Nigeria -American YouTuber, Jackie Aina, has pulled down her candle brand from retailing after Nigerians criticize her move to name di brand ‘Sòrò Sókè’. Jackie Aina’s beauty and cosmetic brand had released a set of scented candles to celebrate her 35th birthday.
The collection was made available in four fragrances and one of them was named Sòrò Sókè.
The name stirred up the hornet’s nest in the Nigerian social media sphere as the word Sòrò Sókè is associated with the police brutality protest which shook the country in October 2020.
The Youtuber has, however, come out to apologize and disclose that the production of the scented candle had ceased immediately.
“As a brand owner of FORVR mood, I acknowledge that my actions severely hurt members of the Nigerian community. We missed the mark on this and it will not repeat itself” she had said. She also added that she accepted the misjudgment with full responsibility saying:
“To that effect, we will pull the candle from the market and production immediately. I apologize for the hurt I may have caused and I thank you all for holding us accountable.”
Jackie Aina
The history of the 2020 #EndSars movement from Nigeria that spurred their Federal Government to agree to a reformation of the Police force will not be complete without the “Sòrò Sókè” word and its pair: “Sòrò Sókè werey” as they were highly interchanged during the movement.
‘Soro soke werey’ is a Yoruba word that means to open your mouth (soro) and speak loudly (soke) while (werey) means a crazy individual in English.
Nigerian youths had used the slang to encourage themselves to protest peacefully and raise their voice over police brutality and other injustices they face in the country, online and offline. Sòrò Sókè is a remembrance of dark times in Nigerian history.
During the End Sars protest, the youths protested in major cities and towns against police brutality, and the slogan ‘Sòrò Sókè’ was widely used. A lot of youths were arrested and many are still in police custody.
The youths have tagged their generation as the ‘Sòrò Sókè’ generation.
