The younger generation needs to respect us for the establishing this culture of arts, comedy and music

THE YOUNGER GENERATIONS NEEDS TO RESPECT US FOR ESTABLISHING THIS CULTURE OF ART, COMEDY AND MUSIC SAYS OTUNBA OLATUNJI SOTIMIRIN.

ENTERAINMENT PARROT INTERVIEW WITH OTUNBA OLATUNJI SOTIMIRIN, A VETERAN ACTOR, MUSICIAN, DANCER, DRUMMER AND LECTURER IN THE DEPARTMENT OF CREATIVE ART AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LAGOS. NIGERIA

E.P: Sir for the benefit of the younger generation can you introduce yourself?

Ans: My name is Olatunji Sotimirin a performing artist, I have been a university lecturer, a musician, story teller comedian, a broadcaster infact anything that has to do with performing arts is my area of concentration.

E.P: Can you tell us some notable plays that you have done?

Ans: Yes I have quite a member of play among which are the “Lion and the Jewel” “the road” by Professor Wole Shoyinka. At Peace, on tour of Republic of Ireland for three months), “Rhythm of Hope” Andore Goes Kinshasa, the Boat, Bodiso, Jaakariwo, Beautification of Area Boy, A Raisen in the sun, what the Butler saw, Yemoja, (performed in Mexico and Nigeria), the Boa t, Pandora Box (Performes in London), The Kalakutans, Okikiro, Molve (a solo performance), I have also written plays like “ Conscience” “Waiting for John”, “Ojoro Kansolo”, Mofable, Tribute to Gani Fawehinmi” so many of this plays are performed here and in Europe, unless I can end you my C.V, I can’t just remember in order to get the right data to know, when they were performed.

E.P: Now sir which very production brought you to the limelight because I could remember a T.v production on NTA2 a Yoruba production that you are very much involved with.

Ans: (Cut in) could it be “Owuro Lojo?

E.P: Yes

Ans: Oh, it depicted the 60’s, early 65’s. it has a great cultural massage, it was produced by Bunmi Oyinsan and her husband featuring quite a number of very powerful and experienced artist, Joke silva, Olu Jacobs also Iya Ibeji Omo Arayele, Salomey was also there. It won an award I was nominated for the best actor I think ye that you could say was one of the plays that brought me to limelight, but on stage production “Death and the Kings Houseman” was also incredible in terms of the interpretation of that I gave it and was given wider media coverage and of course if you remember in the day Ajo FETIVAL by Fred Agbayegbe  that was live theater was very vibrant.

E.P: Yes I remember Late Jide Ogungbade was part of it

Ans: Of course he directed it, Antai Laniyan”, Ben Tomoloju, Jahman Anikulapo were part of the production cast that was the very heart of stage production in Nigeria everybody who was somebody in theatre started from that very level Richard Mofe Damijo, Clarion Chukwura etc some of them have travelled abroad, some have passed on, that’s are other crop of production that brought me to limelight,” woe unto Death” “Budiso”, “the king must dance naked” were all written by Fred Agbeyegbe and directed by Jide Ogungbagbe, likewise my one man performance also help project me, I mean in the eighties I started to do a lot of one man show, it started to manifest to the public when I was featuring on “NI FAAJI KELELE” on NTA2 Channel7 where I do comic shits with animate objects  it was very unique and nobody has done that and it was when I started to develop the concept of solo performance- it develop to a point and I conceptualize “Molve” which is what you can call a mini Nigerian. It reflect the entire social, political and cultural system of life via citizenry in Nigeria that is why I called it, a Mini Ideal Nigeria, so whatever am showing you will know the message we go through and try to pass along.

E.P: It is basically a one man show?

Ans: Yes it is a one man show and I embarked on it the early eighties I think 87 and it enjoyed massive press coverage, Late elder Steve Rhodes  saw it and invited me to come and show case it at his annual Christmas Choral Festival with the Steve Rhodes voices, He wrote a letter I still have it, if these younger one will like to have a sense of history, they seems to be losing it, they need to know what has been, the need to research into productions even before they came into limelight what I discovered is that they are so ignorant, they need to know and realize that these people have done a lot for the industry and needs to be respected for establishing this culture of arts, of comedy and music-that they met, I remember at the University of Ibadan with the late Sam Loco we use to do “Theatre on the screen” on NTA Ibadan, this was very popular in the western region and other parts of Nigeria with Akin Lewis, Olumide Bakare, At the University of Ibadan production company professor Femi Osofisan use to write scripts, a number of script which we act, I remember we also use to travel to NTA Ilorin, Abeokuta with Dudu Alabi Itandeyin (Dudu Productions), you knows we travelled to  vertically every part of Nijgeria including Recording radio programmes, T.V with the Late Chief Wale Ogunyemi, we also travel with Prof. Soyinka to Several Countries with his play.

“King Babu” was a play we toured to South Africa, Germany, Switzerland and a couple of other place under the directorship of Ben Tomoloju including JERO METAMORPHOSIS” or his play Jaakariwo or stuff like that.

E.P: Sir we can’t ignore a very important aspect of your artistic live- the Konkere Music what was your intention?

Ans: Konkere music is a musical experiment  that project our musical cultural diversity and still project the type of music that is total theatre arts due to the fact that exposed to a lot of training as an actor, a story teller, a dancer, a drummer, so Konkere explore our indigenous cultural arts forms therefore there is Apala in it, there is Fuji, There is traditional jazz, all manner of the peoples tradition all of that can be called of a fusion of all those cultural elements, all the cultural elements you can find in music although its heavy on the Yoruba side but it also embraces their culture aspect is somebody who has work with  the centre for cultural studies at the university of lagos I have brought to fore  a kind of experience I have had in the university environment. So Konkere Music came from this ideas or philosophy that we practice in the university environment so we take it to town so we not only speak grammer on campus, so people can see what we are doing on campus people can see it and break it down to simple language not only for the university environment because basically what we do in the university is to preserve the knowledge what we have in writing and in practice. So it is not about putting all the idea in a book shelf to take it to town. So our people can benefit from it.

E.P: Your incursion sir into the academics environment struck me sir as something that has to do with determination, it also challenge me concerning some things I have neglected for so long, so sir how did you realize this.

Ans: You know the university environment if you have what I called inclination to go in certain areas it will be a good thing to follow that inclination-like you use the word determination. I was determine to give everything that is necessary to reach the highest level of academic and am going to achieve that because I know I had the qualities of what the professors give to the universities at the university of Ibadan where I studies so it is not out of place that God has found a place for me to realize my vision, my dream, for the career that I want to pursue. so I appreciate what God has done and also usually to encourage a lot of people who have the talent to do it, instead of withdrawing, you know the academic environment can be very frustrating, a lot of people can also discourage you and say, how much are they paying you, but, it can be interesting of course it can be boring that is why I have to combine my talent as a performing artist with teaching. So its me and found it interesting.

So intellectually, artistically it is rewarding and I give it all I have, I have been able to take care of my family, face everything that has to do with arts, I play drums there, even in Uk I play drums too but we were to do more. Whenever invited around the world to speak infact on anything art, you know arts mirrors the society. So I have been invited to deliver lectures on African theatre because I grew up knowing Africa theatre I played Were music, traditional music because this is African theatre I dance, I chant, I sing, also when I go to give lectures I don’t go with book even though I still read about other peoples perspectives in the academic environment, the academics I want to say encourage people that once they see the signal or the sign to follow their dream it might be frustrating, they should follow their dream.

E.P: So sir this is a follow up on Konkere Music how is the band is it still functioning e.g playing at occasions?

Ans.: Ah we play at occasion, the band Konkere is still playing good and vibrant music, the day that Mr. Kolade Oshinowo a very big fish in the area of visual arts had his birthday I was the anchor because my band played there at his birthday.

Also my H.O.D Mrs. Peju Layiwolla on her birthday, Ahmed Yerima on his Sixty birthday Konkere played there. We have play several times at the French Cultural centre, performed in Europe, sometimes if I cannot take the whole band I just go to location or ceremony and call one or two people and they back Konkere up, so we are still very much around. Infact when people invite me as an M.C they also invite my band, once we are invited we play.

E.P: What is your reaction to the decline in stage production?

Ans: Entertainment parrot that is a wrong perception stage production is still very vibrant infact very vibrant now than what it used to be, the people were passionate about stage production but at a stage felt well I have to feed my family so they branched to other profession it nosedived to other things like advertising, journalism, public relations, telecommunications companies e.tc. some have travelled abroad and abandon it so that was when stage production became non vibrant, so they went into other things but I can guarantee you go to freedom park, go to muson center, go to terra kulture so it is back also a lot of people are wiser now and know the potential of making a lot of money from theatre that is why a lot people that don’t have anything to do with the arts are now going into it. So I will encourage the real practitioners of theatre to go into the business part of it play packaging the artist, they should go in search of those who can tanslate their idea into money making ventures.

E.P: What is your opinion on government attitude to the arts?

Ans: For now its only a few who seems to know the value, I remember when Ambode came in he promoted theatre, music because it also promoted their program, a couples of them who know their value of art are doing so.

E.P: What will be your message to your fans and our readers?

Ans: I want to thank everybody I appreciate their support for following my works. I also want to use this medium to tell them I am still very much practicing in spite of teaching engagements at the university  of Lagos, so  it is one thing that gives me joy sharing this idea from the university to the grass root and am happy that you have been following  my music “Konkere” which is still very much vibrant and my other artistic engagement I want to pray that God will continue to keep you in the right direction and I thank you for praying for us, for me and following my works.