Popular Female Photographer To Host Photo Exhibition In Kwara This Weekend With Ilorin Wedding Culture, History ‘In Focus’
The role of photography in preserving history, visual record of events and cultural traditions that could have been lost to time has been emphasized while it also serves as an important tool for communication and connection.
Mary Oladimeji Ajado, an Ilorin-based professional photographer and visual artist, who said this in an interview with Team@orientactualmags.com on Wednesday, added that photography also helps to preserve memories and tell the story of an event long after it had ended.
She also noted that her passion for people and culture has been the main motivation factor.
Mary added that a photo exhibition scheduled to hold in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, on Saturday, September 13, 2025, will serve as a platform to showcase Ilorin wedding culture and history.
The event that has as its theme “Emblems of Ilorin Matrimony: The Turban, The Sanyan, and The Henna’ will be held at the Ilorin Innovation Hall and it is Mary Ajado’s brainchild.
‘Photography is one powerful way you can capture and freeze in time the lives that people live. For me, it’s about preserving heritage and telling the Ilorin story visually’ the lenswoman, who ventured into photography after more than two decades in catering and hotel management, submitted.
The photo exhibition, she further noted, will highlight three symbolic elements of Ilorin wedding culture: the turban, the sanyan cloth, and the henna designs worn by the brides.
The emblems in question, she added, reflect the richness of Ilorin wedding culture and should therefore be documented for posterity.
Ajado, who is the CEO of MOAJ Media Consult, lamented that one of her biggest challenges has been the poor perception of photography as a profession.
‘It’s amazing how people undervalue photography, not realizing that it is a powerful tool for preserving culture and educating the next generation.
My message is simple: value life, value people, and value culture. Photography is not just about taking pictures—it’s about preserving history and telling our stories’ she said.
There will be a preview segment of the event for ticketed guests at 11 a.m. and members of the public will thereafter have their turn.
She expressed hope that the upcoming event will encourage greater appreciation of cultural heritage of Ilorin while noting that government and private investors are also expected to support efforts to preserve traditions through visual arts-Team@orientactualmags.com
Do you have any information you wish to share with us? Do you want us to cover your event or programme? Kindly send SMS to 08035023079, 08059100286, 09094171980. Thank you
