Nigerian-American beauty influencer Jackie Aina, has been criticized by Nigerians for naming one of the scents in her range of candles ‘Soro soke’
‘Soro soke’ which translates to ‘speak up’ is a phrase used during the October 2020 #EndSars protests against police brutality and bad governance.
The candle is part of a new range of Fall scents currently available on the brand website and Sephora for $38. It is described as a blend of cardamon, sandalwood and leatherwood.
Other scents in the range unveiled on social media with a video from an owambe-themed party are No Wahala’, ‘ Soft Life’ and ‘Spice of Life.’
Meet the new Soro Soke fragrance: The top note is the warm, zesty smell of young sweat and tears, middle note is the full-bodied, aromatic smell of pain and oppression, and the base note is a heady mix of dust and the metallic smell of dried blood.
Gift a loved one today! https://t.co/BDMjP81qiY— Elnathan John (@elnathan_john) August 5, 2022
Jackie Aina, along with other popular Nigerians in the diaspora, were initially criticized for not lending their voice to the protests.
She later showed her support for the movement by posting the names of some of the victims of police brutality and a picture of ‘EndSars’ perfume.
In May British journalist, Trish Lorenz, similarly came under fire over the ‘Soro soke’ phrase.
She wrote a book Soro ‘Soke: The Young Disruptors of an African Megacity’. which examined the bravery of the youths and the outcome of the movement.
But in an interview after the book came out, she claimed to have coined the phrase, leading to a backlash from Nigerians on social media.
This cohort exhibits a confident outspokenness and a tendency for creative disruption, leading me to name them the Soro Soke generation (Soro Soke means ‘speak out’ in the Yoruba language
