City, State
Veteran actor Yemi Solade don drop hot gist for podcast wey people no fit ignore. For “The Father’s Path with Temitope,” e talk say Ade Ajiboye, wey dem sabi as Big Abass, na the real ground breaker for Nigeria home video industry. Na him be the true pioneer, no be Kenneth Nnebue wey produce the classic film “Living in Bondage” for 1992.
Solade talk am like this as e dey address the popular ‘media confusion’ wey dey pepper am about where Nollywood really start. According to am, Yoruba filmmakers don dey shoot video and sell am before that English-language craze wey “Living in Bondage” carry come our shore. E wan make everybody sabi say, “Na Ade Ajiboye be the original person wey dey do this video biz.”
This man no dey joke; him clarify say Yoruba theatre don dey experiment with camcorders long before ’92, sharing their performances like say dem be evangelists wey dey sell ‘holy’ records for bookshops. “We don dey do dis matter since,” Solade add, as e dey shout small for the injustice of history.
E dey refer to early icons like Hubert Ogunde, Baba Sala, Ade Love, and Ola Balogun, as the groundbreakers wey don lose their glory because their work no dey written down well. E claim say the reason dem no dey recognize Yoruba filmmakers na because dem no document wetin dem don do. “No be wahala,” Solade talk. “Na the people wey dey shout say them start, but dem no start anything!”
Na wetin go make you dey think as Solade drop names like Adebayo Salami, wey be Femi Adebayo papa, and Jide Kosoko, as witnesses wey sabi the gists of the early days of Yoruba video films. Dis man dey vex for wetin people dey talk. He explain say na only for Yoruba scene you go see practitioners wey fit tell you say dem don dey around for over 60 years, sharp-sharp!
