Femi Fatoba
Renowned actor, Femi Fatoba, is dead
22/12/2008
By Ozolua Uhakheme Assistant Editor (Arts)
Renowned actor, poet and playwright, Dr. Femi Fatoba, died in a road mishap on the East/West highway near Patani in Delta State, on Saturday.
The retired University of Ibadan (UI) lecturer who until his death taught at the Niger Delta University, Bayelsa State, died while returning to Ibadan from Bayelsa State.
He was said to have been found dead at the scene of the accident that claimed three other dons of the technology department of the same university and the vice president of the Ijaw National Congress and former commissioner for finance in the defunct Bendel State, Dr. Chris Ghomorai.
The death of Ghomorai at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City yesterday raised the toll to six, and thus thrown the Ijaw ethnic group in the region into mourning.
His colleague at the UI, Dr. Ohioma Pogoson of the Institute of African Studies, described the death of Fatoba as sad news for the nation and another huge loss to the Nigerian arts.
"Fatoba who retired from the University of Ibadan with outstanding record, has a strong passion for African arts, which took him outside the shores of the country. He was a complete artiste whose exploits traversed the literary, dramatic and modern movie world. We are all sad here at the campus and mourning," Pogoson said.
He noted that Prof. Niyi Osundare, who is his neighbour in the campus, broke the sad news to him.
Dr. Ronke Adesanya of the same institute, who also spoke on phone reacted to Fatoba's death as shocking. She described the late artiste as a very jovial, unassuming and hard working lecturer.
"It is really shocking. He has young children and a wife who is running a programme at the university. In fact, I don't know, it is sad," Adesanya said.
Dr. Peju Layiwola of the Institute of African Studies, UI, was also short of words.
She said it was a big loss especially when he still has young children, one of them in her son's class.
Until his death and while in the service of the Department of Theatre Arts, UI, he played the role of Chief Priest during the yearly initiation ceremonies for new students. He has also acted in Koroba Koroba (2003), Oduduwa (2000) and Mister Johnson (1990).
The Ekiti State-born theatre scholar is many things rolled into one. He is also an actor, playwright, poet and a painter. His major work, Petal of Thoughts, is a poetry collection. Ever since he published the book, he has followed up with others in English and Yoruba.
In one of his interviews with the press, he spoke about his passion for creative writing and Yoruba culture, his life as a writer, Nigerians' reading culture and why he seeks inspiration in paintings, when the ideas refuse to flow.
"In academics, when we talk about publications, we usually refer to academic papers - but if you are talking about books of poetry, of short stories and of plays, well, I have two collections of poetry which centre on fraud and people said I used them to criticise the government. There is a third one in Yoruba titled, Ewi Lori Ilu Eko ati Awon Arofo Miran. I write in both languages - English and Yoruba.
There is a collection of short stories called My Older Father and Other Stories. I have another collection of poems on the way which I hope to release before the end of the year. We've produced the cover and it is at an advanced stage now. Someone has asked me to get another collection of poems for his own publishing outfit which I'm working on, already.
"As far as plays are concerned, I have had a few performed on stage in the Department of Theatre Arts here, but I haven't published any. However, there is one on the way titled, Killing Forte Orgy. You can remember the man Clifford Orji, the cannibal who was arrested few years back at Oshodi area of Lagos. I'm using that as a metaphor for some social conditions in the country."
22/12/2008
By Ozolua Uhakheme Assistant Editor (Arts)
Renowned actor, poet and playwright, Dr. Femi Fatoba, died in a road mishap on the East/West highway near Patani in Delta State, on Saturday.
The retired University of Ibadan (UI) lecturer who until his death taught at the Niger Delta University, Bayelsa State, died while returning to Ibadan from Bayelsa State.
He was said to have been found dead at the scene of the accident that claimed three other dons of the technology department of the same university and the vice president of the Ijaw National Congress and former commissioner for finance in the defunct Bendel State, Dr. Chris Ghomorai.
The death of Ghomorai at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City yesterday raised the toll to six, and thus thrown the Ijaw ethnic group in the region into mourning.
His colleague at the UI, Dr. Ohioma Pogoson of the Institute of African Studies, described the death of Fatoba as sad news for the nation and another huge loss to the Nigerian arts.
"Fatoba who retired from the University of Ibadan with outstanding record, has a strong passion for African arts, which took him outside the shores of the country. He was a complete artiste whose exploits traversed the literary, dramatic and modern movie world. We are all sad here at the campus and mourning," Pogoson said.
He noted that Prof. Niyi Osundare, who is his neighbour in the campus, broke the sad news to him.
Dr. Ronke Adesanya of the same institute, who also spoke on phone reacted to Fatoba's death as shocking. She described the late artiste as a very jovial, unassuming and hard working lecturer.
"It is really shocking. He has young children and a wife who is running a programme at the university. In fact, I don't know, it is sad," Adesanya said.
Dr. Peju Layiwola of the Institute of African Studies, UI, was also short of words.
She said it was a big loss especially when he still has young children, one of them in her son's class.
Until his death and while in the service of the Department of Theatre Arts, UI, he played the role of Chief Priest during the yearly initiation ceremonies for new students. He has also acted in Koroba Koroba (2003), Oduduwa (2000) and Mister Johnson (1990).
The Ekiti State-born theatre scholar is many things rolled into one. He is also an actor, playwright, poet and a painter. His major work, Petal of Thoughts, is a poetry collection. Ever since he published the book, he has followed up with others in English and Yoruba.
In one of his interviews with the press, he spoke about his passion for creative writing and Yoruba culture, his life as a writer, Nigerians' reading culture and why he seeks inspiration in paintings, when the ideas refuse to flow.
"In academics, when we talk about publications, we usually refer to academic papers - but if you are talking about books of poetry, of short stories and of plays, well, I have two collections of poetry which centre on fraud and people said I used them to criticise the government. There is a third one in Yoruba titled, Ewi Lori Ilu Eko ati Awon Arofo Miran. I write in both languages - English and Yoruba.
There is a collection of short stories called My Older Father and Other Stories. I have another collection of poems on the way which I hope to release before the end of the year. We've produced the cover and it is at an advanced stage now. Someone has asked me to get another collection of poems for his own publishing outfit which I'm working on, already.
"As far as plays are concerned, I have had a few performed on stage in the Department of Theatre Arts here, but I haven't published any. However, there is one on the way titled, Killing Forte Orgy. You can remember the man Clifford Orji, the cannibal who was arrested few years back at Oshodi area of Lagos. I'm using that as a metaphor for some social conditions in the country."
Fatoba had his elementary education at Emmanuel School, Ado-Ekiti
and St. John School, Ebute Meta and the secondary school education at C.M.S Grammar
School, Lagos before he went abroad to study.
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