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'Papalolo,' A Life Made Of Comedy
WHEN a proper history of Nigerian street comedy is done, Ayo Ogunsina (a.k.a Papalolo), would be on record as one of the progenitors of that genre of acting. He seemed to have foreseen the current boom in comic performing business, decades ago. Ever since he sensed this bright prospect, he had all the while remained faithful to it, defying challenges.
The phenomenon began in the 1980s when, hardly one week of TV viewing passed in such metropolitan areas as Lagos without Papalolo and his co-acts, late Tajudeen Gbadamosi (a.k.a, Jacob) and Kayode Olaiya (a.k.a, Aderupoko).
Jester, a break-away group from Ola Omonitan led Ajimajasan and his Awada Group, almost went into extinction when, in February 22, 1987 Gbadamosi, passed on. But Ogunsina and Aderupoko managed to survive the jolt, as they still retain many fans through their stand up comic performances.
Ogunsina's journey into the world of make-believe, like most actors of his generation, started from the late theatre icon, Adedeji Hubert Ogunde. "My first contact with acting came when I joined Ogunde around 1962. Then I was in my early 20s. Being with Ogunde was like in school, it was an experience well cherished even though I left two years after, in 1964," he said.
But Ogunsina said he already had a background of performing art, which actually aided his performance with Ogunde, "While with Ogunde, it didn't take long before I started playing lead roles. For example, I played the lead role, Otunba Ekeji Oye in the controversial play, Yoruba Ronu. Before I joined Ogunde I had performed with a music group, Sami Taiwo Orchestra, also in Lagos. I sang and drummed in the group. Drumming is one passion that had been in me since my school days at Wesley College, Elekuro, in Ibadan where I finished in 1960. And because acting in those days was a combination of music and drama, I was able to blend easily with Ogunde."
Recalling how Yoruba Ronu turned out a controversial play as a result of its ban by the then Western Region government, Ogunsina disclosed that it was a trying period for both Ogunde and the entire cast of the politically volatile play. "The ruling party then, a coalition of Action Group, (AG) and NCNC, under what they called 'Egbe Demo', invited Ogunde to perform at the launch of the party at Mapo Hall, Ibadan. Unknown to the politicians, our play Yoruba Ronu, had a thought-provoking theme, the rivalry between late Obafemi Awolowo and Ladoke Akintola. It was during performance that they realised that Ogunde's play was against the political views of the party. In fact, some of the dignitaries at the event angrily left half way into the performance. Therefore, subsequent shows were banned in the Western region," the actor recalled.
But "Baba (Ogunde) was not discouraged by that development. We moved to Lagos and started performing the same play, attracting crowd from as far as Benin. After touring Lagos, performing at Empire, Lisabi and Glover Halls, we proceeded on a tour of the West African coast, which included such countries like Republic of Benin, Ghana, Ivory Coast and Liberia," Ogunsina said.
Ogunsina disclosed how the play battled language barrier given that some of the countries are Francophone. According to him, at different times, depending on the audience, the play was staged in English, Yoruba and French.
He said Yoruba was mostly used "because all the countries toured have Yoruba communities both as settlers and citizens." English language, he continued was rarely used, except in few places like Liberia and Ghana.
Performing the play in French language, he said, was not very difficult. "All Ogunde did was to engage a French scriptwriter and theatre director. We, the same actors, from Nigeria were rehearsed in French language," he said, noting that, even at that, the shows usually received applause from the French-speaking audience. The West Africa tour lasted three months.
On his return from that tour, the actor taught it was time for him to start a troupe, even if it means collaborating with other equally experienced actors. That gave birth to what he called Araba Concert Party, which he said was formed in collaboration with Olatunbosun Odunsi (Baba Amoye), Ayo Adekambi and, late Femi Philips. "We launched the group in late 1964 at Lisabi Hall, in Lagos. But we were just one play old, Aye Soro, the time we parted ways," Ogunsina said.
But that was not the end of his attempt at leading troupe In 1965, when poet, Adebayo Faleti, then a producer with the, Western Nigeria Television, WNTV, Ibadan merged Ogunsina's group with Araba Concert Party to give birth to a new one called Egbe Alebiosu. The merger, he said, lasted till 1971.
In the new group, he stated, were Olatunbosun Oladapo who later became a popular ewi exponent and Olanrewaju Adepoju, who was known as Odidere Ayekoto in his theatre days.
Ogunsina listed the plays they performed on WNTV to include a detective series, Adegboye, two tele-drama, Sawo S'ogberi (The Hypocrite) and Won Ro Pe Were Ni (They Thought He Was A Madman). "But most popular and biggest hit of all was an Adebayo Faleti's play, Idamu Padi Mikailu (The Travail of Vicar Micheal).
If one would not easily recollect what the TV adaptation of Faleti's play look like, the motion picture version entitled Iwa, shot on 16mm in 1988 and directed by Lola Fani- Kayode is currently in film shelves. The screen work remains one of Ogunsina's best screen performances. As Sufianu, the church worker and house help of the lead character, Mikailu, the actor lifts the role as if Faleti had him in mind when he wrote the original version.
After breaking up with Faleti, Ogunsina gradually, and unknown to him, inched towards another union that was to earn him the fame he is known for today.
The trauma of parting with Faleti, he confessed, discouraged him into any further collaboration.
But another poet, Oyewole Olowomojuare, he said, lured him into forming Ewenla, group. "That, too did not last," he said.
His experience with Olowomojuore was the last transit to another group where he met destiny. The group, Ajimajasan, led by Omonitan, also included the other two with whom he later became famous under Jester International.
"I joined Ajimajasan in 1972. There I met, Tajudeen Gbadamosi, Kayode Olaiya and Bashir Aworawo, (a.k.a Oloye Ajere). I worked with Ajimajasan until 1979 when I left," he said, recalling that, while with the group, he introduced music comedy, lampooning musicians' popular numbers.
"When I first told Ajimajasin the idea, he was reluctant to accept it, but he later gave me the chance. To his surprise, it turned out a success. With his consent, I then formed a parallel group called Jester International, a division of Ajimajasan," Ogunsina informed.
This was in 1979. Jester International later pulled out from Ajimajasan as he, alongside Gbadamosi and Olaiya, "peacefully left the organisation.
To some extent, the trio of Papalolo, Jacob and Aderupoko were forerunners of music comedy in the country. To lay solid claim to this record they had album releases on vinyl. "While with Ajimajasan we had an album with a full music band back-up from one Remi Sakadeli, a juju musician. But our first independent record on vinyl was Jacob Is Ku, which was followed by three others. The music comedy idea was so successful that we used to tour the West and North."
Ogunsina recounted that the group also performed on TV. Their first work entitled, Owo Tabua (Plenty Money), was syndicated on NTA, Ibadan, Lagos Television (LTV 8) and Ogun State Television, OGTV, Abeokuta.
Asked how he arrived at the idea of the Papalolo character which has traversed stage to TV, and video in the first place, he said: "I created that character while with Ajimjasan. You know that back in those days, even until recently, there used to be this expression, "Baba lo'nlo" among young ones. The meaning is 'it belongs to the boss or the elderly one'. It was from that common saying that I derived 'Papalolo'.
If one has not met the actor off stage, one would remain convinced that he is truly physically challenged as he walks when acting. "The idea of walking like a disabled person came during the production of Idamu Padi Mikailu. It was not part of the script that Sufianu walks like that, but I introduced it to give the character more life," the actor said.
Although, the death of Gbadamosi was a set back to the group, the advent of video did not however leave Ogunsina and Olaiya behind. Still under the same Jester International, they have released such video film titles as Aiye Orun'bo (Return From Heaven) and Eyin Aiye (Egg of Life), 1990 and recently Layipo, to further raise the profile of the group.
A native of Osu, Ilesa, Osun State Ogunsina said he was born between 1940 and 1941. He attended Wesley College, Ibadan and had taught as a primary school teacher for "one and half years" before moving over to settle in Offa, Kwara State. In Offa, he worked with UAC for over two years and for the brand cigarette St Moritz before relocating to Lagos where he joined Sami Taiwo Orchestra, "singing and drumming."
Apart from having works on vinyl and being a house hold name on TV, Ogunsina has a good number of celluloid movies to his credit. These include such successful films as Anikura and Ija Orogun.
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