She calls herself a ‘Yorupreneur’. For Damilola Adebonojo, who is based in the United States, Yoruba is more than a language. It has become a passion and business that has taken her places. Adebonojo is the founder of Alámojá Yorùbá, an edutech company, providing Yoruba Language services. In this interview with Assistant Editor, EVELYN OSAGIE, she shares her obsession with empowering women and children with Yoruba Language and legacy
Growing up
You’d be surprised to hear this. I didn’t speak Yorùbá until I was about five. After my parents separated, I was moved to a public school and had to adapt quickly. That’s when Yorùbá found me and I found myself. I picked up tonemarks so fast that by SS1, I was crowned “Ìyá Yorùbá” by my classmates and teachers after a competition. Growing up wasn’t rosy. I had to grow up fast. My family didn’t have much, and I learned early how to fend for myself: doing group projects just so I wouldn’t have to pay, writing notes for classmates, and doing typing jobs for lecturers to get by. I started living alone from university days because I didn’t really have a home to return to. Just before I got into university, I reconnected with my dad. He owns a concrete block industry, and eventually during one of the long ASUU strikes, I served briefly as his business manager. Every block I carried, every cement bag I moved, he paid me per unit. That season taught me one of the most powerful Yoruba proverbs: “Atelewó eni kìí tánni je” — your own palm never deceives you. It also taught me the importance of separating business from pleasure, family or friendships. I thought it was a joke until I crossed that line once. And yes, I regretted it.
My passion
I’m a go-getter who loves working behind the scenes. I am a passionate teacher just as I am passionate about Yourba language with a life-changing touch. The idea that I can change the narrative is what fuels my passions. I am a dedicated advocate for the Yoruba language and culture, working to promote its importance and relevance in modern society. I call myself a Yorupreneur, a builder of dreams and a disruptor in the Yorùbá language education space. Seven years ago, I founded an online Yorùbá school with nothing but vision and grit. I am also the founder of Alámojá Yorùbá, a startup providing Yoruba language services, including translation and subtitles for Yoruba movies. Today, I lead a team of 19 incredible people who share my obsession for innovation, language, and legacy. I see myself as a builder. Whether it’s creating systems, launching projects, or nurturing people, I’m constantly building. My love for tech and automation runs deep and I find joy in designing processes that create real impact.
My motivation into the world of Yoruba language
My passion is my greatest motivation. It is what led me to where I am currently as a Ph.D. student in Comparative Literature and Intercultural Studies at the
University of Georgia
, where I am also a Teaching Assistant for Yoruba language courses, with a focus on translating women’s works in Yoruba literature. But I didn’t always know what I wanted to do with Yorùbá. I just knew I wanted to do something great. When I saw how many children were growing up just like I did, they are disconnected from the language until age five; I knew I had to act. In 2017, I took a bold step. I started teaching Yorùbá online with WhatsApp and voice notes. Sounds funny now, but those early days laid the foundation for the edutech company I now run. In addition to what fuels me, I am motivated by every message from a student who now speaks Yorùbá confidently. Every mom who says, “My child now greets me in our language.” That’s the fire I run on.
My background impacted the woman I became
I didn’t just rise, I was forged. Everything I am today is a result of the fire I went through. From the struggles of childhood to the life lessons I learned working for my father, I developed a strong work ethic, self-dependence, and an unrelenting hunger to build something meaningful. Studying Yorùbá and Communication Arts in university came with its own stigma. I was insulted and constantly embarrassed for it, that combined with my struggles affected my self-esteem. I couldn’t speak amongst friends; they would tease and say “oh we’re talking to ‘actual’ students, not those who came to play in school”. What they didn’t know was that studying Yorùbá was as difficult as many other majors. Most people thought we had no future. “Maybe she’ll end up as a radio presenter,” they’d say. But I had a professor, Professor Harrison Adeniyi, who believed in us. He’d always say, “This Yorùbá you’re studying? It can take you anywhere.” I didn’t know how, but I believed him.
Then came translation courses. That was my moment that for once felt closer. For my final project, I translated Bayo Adebowale’s Out of His Mind. It took me eight months and stirred something deep in me. While others were picking “easier” projects, I took the road less walked. And that road led me here. Yoruba has indeed taken me to places, I won a Fulbright grant because of this Yorùbá. I was taken to the US to teach Yorùbá for 10 months, all expenses paid.
Being a woman
Being a woman is a lot. We are expected to show up as nurturers, warriors, builders, and preservers all at once. Society hands us so many roles that we often forget we have the power to define our own. To me, being a woman means owning all of it – the strength, the struggle, the sacrifice, and still choosing to shine. We’re not only cultural custodians. We’re innovators. Trailblazers. Unstoppable forces.
Women’s role in transmitting cultural traditions/language to younger generations
In the Yoruba context, women’s first duties are as the custodians of our culture. It is the reason our people say, “omo tó bá dára ni ti bàbá re.” It is believed that a child that hasn’t been well trained ends up becoming their mother’ baggage. From lullabies to eulogies, to food preparation to proverbs shared during chores, women have always passed down our language and values. When we empower women with tools to teach and preserve the language, the ripple effect touches generations. And when I say empowering women, I mean empowering our children, the girl-child especially. Teaching them the culture is paramount. The child of today will become the mother, aunty, or grandma who will transfer our culture to the children of tomorrow. A Yoruba woman is a living archive of her heritage.
Community engagement and activism
Community is where culture lives and where it is either preserved or forgotten. When we engage communities intentionally, we give women and children permission to reconnect with their roots, proudly and publicly. When people understand their identity, they become unstoppable. Yoruba language education provides this sense of rootedness, especially for women and children. For women, it opens doors to leadership, entrepreneurship, and global opportunities in fields like education, translation, and cultural consultancy. I know women who have created Yoruba language schools abroad as a result of them being taught their language as a child.
That’s what happens when women embrace their heritage, they not only strengthen their personal growth, and they also empower entire communities. Activism doesn’t always wear a placard. Sometimes it sounds like a mother joining a language class or a youth-led group organising a local storytelling night. These micro-movements matter. I’ve seen them become the foundation for macro impact. I like what Lagos State is currently doing with the J.Randle Centre for Yorùbá Culture and History. We need more of it. Places like that should serve as safe spaces for cultural learning. We must design initiatives that make participation easy, joyful, and dignifying. For example, culturally immersive summer camps for children like I did with the 2019 Yoruba Summer Camp at Freedom Park Lagos. My goal that year was to create the childhood experience that the modern day child no longer enjoys (i.e. tales by moonlight, indigenous games and more) – and we achieved it. We need more women-led language clubs, and digital content series that center Yorùbá proverbs, songs, or folktales. When women and children are not just passive consumers but active participants in creating cultural content, that’s when we win.
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Inclusive representation of Yoruba language and culture in media/popular trends
When women and children see their language and cultural elements in mainstream media, from Nollywood to NETFLIX, they begin to understand that their heritage is worthy of celebration. It challenges negative stereotypes and fosters pride. A child hearing Yoruba in a cartoon or watching a film with Ifa philosophy portrayed with dignity will know that their culture has value. However, we need more storytellers, producers, and content creators who are intentional. That means partnering with Yoruba experts, investing in authentic narratives, and elevating local creators. We (the government and private organisations and individual) must also support Yorùbá language content through funding, distribution, and visibility. Platforms, like YouTube, podcasts, and streaming services, are powerful tools when used with purpose. Inclusion means showing the diversity within Yoruba culture itself: urban, rural, diasporic, traditional, and modern. This is why I frown at the latest trend of NETFLIX not showing African content outside the continent. That is where policy comes into play. The solutions are within reach. While we need policies to effect some of these changes; we must prioritise teaching Yoruba in South-West Nigerian schools. We also need to train more educators to be able to teach Yoruba as a second/foreign language. This is one of the reasons I’ve been committed to training women Yorùbá educators. I know the ripple effect is generational.
Beauty to me
To me, beauty is intelligence. It’s grace wrapped in boldness. It’s being smart, curious, and walking in your truth whether you’re dark-skinned, light, or somewhere in between. Real beauty lies in how deeply rooted we are in who we truly are.
My favorite style to wear
I love manly wears like t-shirts and jeans or shorts. I also love traditional attires; a flowing Àdìre and Ankara kimonos, and love my natural hair. And yes, a red lippie. My style is easy, expressive, and powerful, just like me.
Relaxation
Now that’s a funny one, because when I’m not working, I’m still somehow working.
But I’ve learned to be intentional about rest. These days, I actually schedule it. I unwind with thrillers and crime dramas. I love series that grip me. I also enjoy playing digital games that challenge my mind. Yorùbá music is my soul food. EmmaOMG, Sola Allyson, and Tope Alabi are my go-tos. And audiobooks? Give me a good fiction novel with a strong narrator, and I’m in my happy place. If it stretches my mind or helps me learn, I’m all in
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