My Happiest Day In Acting - Kola Oyewo

Kola Oyweo

Despite his indigent background, Gabriel Adekola Oyewo always dreamt of standing out in a crowd and was focussed on realising it. “I was determined to become relevant in the society no matter what,” he recollects. And devoid of financial assistance from parents and relatives, Oyewo kicked off his journey into the world of theatre in 1964 after his secondary (modern) education. However, his thirst for knowledge propelled him into combining his acting career with studies. Today, Kola Oyewo, with a Ph.D is a university lecturer and celebrated actor in Nigeria and overseas. In this interview, he tells YEMISI ADENIRAN the challenges he encountered when growing up, his experiences combining acting and teaching, and lots more

Q: Tell us about your journey into the theatre world. Did it precede your career as a lecturer?
A: My acting career took off before my teaching job. I had a rough background, being a child from a poor foundation. My primary education did not start until I was nine years old, because no one was ready to put me in a fee-paying school. But as fate would have it, the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo introduced free education in 1955, and this offered me the opportunity of seeing the four walls of a school for the very first time. About five years later, I moved to Osogbo to complete my primary school and then to modern secondary school, as the routine was then.

Immediately after my modern school, I had a very long break from schooling. Since there was no help coming for my education, I joined the Oyin Adeyobi Theatre group at Osogbo, and this was precisely when my career in acting commenced. This was in 1964. Nine years later, I moved to Ife to join the University of Ife Theatre under Professor Ola Rotimi. The opportunity to further my education came many years after, and I eventually got my first degree from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife in 1995. Soon after, I went for my Masters and Ph.D degrees; this time at University of Ibadan. Currently, I am on the teaching staff list of the Department of Dramatic Arts, University of Ibadan.

Q: We gathered that at one point you were in the same class with one of your children. At what level was this? And how did it feel?
A: Oh, it was during our undergraduate years. The boy is my second son and his name is Adeyemi Oyewo; he is now working and living in Lagos. And as for the second part of your question, what I felt was nothing extraordinary. I saw it all as a joke. We shared everything together in class and didn’t feel odd about it. You see, as far as I was concerned, I was determined to be educated and get to the top by every good means, and such trivial situation would not deter me. Besides, I wouldn’t want any of my children to pass through the rough road I treaded in life. So, when fate arranged that we got admission the same time into the university, no one would hinder the other.

We are all aware of the importance the country attaches to certificates. No matter how rich and successful you are, if you are not certificated in one line or the other you are bound to be down-rated. And so, even at age 46, I couldn’t be bothered. To others, this may be a big deal, but to me with a background in drama, I viewed the situation as a mere play. And again, age has nothing to do with education.

Q: How did your classmates respond when they discovered the relationship between both of you?
A: At the initial stage not many people knew, but as soon as they eventually knew, their reaction was more of shock than embarrassment. Many were challenged, others were shocked. Of course you cannot rule out jests and snide comments about this instance, but they were all bearable. At the end of the day, however, they all respected and appreciated me. It was all fun anyway.

Q: What are the challenges you face as a lecturer and at the same time an actor?
A: There is no job or career that does not have its own challenge. But in my own case, it isn’t as tedious as you may view it. As a lecturer I don’t have to be in class 24 hours; in a day I have my time table to follow. Weekends and public holidays are there for everyone to observe and engage in whatever extra-curricular activity he or she chooses. Besides, universities go on semester breaks and strike, which afford me enough time to go to locations for my productions. It is true that I get busy most of the time, but I never see it as a big deal. From my childhood days up till now, I have always loved acting. During my secondary modern school, under Mr. Kunle Olaniyan, we usually travelled to all the suburbs of Oyo State to stage plays. As an itinerant theatre practitioner, I am used to moving up and down. For instance, last weekend I was at Ilaro working along with other actors on a script written by Funke Akindele and from there to the classroom. It’s been challenging but not stressful; as long as I am enjoying what I am doing.

Q: How fulfilled are you?
A: That is exactly what I mean. I am happy because I am doing a job that I like. It offers me optimum satisfaction. This time around, I am referring to both jobs. They are related. When I am not in the practical aspect of the movie, which is acting, I am in the class teaching how to go about it in theory. Job satisfaction is what I consider as most important, and this I get from both. Lecturing affords me the opportunity of imparting in others the knowledge I have acquired, and the knowledge I have obtained gives me the opportunity of improving on my acting ability. I benefit from both sides. I use the two advantages.

Q: Which of the careers gives you the greater financial satisfaction?
A: I am sure you are not trying to know my pay. Whatever you mean by this, I will only say that the two pay just very well. And as a matter of fact, I combine both to make ends meet. Let me also tell you that my wife works as the Deputy to the Librarian in the same Obafemi Awolowo University. So you can see that we combine our resources to run the family.

Q: Have you produced any film before and why do you feature only in Yoruba films and not English-Igbo films. Does this confirm the insinuated division between the two?
A: I have produced only one movie, Ija Akoni. It was Olasco who sold it. But that I feature more in Yoruba films has nothing to do with any insinuated discrimination between the Yoruba and Igbo actors. Not in any way, and particularly not in my case. I am sure it is because they (Igbo producers) don’t need me. After all, there are others in the Yoruba genre that often appear in English-Igbo films. The main people of Nollywood, like Ernest Obi, were at Ife with me. Ndubuisi also graduated from Ife. We know each other and have no clash whatsoever. There was a time one of them invited me to a movie that coincided with another thing I had to attend to then, so I couldn’t turn up. There is no clash or discrimination between us at all. We are interwoven. They appear in our films but you will also observe that it is not all of them.

Q: How come Yoruba actors feel more at home with the ANTP than Nollywood that their Igbo counterparts basically identify with?
A: The ANTP, which is the Association of Nigerian Theatre Practitioners, has been existing since the Hubert Ogunde era. There is also the Actors Guild of Nigeria and of course, the Nollywood. We are in a very wide world, everyone is free to join or identify with any group. It doesn’t necessarily translate into any form of division. We are together.

Q: Tell us your most memorable days
A: On the happiest note, it was the day my son and I graduated from the university. That day my joy knew no bounds; it was a dream come true. We both bagged Bachelor of Arts degree in Dramatic Arts in August 1995. We cut the cake together with my wife standing in the middle. And on the negative side, it was the day we had an accident on the way to Port Harcourt. We had performed at Benin a day earlier but our vehicle crashed the next day at Asaba. Though no one died, the journey and the assignment was disrupted. We were all sad, including our director, Professor Ola Rotimi.

Q: You have put 43 years into acting if we count up from 1964. When do you intend to retire?
A: You know acting is an act, and you don’t quit an act until you die. Even when one is old, there will be roles for the aged to act; an old man role to act. You might view me as being aged, but you know the will power to keep on the act is what is keeping me on. I cannot do any other things. It is obviously too late for me to go and learn any other thing now.

Q: What advice do you have for upcoming artistes and those already in the art?
A: My piece of advice to both the young and oldies in the industry is that they should be disciplined and very focused. The women particularly should see themselves as being on equal level with their male counterparts. They should therefore be more confident of the gift embedded in them. Those who rely on using their ‘assets’ to get to stardom or roles should watch out, as this will soon fade out of fashion. It has become outdated.

Q: Who are your role models?
A: When I first started acting, the late Kola Ogunmola was my role model. Later, Jimi Solanke added up to the list. He really influenced me at Ife. Olu Jacobs is another actor that I wish to be like.

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