly record the event.

“I cannot confirm she disguised herself as a man. Those are accounts on social media. But she took the footage or photo on the street,” he said.

The Secretary of the Oloolu compound, Oluwo Ishola Akeem, said the TikToker was taken to the compound after the video she posted generated controversy.

According to him, the footage showed members of the masquerade’s entourage and followers, while the caption on the video identified the scene as the Oloolu procession in the Sokoto area of Ibadan.

Akeem said Wasilat later apologised, deleted the video from her TikTok page and expressed regret over the incident.

He added that the traditional cleansing was carried out in line with customs associated with the Oloolu festival.

Videos from the compound showed Wasilat with her head shaved and dressed in red while taking part in the traditional exercise. Some of the videos also showed traditional worshippers and items said to be connected with the prescribed rites.

The videos generated mixed reactions on social media, with some people defending the exercise as part of a longstanding cultural tradition, while others raised concerns about the content creator’s dignity, safety and consent.

African Action Congress presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, criticised the reported treatment of the TikToker, describing it as an abuse of human dignity.

Sowore argued that cultural practices should be respected but should not be used to justify actions considered oppressive, discriminatory or harmful.

Meanwhile, the Oloolu family defended the traditional exercise, maintaining that the rites were conducted according to the customs of the community.

The incident has renewed public discussion about the relationship between traditional practices, individual rights and the growing influence of social media.

It has also raised questions about how cultural restrictions should be communicated to residents, visitors and digital content creators as smartphones make it easier to record and share events in real time.

The annual Oloolu Festival is celebrated by descendants of the Oloolu lineage and attracts traditional rulers, worshippers, cultural enthusiasts and visitors from different parts of Yorubaland.

The festival features prayers, rituals, drumming, dancing and processions intended to honour ancestors and promote peace, protection, prosperity and community well-being.

Unlike many public masquerade festivals, the Oloolu tradition is governed by strict customs, including restrictions on photographing, filming or viewing certain aspects of the procession.

TikToker undergoes cleansing after filming Oloolu procession in Ibadan