Kola
Ogunmola
Elijah
Kolawole Ogunmola or
Kola Ogunmola (Nov. 11, 1925, Okemesi-Ekiti,Ekiti State, Nigeria - 1973)
was a Nigerian dramatist, actor, mime, director, and playwright.
He
developed Yoruba culture, especially folk
opera (drama that combines Christian themes with traditional Yoruba folklore,
music and dancing, and music popular in urban culture) into a serious theatre
form through his work with his Ogunmola Travelling Theatre (founded c. 1947).
They
produced an early stage musical version of Amos Tutuola's The Palm Wine Drinkard, which was performed at
the First Pan-African Cultural Congress (Algiers, 1969).
Ogunmola
is regarded as one of the most brilliant actors in Africa in the 1950s and
’60s.
He
produced Ife Owo in 1965. It was a satire on marriage and wealth. He
used Mime and singing as well as drumming to convey his message. He also
produced the dramatic version of Tutuola's The Palmwine Drinker. He also
exhibited great ability in acting and directing.
He
married numerous wives with many children. He is the father of notable
Nollywood Stars, Abayomi Ogunmola(deceased) and Peju Ogunmola Omobolanle.
Life and career
Ogunmola
was born to the family of George Ogunmola of Okemesi in 1925. Before his start in professional
theatre, Ogunmola was a schoolmaster in Ado-Ekiti.[1] At Emmanuel School, Ado-Ekiti, Ogunmola
created school plays performed by students inside and sometimes outside the
school. He formed his drama troupe, Ogunmola's Theatre Party around some of the
pupils and his fellow teachers. The troupe was modeled after Ogunde's Theatre Party and some of his early operas
like "Reign of the Mighty", one of his early plays reveal a Christian
influence.[2] Ogunmola's early performances were staged in
the Ekiti region of Nigeria.[3] He was known as a performer who was
sensitive to the quality of the acting on stage.[3] Like Ogunde, most of his early work were
Yoruba folk operas. The rhythm is provided by drums played in the background,
the songs are in Yoruba language and dancing was an
integral part of the play.[1]
In
the 1950s, Ogunmola's theatre traveled extensively throughout the Western
region of Nigeria, performing in schools, churches and halls.[4] Though the group performed the same set of
plays in every city, the audience can get a unique feeling from seeing each
play. Ogunmola's plays allowed for improvisational acting on stage and with
each performance, he left room for the unexpected. His acting is also
influenced by the feelings of the moment while his knowledge of Yoruba culture
and human nature grew with each performance.[3] One of his popular plays, "Love for
Money", is a story about a wealthy man who fell for a temptress and as a
result separated from his wife. However, his relationship with the temptress
ruined him.[5]
In
1962, University of Ibadan established a drama school
and Ogunmola was offered a grant to become a resident artist. The artist in
residence program was sponsored by Rockefeller Foundation and it provided Ogunmola
funds to buy equipment that soon allowed him to go fully professional.
Ogunmola's most famous play, a loose adaptation of Amos Tutuola's the Palmwine
Drinkard was a result of his collaboration with the School of Drama at Ibadan.
When Ogunmola was at Ibadan, he was given a script
written by Tutuola to translate into a Yoruba drama. The results was"Lanke
Omuti" also known as Palmwine Drinkard.[6] The premier of the play was at the
university, Ogunmola was assisted by Demas Nwoko in the production and stage design of the
play. In the 1960s, Palmwine Drinkard received recognition in Nigeria and
abroad.[2] He became more popular after his six months
residency at Ibadan partly due to the success of Palmwine Drinkard. The play
was a serious contender with Ọba kò so, the eventual nominee for Nigeria's
nomination to the Commonwealth arts festival in 1965.
Ogunmola
suffered a stroke in 197o and thereafter was seriously ill. He died in 1973.
References
· Beier, Ulli. "Yoruba Folk Operas."
African Music 1.1 (1954): 32-34. Web.
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