In Nigeria, a 25-year-old woman named Aderonke Adesola is defying expectations as a sports commentator. Unlike most programming in the country, Adesola hosts her show in the local language Yoruba instead of English. Her sports program, called Jawonsi, began in 2019 on Splash FM, a popular radio station in Ibadan with over 3 million listeners.
Adesola’s decision to use Yoruba as the language of her show stems from the high level of illiteracy in Nigeria. She recognized that there are people who struggle to understand English commentary. “As a Yoruba commentator, my show comes to fill the gap,” she explained. Adesola, known as Olori Sports on social media, covers both local and international soccer matches, as well as other sports like squash, cricket, golf, and Formula One racing.
Her goal is to expand sports in the Yoruba language globally. Despite not being an athlete herself, Adesola’s love for soccer led her to pursue a career in sports commentary. Outside the radio studio, she is currently studying mass communications to further enhance her expertise in the field.
Listeners of Adesola’s show appreciate her humorous banter and wordplay. A group of men in Ibadan were recently seen sitting outside, playing a board game while listening to her show on a handheld radio. One of them, a welder named Suru Olayande, expressed how everyone is now interested because the commentary is in a language they can understand.
Seun Sanni reported this story, while Nellie Peyton wrote it, and William Mallard edited it.
