-Snr. Apostle Moses Olaiya Adejumo (Baba Sala)
- Exceptional idea needed in acting profession
- The unique idea of comedy genre helped me to stand out then
- Acting is a great and lucrative career
It will take eternity for the grown-up of years of yore; perhaps from the late 50’s to mid-90’s to easily forget in a jiffy the Nigerian father of comedy, and of course the trail blazer of the genre and a film maker of note – Snr. Apostle Moses Olaiya Adejumo, popularly known as and called by his teeming fans – Baba Sala Alawada if only for his comic reliefs. The Ijesa born octogenarian was visited at his residence in Ilesa by matterMATTERS team on the 29th May, 2017 and were gracefully welcomed by this great man, who, by his known radiant and comic mien, attended to variant forms of question during an interview conducted. Though it was obvious that age had started telling by nature alongside the energy draining activities of the past; yet the team was obliged and furnished with all necessary information needed to ignite hope in the upcoming artists and potential film makers. The interview which was basically targeted at his career, took the traditional format of matterMATTERS247’s Career concept way of going about interviewing career icons of his calibre – the start, the struggle and the success. Excerpt:
THE START
I will want to believe everybody knows you; Baba Sala needs no introduction, especially to the older generation out there. This I think will spare you the stress of introduction; so we go straight to the business of the day. Baba, how did you start your career?
Well, we just started… we started over forty years ago (though later confirmed by him that it was around 1957 to be precise that he started some careers in entertainment which culminated in comedy in the late 60’s; thus establishing the fact that he was in active entertainment career for like four decades).
Like who and who can you remember you started together then and when exactly? Can you remember?
The like of Chief Hubert Ogunde, (Kola) Ogunmola, Duro Ladipo started ahead of me… I started in … 1957.
And how old are you now Baba? I mean your age.
Like eighty years now.
May you live longer baba, and reap more of your good labour. Those you just mentioned were all into the normal known stage drama or theatre genre which was conventional as at then; but who started the comedy genre?
I started comedy in Nigeria.
THE STRUGGLE AND THE SUCCESS
When you started, I mean your career and your contemporaries then; was there any subvention or assistance of any kind from government at any level? Who supported you and how?
Ha! It was absolutely God, no help came from any quarter. It was God, it was God…
So, nobody gave you a helping hand of any kind and you were that popular! Meaning that you paved your way through to stardom?
Exactly.
Baba, can you remember some of your works? I mean the films you wrote and did on your own?
I did “Orun mooru” like (more) than thirty years ago. I did Mosebolatan, Aare agbaye, Ana Gomina…
Which of your works can you rate the best that gave you such desired joy and career fulfilment?
Orun Mooru for instance… was great, God really helped us over it and through it. “Mosebolatan” also could be considered great… When they thought it was over for me.
What exactly inspired this latter title “Mosebolatan” (which literally means “I thought my affluence was over”). We all knew what happened in Orun Mooru; what popped up the “Mosebolatan” title in your mind? More so, I could sniff from your last statement the other time – “When they thought it was over for me”, the fact that the title was pregnant with meanings.
What happened was that when Orun Mooru was made, some men of underworld pirated it before recouping the money (loan) spent on it; they stole it from my custody. Then I sat down sombrely and thought of which way to go again. Then this new title came to my mind – “Mosebolatan”.
Advice to the upcoming generation out there, especially those who are passionate to pick up their career in acting.
My advice to them… the younger generation coming must be prepared, prepared and ready (for all challenges). They must be able to think deep uncommonly on things that will promote them and their names. Then we thought deep before we scripted. It takes serious commitment and thoughtful moments to come up with a good and marketable script.
Can you give instances of the preparedness you are talking about? What do they need to get themselves equipped with as parts of this profession’s requirements from your experience? I mean the potential actors, actresses or film makers generally.
Things (technologies) were not this advanced during our days of film making, we usually sent our works abroad for finishing as film (celluloid). They (coming artist) have better opportunities now which they can afford themselves with to be better professionals in the field. So, they should try to get themselves equipped with all things that can help them do the work in a better way. They should take seriously the script writing aspect of the profession and acts to the scripts with little or no embellishments.
You said the other time that nobody assisted you in term of funding to grow your chosen career. Then how come you funded the production of your films, especially when the production was absolutely done abroad? Or the amount needed for the production then was not that much?
(Laughs) Hmm… yes, there was nothing like government assisting us and the money used was so exorbitant. Most times we mortgaged our properties, especially houses, and once you failed to pay, may be the business failed, you were done for. Before any bank could offer you a loan, you must supply good collateral.
What advice can you give the governments at all levels in view of this? Or the industry cannot help grow the nation’s economy?
Government should fund the industry very well, it will surely help (the economy). And I will like to tell those who are interested in it (acting) to be passionate about it, it is a good business, it is really a good business.
How did you market your work then?
After the production… immediately we got the finished work from abroad, we took it round the cinemas and once it was a good job, people would patronise it. The proceeds were used to pay back the bank loan (and also for the maintenance of the group).
Did you also do stage play ever?
So well…, we started with that before the era of celluloid came. People came to watch and they were happy watching us.
Baba, where did you have your training? Who taught you the art of acting, especially this your special genre – comedy?
Nobody taught me (laughs). I didn’t have any master. I just started.
So can we safely infer that talent is needed in acting?
Definitely. I had the talent.
How did you know? Did you normally amuse people then before you converted it to career?
Exactly.
So, what do you advice the readership as regards talent and career?
Ha…, whatever you know how to do naturally could turn out to be your career as it was in my case. It is the easiest way of making it in life. Talent is God given and there is always a reason for it… once you make use of it, you are fulfilling the reason.
THE SUCCESS
What achievements could you trace to this path you have chosen as a career?
I was awarded MON (Member of the Order of Niger) by Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo in 1978 (points to the framed pictures on the wall). I have a hotel (Alawada Int’l Hotel); I have houses, I am also the owner of this place you are (laughs); I bought cars in this career…. gave birth to good children. I have travelled far and near; I have also been to Jerusalem, I am a JP (laughs as he points to the pictures on the walls), and so on.
Baba, we learnt you played guitar and sang at a time in the beginning of your career. How far was this true and who and who could you refer to as your protégés.
Yes, I did. King Sunny Ade was one of my protégés. I mentored him; that was in 1966 (seems uncertain). Also, Ade love – Afolayan, he also passed through me in his career.
Did you normally do the musical sound tracks of your films yourself or you engaged people to do them?
I did them myself. I composed the songs and allotted and taught those who would sing them in the film. I sang my own part likewise.
How did you go about your soap opera deal with TV stations then? Were you paid for it or you went around begging to be aired?
No, they consulted us on it. They awarded the contract to us on thirteen weeks basis and we did it for them and we were duly paid.
E se, a dupe baba tee gbawa laaye, ojo yin a tubo dale, e ma pe fun wa ninu alaafia atilera pipe. (Thank you so much baba for the audience given us, may your days still be longer in peace and good health).
Amin o, amin…(Amen, amen).