Female Talking drummer, Aralola Olumuyiwa popularly known as Ara is famous for her specialty in playing the traditional talking drum . Her stage name, Ara, meaning style, is reflective of her identity as a stylish person just as her trademark hairstyle and her distinct genre of music, all add up to to sum up her uniqueness in the nation’s entertainment industry. in its own way.
Ara who has son with her estranged husband before the duo parted spoke about her mum with Sunday Sun recently during an event in Lagos.
Can you tell us about your mum?
My mum is a very wonderful woman. Like all mothers should be, she is a mother who takes everything about her children seriously. Of course she wouldn’t want me to disclose her age. She’s from Ondo town and she’s partly from Oyo. she’s a descendant of the Alaafin of Oyo. My mother is from a very big family. Her name is Alhaja Kudirat Olamuyiwa.
What major lesson did you learn from her growing up?
My mum is an extremely hard working woman who never takes ‘no’ for an answer. Whenever she wants to go for something she goes for it; she doesn’t care what you say as long as she’s focused on getting that thing done she goes for it. She’s very hardworking, very protective of her family and she loved my father to a fault.
I learnt the art of loving a man without any inhibition. She loved my father’s family without any inhibition and she was the one that taught me that when you love a man you love even his dog and even the flies in his house and you will treat them with respect. I learnt that from my mum. She can cook. I’m a fantastic cook. There’s nothing I can’t cook. I can cook grass and it will taste fine. I learnt all that from my mum.
Is there anything about her that you don’t like?
I will not say I don’t like anything about anyone because we all have something different about us that may not go down well with the next person. We are all fearfully and wonderfully made; we just need to learn to adapt and tolerate one another. So, I don’t bother to see anything wrong in her.
Fashion wise is there anything you learnt from her?
My mum knows how to put things together. She was and she is still fashionable. She’s very fashionable and beautiful too. Her makeup is excellent and she has this love for beads. Maybe because she grew up in Warri and she’s a princess and all of that. She loves beads a lot.
How many children has she got and does she have a favourite?
We are four. No. I know that what affects one affects all. The way she will react to the first is the way she will react to the last. Then all her daughter in- laws you will never know that they are not her biological daughters.
What’s the relationship between your mum and your son?
I’m blessed he has a cordial relationship with my mum. They are very close. Before I left my house today, I was eating with my mum, my son came he hugged me and said mum I love you. That’s how he hugged her too. They have very good relationship.
Did she come around to assist you in taking care of him when you had your son?
I had my baby in the United States. I was not around. But immediately I came back she took over.
What’s her favourite dish that you like ?
There’s a way she fries her stew with palm oil. There’s a way she will fry the oil and then put croaker fish, Cray fish and everything in it. She will now put ogiri in the stew.
As a matter of fact that is what she is cooking right now at home as I’m talking to you. It’s very delicious with rice.
You will perceive the aroma from distance. She cooks that stew every Sunday.
Is she an Alhaja?
Yes. My dad was an Alhaji. My mum was a Christian but out of love she became a Muslim because of my dad.
