•OGUN 1st Lady, Chief Mrs. OLUFUNSHO AMOSUN
These days, many people now refer to Mrs Olufunso Amosun, the wife of Ogun State governor as Moremi. This because she epitomises Moremi. She has been described as an example of a true and iconic woman. Mrs Amosun is one of the backbones of the Moremi Project. Below she reveals how she got involved in the project.
The story of Queen Moremi, a legendary courageous woman is pivotal to the history and liberation of the entire Yoruba race during her lifetime. I believe that it is essential for an individual to know their culture, traditions and by extension their roots; when one knows where one emanates from, it is easier to chart a meaningful way forward in life. Queen Moremi was an embodiment of absolute beauty, bravery, integrity, selflessness and heroic character
She was a mother and a chieftain of war who sacrificed all to save her people, redeem her land and restore peace, she is a lasting legacy of prosperity and a pride to womanhood.
When His Imperial Majesty, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Babatunde Ogunwusi, Ojaja II graciously dedicated
the Queen Moremi book to me I was humbled and honored, this ultimately inspired and motivated me
to commit myself to promoting the legacies of QM. In line with this aspiration, I joined efforts with the
House of Oduduwa and leveraged the honour bestowed upon me by re-enacting the QM story.
Chief Mrs Olufunso Amosun (The Living Legend of Moremi of our time) through the active promotion of the book in schools, hosting the 3rd edition of the very successful Moremi Pageant in Abeokuta, Ogun State and now birthing the Theatrical Musical Queen Moremi.
It is no accident that I invited Mrs. Bolanle Austen Peters, a woman of courage herself, to direct the production of the QM Musical. My ultimate desire is to develop the Queen Moremi legacy into a play and film. This will initially debut as a Musical Drama produced by Bolanle Austin Peters Production in December 2018 and subsequently be developed as a film to be watched at cinemas worldwide and TV series to be watched in homes.
With all sense of humility and responsibility, after leading and listening to women in my role as the
wife of the Governor of Ogun State, and being referred to as the ‘mother of the State’ in that capacity for almost eight years, I dare say I have first hand knowledge of the plights, worth, resilience, dynamism and sacrifices of women. I understand how women are shortchanged and under acknowledged despite their contributions and I desire to leverage opportunities open to me to better their lot.
I know fully well that I am not worthy to hold a candle to the magnanimity of the Queen Moremi heroine being celebrated. I therefore take solace in the belief, that promoting the legacies of Queen Moremi provides a platform to unanimously acknowledge and celebrate all women that believe in and represent the core values of womanhood, women that exemplify and promote integrity, dignity, courage, hard work, sacrifice, contentment, justice, humility and love.
The purpose and aim of this project is to celebrate women and to proudly showcase our history and project our vibrant rich culture to the entire world; to keep our identity, values and traditions alive especially amongst the youth, our upcoming next generation, starting from within Nigeria and progressing on to those in the Diaspora.
