The first thing to notice in the footage from Zlatan Ibile and Davita Lamai’s welcome party in Marrakesh is how they enter the room. Each arrives above the guests, carried on a decorated seat. The party on Tuesday, 3 November, opened the Moroccan part of the Nigerian couple’s wedding celebrations with family and friends.
The seat is called an amaria. In this entrance, the bearers were as much a part of the scene as the ornate decoration. Four men supported each seat, according to TheCable’s account of the videos. The two people being welcomed into the room made their entrances separately. They did not ride into the venue together on a single platform.
For Nigerian viewers who saw the earlier festivities, the change in setting matters. Zlatan and Davita had already held their traditional wedding in Oniru, Lagos, on 24 October. At that event they wore Edo-inspired outfits with coral beads and later changed into coordinated Yoruba attire. The Marrakesh entrance brought a Moroccan wedding custom into a different part of the celebrations.
There was a more familiar sight for the singer’s fans on the dance floor. A clip reported by Legit.ng showed him demonstrating his legwork to his father-in-law. Zlatan’s music and dance are closely associated with Zanku. In this setting the move was something one member of a family could show another, away from a concert stage.
Davido and comedian Carter Efe were among the guests reported at the welcome party. Clips of musicians and wedding guests sharing a dance floor can travel far beyond the people in the room, particularly when the performer already has an audience that recognises his steps.
What it means for you. If you are following the celebrations through short videos, the date and occasion are better guides than a caption that simply says wedding. The Lagos ceremony and the Marrakesh welcome party are separate events. Footage of the lifted seats tells you how the couple entered the party. It does not document an exchange of vows.