I Used to Keep Snakes As Pets – Princess Latifat Lamolliatte
Posted by Sylvester
on Saturday, February 22, 2014
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Through her label, Ravissant, Princess Latifat Lamolliate has been promoting African culture and fashion. A very chic lady whose personality lights up any gathering, Lamolliate is a Muslim married to a Christian, but still holds the African traditional belief system in high esteem. In this interview the Edo-born princess speaks on her unique personality.
Excerpts…
About combining Muslim, Christian and African traditional beliefs: I believe in God. Anywhere God is truly worshipped, you should not bother who comes in to worship. Though I am a Muslim, I can go into any place of worship. If you invite me to a wedding in your church, I will attend. I will not decline to attend because I’m a Muslim.
I know that some people will be reluctant to attend the church service. Such people are hypocrites, because it is the mind that matters. I think that somebody should have a good spirit and behave well. Who are you to discriminate against somebody on religious grounds and say this person or that person is not good?
About religion: While I was in secondary school, my best subjects were history and literature. These were the subjects that I loved most. I attended Baptist High School, Benin, before changing to Our Lady of Lourdes College. I am a Muslim who attended Christian schools. I was very good in acting. My literature teacher encouraged me. I was very much interested in Wole Soyinka’s plays and cultural dances. But at the university, I studied languages for my first degree and later got Master’s degree in international law. When I was growing up, I said I would become an ambassador.
About being brave and having pets: I’m never afraid of anything. If I see a lion, a trained lion, I can touch it. I used to keep snakes. The father of my friend gave me the first snake I had as a pet. We were schoolmates and I visited her house. His father used to keep the snakes in his sitting room and people were scared to go there, even his wife. I went there and I carried one of them; he was surprised. I asked if I could have one. He said that I could keep it and return it anytime I wanted. I went home with the snake. I was in secondary school then. Some time ago, I traveled to Benin Republic with my troupe. There was a particular place where women gathered and there were snakes in the room. In that community, they worship snakes.
They brought the snakes and a man was looking for who would carry the snakes. The women were scared and screaming. I moved close to him. He gave me one snake and I put one on my neck and carried another one. The women were shocked. The women gathered to take pictures of me; I told them to come close to touch the snakes too. The women were shocked that I could touch them. Nowadays I have ‘upgraded’ a bit and become chic about these things. I keep pigeons in my home. They came to me and I accepted them. They have lived in my compound for more than seven years. My com-pound is filled with them.
About parents: I am very lucky. When I was growing up, my parents allowed me to follow my own path. Whenever I told them I wanted to do something, they did not try to dissuade me. My dad really trusted me because he was sure that I would never do anything wrong. My parents let me do whatever I wanted to do when I was growing up. They never bothered me. I’m so lucky.
About her lovely skin: It’s a cream I discovered and it is very good for the skin. It makes you feel young and glow. When you have a cream that hides your age, you look younger everyday. A lot of people come to buy it everyday. It is made for the dark African skin. It tones the skin without ‘bleaching.’
About style: Style is the way you carry yourself, what you put on and what is good on you. As I said, you have to be very chic. Style could be related to the way you talk, the way you carry yourself, the effect you create when you come into a place and looking very elegant.
About combining Muslim, Christian and African traditional beliefs: I believe in God. Anywhere God is truly worshipped, you should not bother who comes in to worship. Though I am a Muslim, I can go into any place of worship. If you invite me to a wedding in your church, I will attend. I will not decline to attend because I’m a Muslim.
I know that some people will be reluctant to attend the church service. Such people are hypocrites, because it is the mind that matters. I think that somebody should have a good spirit and behave well. Who are you to discriminate against somebody on religious grounds and say this person or that person is not good?
About religion: While I was in secondary school, my best subjects were history and literature. These were the subjects that I loved most. I attended Baptist High School, Benin, before changing to Our Lady of Lourdes College. I am a Muslim who attended Christian schools. I was very good in acting. My literature teacher encouraged me. I was very much interested in Wole Soyinka’s plays and cultural dances. But at the university, I studied languages for my first degree and later got Master’s degree in international law. When I was growing up, I said I would become an ambassador.
About being brave and having pets: I’m never afraid of anything. If I see a lion, a trained lion, I can touch it. I used to keep snakes. The father of my friend gave me the first snake I had as a pet. We were schoolmates and I visited her house. His father used to keep the snakes in his sitting room and people were scared to go there, even his wife. I went there and I carried one of them; he was surprised. I asked if I could have one. He said that I could keep it and return it anytime I wanted. I went home with the snake. I was in secondary school then. Some time ago, I traveled to Benin Republic with my troupe. There was a particular place where women gathered and there were snakes in the room. In that community, they worship snakes.
They brought the snakes and a man was looking for who would carry the snakes. The women were scared and screaming. I moved close to him. He gave me one snake and I put one on my neck and carried another one. The women were shocked. The women gathered to take pictures of me; I told them to come close to touch the snakes too. The women were shocked that I could touch them. Nowadays I have ‘upgraded’ a bit and become chic about these things. I keep pigeons in my home. They came to me and I accepted them. They have lived in my compound for more than seven years. My com-pound is filled with them.
About parents: I am very lucky. When I was growing up, my parents allowed me to follow my own path. Whenever I told them I wanted to do something, they did not try to dissuade me. My dad really trusted me because he was sure that I would never do anything wrong. My parents let me do whatever I wanted to do when I was growing up. They never bothered me. I’m so lucky.
About her lovely skin: It’s a cream I discovered and it is very good for the skin. It makes you feel young and glow. When you have a cream that hides your age, you look younger everyday. A lot of people come to buy it everyday. It is made for the dark African skin. It tones the skin without ‘bleaching.’
About style: Style is the way you carry yourself, what you put on and what is good on you. As I said, you have to be very chic. Style could be related to the way you talk, the way you carry yourself, the effect you create when you come into a place and looking very elegant.
Tagged as: Discovery
Lisa Okeke
Lisa is the head editor of Daily News 9ja. Stay upto date with breking news and live stories by following us on twitter and Facebook
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