Nigerian-American beauty YouTuber Jackie Aina has apologised for naming her candle collection ‘Sòrò Sókè’.
Aina came under fire last Thursday on social media which happened to be her birthday. Following her unveiling of a four-candle set called “The Owambe Collection” named individually as Spice of Life, No Wahala, Soft life and ‘Sòrò Sókè’, she was accused of being insensitive.
‘Sòrò Sókè’ is a Yoruba term which means ‘speak louder’. The term was used as a rallying cry against police brutality during the 2020 October #EndSARS protest in Nigeria.
Reacting to the backlash, Aina and her lifestyle brand Forvr issued an apology on Instagram.
“As the brand owner of FORVR Mood, I understand our decision has severely hurt members of my Nigerian community with the naming of the candle Sòrò Sókè. We missed the mark on this and it will never happen again,” Aina’s Instagram post read.
“Empowerment and respect is the ethos of FORVR and that was unfortunately not properly conveyed in the naming of the candle.”
“We accept full responsibility and I recognize the gravity of this error,” the statement continued.
Aina added that the candle would be withdrawn from the market and production stopped.
The 35-year-old influencer became famous as a makeup artist on YouTube before expanding into lifestyle and home goods.
She was born to an African-American mother and a Nigerian father of Yoruba descent.
