As daughter to the late Hubert Ogunde’s last wife, did he treat you specially?
I am sure my father did not treat anyone specially. He loved all his children and treated them equally. I grew up at a time when many of my siblings were already fending for themselves, so naturally, I enjoyed some forms of affection from my father but I am sure he loved us equally.
How would you describe the late Ogunde?
My father was a very intelligent and talented theatre practitioner. He had a strong passion for what he did even when there was no money and there were hurdles in the way. I know that much about my late dad.
Being a busy man, how much time did he have for his children?
I will say that I was fortunate to be born when he had time because my older siblings said he had no time for them. I spent most of my time in a boarding school and whenever I was on holiday, I travelled with him anywhere he went. He created time for me and my elder brother which, as I said earlier, is just natural. I think he only had no time when he was much younger. To some extent, he was a family man. He tried to keep us together and that is what is working for us till today.
Most of his plays were wrapped in traditional beliefs; did he exhibit same at home?
My father was a Christian although his own dad was a traditionalist. He actually learnt some things from his father but not that he was into traditional practices.
But people said he belonged to some of the secret societies he portrayed in his movies?
He did not belong to any secret society. People erroneously believe he did. When he died, those who attended his funeral saw that his body was taken to church and that the church elders were the ones who buried him. If he belonged to any secret society, his body would have been taken away for burial by the members and we would not have been able to bury him the way we did.
After his burial, I returned to school. Some teachers told me that they wanted to come to the burial of my father but that they were afraid because they heard that about 11 people were to be buried along with him. They said they feared being taken as part of the 11 persons. I was amused with such belief about my father. His lying-in-state at the National Theatre and his house in Alagomeji and hometown, Ososa, was witnessed by many people. No part of his body was cut off. Those dressed in traditional attire on the day of his burial were his children, grandchildren and members of the National Troupe. They dressed the way they did to honour my dad. There was nothing secretive about the life of my dad.
Is it true that he had about 50 children?
It is not true. We are not up to 50. We are just over 20.
How did he manage to keep many wives?
One thing I noticed is that God gave him the grace to keep many wives. No doubt, there were scheming and fights among them. But God gave him the wisdom to settle the rift amicably. In fact, all the quarrels among our mothers did not affect the children. We refused to be dragged into their disagreements. Nobody taught us what to do, it just happened that way. We never supported our mothers whenever they fought. If another wife fought with my mother, it did not stop me from eating the food of that wife. If I did not, it was not because he fought with my mother but because I was not hungry. That was the way it was and our mothers later realised they were wasting their time fighting one another. My father was able to maintain unity to the extent that there was no serious fight in the household that made any of the wives to pack out of the house. Many people still ask me how my father was able to maintain unity among us before his death. Some even wonder how we still continue in unity after his death. I think he was a lucky polygamist.
How does it feel being Ogunde’s child?
The feeling is great. My father’s name has opened many doors for me in many places. In fact, when I want to avoid questions from people I prefer not to add Ogunde to my name.
Are his children continuing his legacy?
It is not all his children that showed interest in his movie business before his death. Only two or three of us are into acting. One of my elder brothers, Laja, is a full-time actor. I act occasionally too.
What has happened to his proposed film village in Ososa?
We are still working on it. Past governments tried to do something about it and the present government is continuing the work. But we have completed work on the museum within the village.
7 things you didn’t know about my father
•He liked dancing
•He never liked wearing English attire
•He was not fetish
•He trusted people
•He liked reading
•He enjoyed watching English movies
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