News
Meet Sarah Forbes Bonetta: Queen Victoria’s Goddaughter
Sarah Forbes Bonetta was originally born ‘Aina’ in 1843 to Egbado parents of the Yoruba ethnic group . Her father was the high chief of Oke-Odan, an Egbado village in western Nigeria, till he was killed in 1848 when King Gezo of Dahomey , one of the notorious slave raiders in the 19th century , raided his village.
Sarah’s parents and siblings whose names are unknown were killed in the raid which turned Sarah, an Egbado princess, into a slave. Many of the villagers captured during the raid were made slaves and sacrificed to the gods of Dahomey but fortunately for Sarah, she was saved by the quick intervention of Captain Frederick E. Forbes , a British naval officer who was on a visit to Dahomey kingdom to persuade King Gezo to abolish slave trade. Captain Frederick E. Forbes persuaded King Gezo to present Sarah (then Aina) as a gift to Queen Victoria, he said: “
She would be a present from the King of the Blacks to the Queen of the Whites. ” King Gezo agreed and thus Sarah’s life was spared and subsequently she was named Sarah, Forbes, the captain’s surname and Bonetta which was the name of his ship (HMS Bonetta).
On the 9th of November, 1850, Captain Frederick Forbes took Sarah to Great Britain to meet Queen Victoria at Windsor castle. The Queen admired Sarah’s intelligence and ability to learn quickly. Even Captain Frederick wrote: “ She is a perfect genius; she now speaks English well, and has great talent for music… She is far in advance of any white child of her age in aptness of learning, and strength of mind and affection…” Shortly after, Captain Frederick Forbes died and so Sarah was sent to the Schoen family in Palm Cottage, Gillingham. Queen Victoria adopted Sarah as her goddaughter and sponsored her education. Being the Queen’s goddaughter, Sarah had unlimited access to Windsor castle like other members of the royal family. Shortly after Sarah began to live with the Schoen family, she developed a health problem due to the damp weather of Britain. Queen Victoria arranged for her migration to Sierra Leone to continue her education at the Female Institution, a CMS school in Freetown where she excelled in music and her academics. In 1855, Sarah returned to Great Britain.
In January 1862, Sarah Forbes Bonetta, now 19 years old, attended the wedding of the Queen’s eldest child, Princess Royal Victoria, as a guest. Seven months later, she was offered a marriage to Captain James Labulo Davies , a 31-year-old wealthy Yoruba businessman who lives in Britain. Sarah was reluctant to accept the offer due to reasons known to her but she eventually accepted after much persuasion. The wedding took place in August 1862 at the St. Nicholas Church in Brighton, England. It was such an extravagant one; dignitaries from different parts of the world were in attendance.
The new couple moved back to Africa and settled in the town of Badagary in Lagos, Nigeria. Shortly after her marriage, Sarah Forbes Davies had her first daughter and requested for permission from Queen Victoria to name her Victoria. The Queen granted the permission and also adopted baby Victoria as her goddaughter. In 1867, Sarah and her daughter visited the Queen then returned to Lagos where she had two more children named Arthur and Stella. Sarah was diagonised with tuberculosis and later died on August 15, 1880 at the age of 37. She was buried in Funchal, Madiera Island, Portugal. It was such a sad moment for her family. Queen Victoria wrote in her diary, “ Saw poor Victoria Davies, my black godchild, who learnt this morning of the death of her dear mother ”. Queen Victoria took good care of Sarah’s children and maintained close contact with them. Till today, the decendants of James Labulo Davies and Sarah Forbes Bonetta Davies lived in England, Sierra Leone and Lagos, Nigeria.
News
Alaafin: How selection process turned controversial
After the death of Oba Adeyemi on April 22, 2022, about 198 contenders signified their interest to assume the revered throne.
But, the number was pruned from 65 to 10 by the Oyo Mesi, a council of kingmakers after a rigorous interview and consultation with Ifa Oracle.
Then, the kingmakers were reported to have nominated Prince Gbadegesin.
After the nomination of Prince Gbadegesin by the estranged kingmakers, there was a row among the kingmakers over the sharing formula for the sum of money allegedly offered them for the selection.
It was gathered that it was the sharing formula that sowed the seed of discord. It was alleged that two of the kingmakers felt the larger portion of the cake was taken by one of them.
Inundated with complaints and alleged monetisation of the process that led to the selection, the‘greased palms’, the governor restrained himself from giving approval to the name forwarded to him by the kingmakers.
The governor insisted that due process must be strictly adhered to.
The governor, as reliably gathered instructed the kingmakers to go back to the drawing board by re-consulting Ifa Oracle without being induced by any one of the princes which the kingmakers rejected.
- Ifa Oracle consulted outside Oyo;
In what could be termed an unprecedented move, the state government reportedly went and sought the services of a neutral ifa priest, Professor Wande Abimbola, the former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ife and the head of all Ifa oracle diviners to ask Ifa Oracle which of the aspirants he preferred.
Ifa picked Prince Owoade — Prof Abimbola
In a viral video last weekend, Prof Abimbola was heard saying that the Oyo State government contacted him on the divination process.
According to the Ifa diviner, the Oyo State Governor called him to ask Ifa who the right choice would be.
The Professor of Yoruba explained the rigour he went through before picking the new Alaafin.
He said: ”I spent ten days seeking the face of Ifá oracle and Ifá made its choice. Ifá chose Prince Owoade.”
The Ifa representative also alleged that the Oyo kingmakers tried to monetarily influence him by persuading him to stick to their initial nomination to which he said no.
This was how Oba Akeem Abimbola Owoade became the 46th Alaafin of Oyo.
News
The Alaafin’s throne is not to be rubbished. Don’t play with me – Late Alaafin of Oyo’s daughter drags Queen Dami, exposes her over paternity of her child
Adeyemi Adebisi Aminat, the daughter of the late Alaafin of Oyo State, has dragged his ex-wife, Queen Dami over her social media shenanigans
In a series of posts on her Instagram story, she pointed out the irony of how Dami was shaming someone over paternity of their child, yet, doesn’t know the father of her child. She claimed the former Queen bought the child from Port Harcourt.
Adebisi stated that the fact that this palace isn’t talking doesn’t mean they don’t know what to say.
She further stated that the Alaafin’s throne is not to be rubbished as she admonished Dami not to play with her.
Adebisi revealed that she had all the blood tests and evidence before the King passed away.
Dammy you are insulting someone that they don’t know the father of their child. Do you know the father of your own child? The child you went to buy in Port Harcourt.
The fact that we are not talking doesn’t mean we don’t know what to say.
The Alaafin’s throne is not to be rubbished. Don’t play with me. I have all the blood tests and evidence before the king passed away. Go and give the child to the rightful owner”
Recall that Queen Dami was married to the late Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyeye but the marriage crashed after she allegedly broke a palace rule, an act that prompted her to leave her marriage and run away from the palace.
She later blamed the whole act on frustration and wrong advice from friends. Unfortunately, her relationship with the monarch was never repaired before his demise last year.
Following the death of the King, Dami publicly moved on with Portable, who confirmed their relationship in an interview in 2023.
Portable stated that Queen Dami was only a fan before the death of her husband, the King, but things switched up from there as he wasn’t one to have an affair with people’s wives.
Dami later went public with their affair o Valentine’s Day. She shared an adorable message for Portable, on her Instagram, as she excitedly expressed that Portable was her man, while also stating that he had her whole heart.
Celebrities
Condolences poured as Nigeria Fuji music star Kwam1 loses wife to illness
Alhaji Wasiu Ayinde Marsha popularly known as Kwam1 or K1 de Ultimate, has lost one of his wives, Alhaja Hafsat Anifowoshe
According to reports, the singer’s wife died in the early hours of today from an undisclosed illness.
The 65-years-old has been laid to rest at Abari Cemetery, Lagos in line with Islamic traditions.
Speaking on her death, the Chief Press Secretary to the LIEL CDA chairman, described the deceased as an excellent woman and loving mother. He noted how her time spent on earth was a good service to God and humanity
Addressing the family and her supporters, he said their prayers were with them and urged them to find the strength to continue where she stopped.
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