The death of Olujimi Solanke on Monday, February 5, 2024 at the age of 81, is no doubt, painful to the people of Ipara Remo, Ogun State in particular, and the generality of Nigerians, who have followed his acting career over the years and admired the positive impact it has had on the nation.
Solanke was one of Africa’s most accomplished performing artistes. He was a man of different parts: a musician, poet, thespian, educationist, producer and cultural ambassador among others. He was not just an acting ‘genius’, who stoked patriotism with his unswerving songs of hope, Solanke was a culture ambassador.
Baba Agba, as he was widely known by his numerous fans across the country, Solanke was born July 4, 1942, in Lagos to parents from Ipara Remo.He attended Odogbolu Grammar School and was one of the first set of graduates of the School of Drama, which later became the Department of Theatre Arts, University of Ibadan. He was to later join the Department of Dramatic Arts, at the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University OAU) in 1969.
From his early age, he had begun to hold audiences bound by his theatrics, starting from his school performances during Parents and Teachers’ Day. And later, he was performingat the Abalabi Nite Club, Olorunsogo to sing with Roy Chicago’s Band.
Between 1961 and 1963, when he entered the School of Drama, he was just enjoying himself singing with any band available, Victor Faulkner’s band, Zen Phillip and the Blue Nine at the Central Hotel; and the Eddy Okonta band at Paradise Club in Gbagi area of lbadan. Finally, he ended up with Chris Ajilo and the Cubanos at the Gangan Nite Club.
He also worked with many global musicians, including Chubby Checker of Twist fame and Millicent Small of Rock Steady years later. He was with Ralph MacDonald, the lead voice in the chartbuster, Ona La, The Path.
Baba Agba, as Uncle Jimi was called, brought a passion and dynamism to folk songs that transcended mere craftsmanship. They were sources of inspiration and enlightenment that ignited a spark in others which thereby fostered a creative spirit that will continue to resonate for generations to come. He enriched the country’s cultural landscape with his unique perspectives and talents.
Solanke’s storytelling prowess was well celebrated. His performances were marked by passion and excellence, earning him recognition far and wide. Passionate about the dearth of folk songs, he organised training to boost folklore music in Nigeria in 2021.
Mentored differently by theatre experts such as, Wole Soyinka, Ola Rotimi, Akin Euba, Peggy Harper, Dapo Adelugba and Demas Nwoko, upon graduation from Ibadan, he was to later join the Department of Dramatic Arts, University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University OAU) in 1969.
Many of his admirers still recall with nostalgia, his epic performances at the Western Nigeria Television (WNTV, Ibadan) in the 1960s, his unforgettable stagecraft at the World Festival of Negro Arts in Senegal and the amazing skills he exhibited at the Pan-African Cultural Festival in Algeria, all in the 1970s.
Also to his credit were brilliant performances in such plays as Death and the King’s Horseman, Kurunmi, Kongi’s Harvest, The Divorce and Ovaramwen Nogbaisi.
He also starred in several shows on Nigerian Television (NTA) including The Bar Beach Show, For Better for Worse, Village Headmaster, Family Scene on Lagos Television (LTV), Children’s Half Hour, Storyland, African Stories on Africa Independent Television (AIT), Sango – The movie and many others.
In all the arts that hetook as a profession, whether music, theatre or dance, he made sure that he interpreted roles painstakingly. “That is the job of an actor. The reason l am teaching and training stage actors is so they will be able to play with me. We have different schools of acting in Nigeria today. I believe they are rolling out actors in large numbers. We have customised acting in this land and our special acting style has come to stay,” he said in an interview to celebrate his 78th birthday.
He was at different times described by the OxfordTimes and the NewYorkTimes as a ‘Skilled Nigerian Actor’ and an ‘Excellent Troupe’ respectively, owing to his performance of Wole Soyinka’s Kongi’s Harvest, during a tour of Europe.
He relocated to the United States, where he founded a drama group called The Africa Review, dedicated to promoting African culture.
As a singer, he wrote songs that the listener could find a message in or an aspect of the African culture. Any type of music he played, some cultural seed were sewn into it.
Some of his evergreen folksongs include Ojoje, Baba Agba, Osupa, Bare Ni Joye, Bi a Ba Jeko, Oil Boom Palava, Omiyale, Onile Gogoro, Eje ka jo, Jenrokan, Na today you come.He was a consultant for Theatre for Development, UNICEF, UNFPA, Women and Children’s Health.
‘Uncle’ Jimi Solanke was a rare breed in his simplicity and accommodating nature. He would forever be present in the memories of everyone – in his songs that speak to our everyday reality, in his body of visual arts (something most people are not aware of), in his stage crafts and in his written works. He was an actors’ actor; a Jack of all trades and master of all.He was an icon in every sense of the word. He was an enigma, an institution. And like the popular saying, the death of an old man signifies the burning of the village library; and for Solanke, a heritage has been lost.
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