Nigerian singer and Africa’s foremost female talking drummer, Aralola Olamuyiwa popularly known on stage as Ara recently unveiled her ‘Eko Inspire Me By Ara’ project. The project is close to Ara’s heart, as her deepest passion is helping underprivileged teenagers reach their potential.
The Nigerian Xpress spoke to the cultural ambassador and entertainer as she tells the story of how her dream became a reality and what she has been up to with her music and acting career.
What is the inspiration behind the ‘Eko Inspire Me’ project?
About 11 years ago, I ran into young boys in Oshodi, close to NAFDAC. If you can remember what Oshodi was like back then, you would understand what I am talking about.
My younger brother’s car I was driving broke down and I knew I was not in good territory. So I quickly played their game as I saw the boys coming out.
I told them to help me watch the car and that I want to get something there. I went away and called for backup.
When the car was being fixed, I started interacting with them. I started asking them what they were doing in the streets. Why are you on the streets? Are you not tired? Don’t they lock you up? Are you not afraid of ritualists?
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They said that their number one problem is the police. They said that the police always carry them and drop them off. I started asking them if there is something they want to make out of their lives. If there are things that inspire them.
They said many things but one stood out. I was really surprised that one of them said he wants to be like Wole Soyinka. He said he likes the way Wole Soyinka speaks English.
I told them, I may not know how to go about it but I will help them become what they want.
So, I started working on this project. It was not like any other projects other people do. I didn’t even know how to go about it. I was just passionate about helping.
I have always been helping others, even as a much younger person but this time around, I knew I had to involve government and some prominent people.
I met MC Oluomo about six years ago concerning the project. I told him I want to help some of the boys on the streets, especially the ones that have prospects.
I told him I needed his permission to carry on with what I want to do. We all know that MC Oluomo is a government on his own. He was so happy with what we wanted to do.
We started with a documentary which was five years ago and MC Oluomo gave us some people who went around with us.
To identify the beneficiaries of this project, I started thinking of how to raise funds. I wrote to the past Government of Lagos state, but they didn’t respond.
Then I wrote to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu. I got his number from an old friend. How I got the governor’s contact was a very touching story.
When they brought a popular American boxer, Evander Holyfield to Nigeria, I attended. There was a tall black man, wearing jeans, blazers and a face cap who recognised me at the entrance.
He was the one that tagged me and took me to my seat. When I asked my friend for Governor Sanwo-Olu’s number, he told me that the governor already knew me and that I should just call him. He reminded me that the man that tagged me back then at Holyfield’s event was Governor Sanwo-Olu. Obviously, he was not a governor back then.
I started sending messages to him and one day he called, asking me to tell him about the project. That was the happiest day of my life.
Four months down the line, I got the endorsement letter from the Lagos State Government. I swore that I was going to make him proud of this project.
The government ministries were also on board with us. He told them to give me free hand to handle the project.
Former president Olusegun Obasanjo was another person that welcomed this project with open arms.
Was that where the video of you greeting former President Olusegun Obasanjo came from?
Yes! Baba hosted me and my team in Abeokuta, Ogun State for two days. We had about 25 of the young people we were mentoring and he welcomed us.
He did a mentoring session with them and it was impactful. He encouraged us to mentor them physically and also mentor them spiritually by taking them to their pastors or imams.
We also wrote to Governor Sanwo-Olu to be part of the mentoring session with the ‘Inspire Me Street Kings and Queens’.
I tagged it that way because we want to bring out the Kings and Queens in them. They found themselves on the streets due to circumstances beyond their control.
We got a call that we can meet him. Out of his very stiff schedule, Governor Sanwo-Olu mentored over 50 young people for three hours. It was amazing. We couldn’t believe it. He told them that he doesn’t have two heads and that any of them can be anything they want to be.
By virtue of what I do, I have connections with some people in the corridors of power, and I will tell you that Governor Sanwo-Olu is an exceptional human being. It’s a campaign period. He is busy. He doesn’t need to respond to my calls but that shows the kind of human being he is. He is compassionate about helping people. He gave me a go-ahead to mentor 100 that he will support me. That is why we are here today.
We want to thank God, we want to thank him and other people supporting us to reach out.
The young boys and girls at the talent hunt and empowering programme at Oshodi, were they part of the ones Inspire Me project is mentoring?
The ones we hosted that day were not mentored by us. We reached out to Mushin, Oshodi, Lagos Island and Ojuelegba axis.
We reached out to other NGOs who are doing similar projects of mentoring young people on the streets who are looking for how to take them to the next level.
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We are going to have a reality television show very soon. We need to go around Lagos, those major flashpoints and pick the top five best talents. We will have a grand finale, either by the end of February or the first week in March.
What we are doing is not easy and is a bit risky. There are areas we go to and we pray, God help us. We have had some of the boys we first interviewed in our documentary remanded in prison.
They fought and were caught and taken to Ilaro prisons. I begged for them to be released to me but the vigilante group didn’t agree. I did everything for them to release those boys to me, that if they default again, they can have them but nothing.
I have gone to meet the PRO of prisons on their case too. The prisons also want us to come to mentor about 300 girls in prisons. But my hands are full for now because while I’m doing this I’m also working on my new singles and videos.
On the part of your music, how soon are the singles coming out?
I’m still working on the singles and music videos. I’m also working on my new movie.
Are you going into acting as well?
I did my first movie in 2012. I produced the movie ‘Osun Funke’. It’s on Yoruba movies on YouTube. Acting is part of my passion as well. As I was saying earlier, now we are focusing on the ones that are with us.
We have empowered over 70. Twenty are training in the bakery, how to become a hair stylist, training in fashion designing, make up.
We gave out 10 items for barbing salon, vulcanising, sewing machine and make-up.
Some are doing training. Some of them are teenage mothers with babies, so we pay for the babies’ daycare and the mother’s training. We give them money for transport and food for a day.
How do you monitor that they are going for the training?
We have the owners of the businesses where they train report to us. As former president Obasanjo said, you can empower 20 and only 5 will make something out of their lives.
We can only do our best here. We had one that was training in the bakery. They said he was doing well but all of a sudden, he stopped going.
We are all stakeholders and these people see themselves as the victims. If we do not take care of them, may the hunter not become the hunted.
Most of the vices in our society come from people in the slums and the streets because they see themselves as the victims.
And victims will always fight back and destroy, but if you see yourself as a stakeholder, you will know that you are part of the people that should make society work. Some of them do not like the situation they found themselves in.
A bank manager I once spoke to about this project told me he was once a bus conductor. Someone saw him and trained him at the university, sent him to the UK to do his Master’s, and now he is a bank manager. These are part of the inspiring stories that encourage us to do what we are doing.
If truly we desire change in Nigeria, we need to stop approaching issues not as victims but as stakeholders. Stakeholders proffer solutions while victims fight and destroy. I want to beg Nigerians to show love.
The world needs love. People ask me what is my religion, I tell them my religion is love. Christianity preaches love, and Islam preaches love and peace, but are we practising it?
No. In Nigeria, we are too aggressive. We preach a religion that we don’t practice.
In the singles that you are working on, are you playing more of the drums or are you infusing it with other Afrobeat sounds?
My genre of music is unique. It will be my talking drum infused into any piece of beautiful music. I’m adding a few new instruments that I am going to be playing.
You talked about going into acting, are we going to see your face in other Nollywood movies or just the movies produced by you?
For now, just my movies, because of time and a lot of things I have to do. I have had producers send me scripts but there is no time. Being on a movie set can be time-consuming.
When did you discover your talent in acting?
When I was very little but talking drum chose me.