Ozain’s latest skit has once again put Yorùbá religious tolerance to the test. As a society, we are being tested on whether we can manage our religious and social differences.
In the video I later watched, Ozain asked a masquerade to remove his regalia just to receive money (for prayer and atonement), and this has stirred the hornet’s nest. Some traditionalists have been clamoring for a Sodom-and-Gomorrah-style punishment for him.
However, this is not the first time Ozain (real name Hussein Mubarak Kehinde) has done religious-themed skits covering Islam, Christianity, and traditional religion.
In one skit, he played a pastor in a church and was seemingly electrocuted while holding a microphone with a faulty cord. In another, he portrayed an Alfa who broke his fast by eating food from witches. In yet another, he played a Muslim cleric who laughed at a corpse with missing teeth. Muslims and Christians watched these skits and laughed; a few negative comments surfaced but were quickly dismissed.
Ozain has been acting as a Babalawo or a consultant to a Babalawo in his skits. He has done numerous skits as part of NEPA Boys, including ones featuring Kano State, where he used gibberish for incantations, and everyone laughed it off. Why is this different?
Excellency Mayowa Amotekun I, a traditionalist and Ifa priest (?) friend of mine on Facebook, commented: “Let’s advise him to do another skit with a Niqob sister and another Eleha. Let him tell them to remove it and see if you personally won’t condemn it. This is not the first time Ozain has used Ifa and other Orisha costumes in his skits, and we never complained. But removing the face of a masquerade publicly is not allowed, just as no Muslim would accept someone removing a Niqob or Eha.”
No wàhálà, sir. What I’m saying is that this isn’t the first time he’s done something like this. Other skit makers are watching how he’s being dragged now and will learn from it.
Personally, Ozain, Dezni, and Nasboi are my top three skit makers. My fourth would be Layi Wasabi. We watch them and move on, regardless of any infringement on social norms, cultural values, or religious beliefs.
We have seen a skit maker tell a Niqob-wearing sister to remove her pants in public for some amount of money without informing her that a spy camera was recording. It was only after she removed them that she realized what had happened. You should have seen the look of disappointment, shame, betrayal, and resentment on her face.
Ozain has deleted the skit (even before I watched it—I was sent a link from one of his fans’ backup pages), issued a written apology, and released a video apology. I think that should be the end of it.
Taofik Adekunle Jimoh (JAAT) is the editor of News Bulletin Nigeria
