Hubert Ogunde
- Born
- 1916-07-10 (age 73)
- Died
- 1990-04-04 (aged 73) · 36 years ago
- Birthplace
- Ososa, Ogun State, Nigeria
- Occupation
- Playwright, Actor, Theatre Manager, Musician, Director
- Spouse
- Adeshewa Clementina Ogunde
- AKA
- Chief Hubert Adedeji Ogunde, the father of Nigerian theatre, the father of contemporary Yoruba theatre
Biography
EARLY LIFE
Ogunde was born in Ososa, near Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, Nigeria, to the family of Jeremiah Deinbo and Eunice Owotusan Ogunde. His father was a Baptist pastor, and his maternal grandfather was a priest of Ifa, an African traditional religion. Ogunde briefly lived within the precincts of his grandfather's compound and was exposed to Ifá, Ogun and many other traditional religious celebrations. Both the Christian and traditional religion of the Yoruba influenced his upbringing. He had his education between 1925 and 1932, attending St John School, Ososa, (1925–28), St Peter's School, Faaji, Lagos, (1928–30) and Wasimi African School, (1931–32). His first contact with performance art was as a member of Egun Alarinjo during his elementary school days. After completing his education, he worked as a pupil-teacher at St. John's School and was also a church choirmaster and organist. He later joined the Nigerian police force in March 1941 in Ibadan. In 1943, the police force posted him to the Denton Police Station, Ebute Metta, where he joined an African initiated church, the Church of the Lord (Aladura). In Lagos, he created an amateur drama group, the African Music Research Party, in 1945.
CAREER
Hubert Adedeji Ogunde was a Nigerian actor, playwright, theatre manager, and musician who founded the first contemporary professional theatrical company in Nigeria, the African Music Research Party, in 1945. He changed the name to Ogunde Theater Party in 1947 and Ogunde Concert Party in 1950. Finally, in 1960, he changed it to Ogunde Theater, a name that remained until his death in 1990. He has been described as 'the father of Nigerian theatre, or the father of contemporary Yoruba theatre'. In his career on stage, he wrote more than 50 plays, most of which incorporate dramatic action, dance, and music, with a story reflecting the political and social realities of the period. His first production was a church-financed play called The Garden of Eden. It premiered at Glover Memorial Hall, Lagos, in 1944. Its success encouraged Ogunde to produce more plays, and he soon left his job with the police force for a career in the theatre. In the late 1970s, Ogunde was spurred by the success of Ija Ominira and Ajani Ogun, two pioneering Yoruba feature-length films, to co-produce his first celluloid film, Aiye, in 1979. He released Jaiyesimi, Aropin N'tenia, and Ayanmo, feature-length films influenced by Yoruba mysticism, thereafter. Ogunde starred in Mister Johnson, the 1990 motion picture that also featured Pierce Brosnan. In 1986, he was invited by the Nigerian government to form a national drama troupe. He produced over 90 songs in a creative life that stretched from the late 1950s to 1988.
PERSONAL LIFE
Ogunde married more than ten wives and had many children. The Ogunde Theater was largely a family-run business, and all the wives and children took part in the productions at one time or the other. Some of the children were actors and actresses, while others were drummers, singers and ticket sellers. The manager of the Ogunde Theater, who also happened to be one of the wives, was the former Miss Clementina Oguntimirin. She later became known as Adeshewa Clementina Ogunde or Mama Eko. His other wives included Ibisomi Ogunde, Risikat Ogunde and Emily Kehinde Olukoga-Ogunde. Chief Ogunde died on 4 April 1990, at London's Cromwell Hospital following a brief illness. During his life he had been honoured with a chieftaincy title, thus making him an Oloye of the Yoruba people.
Filmography
No filmography available for this person yet.
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Popularity Score
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