Alhaji Kareem Adepoju, popularly known as Baba Wande, is a household name in the Nigerian Entertainment Industry. A Legendary Yoruba actor who is one of the prominent players in the self-styled Nigerian movie culture dubbed Nollywood. A deep and rounded actor who is highly respected for his deft delivery of roles,
Baba Wande is a devout Muslim and a star of hit flicks like ‘Ti Oluwa Nile’, ‘Obuko Dudu’, ‘Ekun Oko Oke’ and ‘Ajibola’. Young Kareem Adepoju, son of a tailor, began his professional acting career in 1963 with Duro Ladipo Theatre Group. A year later, he moved on and joined an equally popular group, Oyin Adejobi Theatre Group, where he trained under the guidance of one of Nigeria’s foremost dramatist and acclaimed theatre doyen, the late Chief Oyin Adejobi. While with Chief Oyin Adejobi, Baba Wande ensured that he internalised his role and acted true to life as Chief Adejobi would do. He took instructions and ensured that he improved at every outing. He was to later emerge as one of the most valuable actors of the Oyin Adejobi Company. He also became very popular, emerging each time as the star of the group’s epic offerings like ‘Ekuro Oloja’, ‘Oba Igbalode’ and ‘Kuye’.
To many, Baba Wande has remained a well-rounded actor. He raises the roof in comic shows and he is reputed to be a delight to watch each time the role required some seriousness. Indeed, it is a common saying among his colleagues that a producer can be sure to go to bed once he accepts to play a role. An actor of immense credit, Baba Wande, whose hobbies include reading the Holy Quaran has featured in over 1,000 movies and has equally, produced many. He has also once anchored an Islamic series on television tagged: ‘Iwa Lesin’.
Having learnt from the great theatre champion of blessed memory, Oyin Adejobi; Baba Wande doing ‘Kootu Asipa’ (a Yoruba Television series on customary court sessions and cases) with Oyin Adejobi, cut his teeth and mastered acting. His soft voice and sly look also help him deliver his scripts in the most convincing manner. He is nothing short of a genius.
With over four decades of experience as an actor, Baba Wande has breathed memorable life into diverse roles both on stage and on screen. If you mention Baba Wande, people would remember the star in ‘Ti Oluwa Nile’ and countless other stage and screen productions.
He was one of the veteran actors recently honoured by City People Magazine at the 2019 City People Movie Awards for his remarkable contribution to the growth of the industry. He was interviewed on the Red Carpet by Assistant Editor/Head of City People Tv, SUNDAY ADIGUN, where he briefly revealed interesting things about himself and why he has stopped acting for a while. Excerpts.
City People Magazine is celebrating you today for your remarkable contribution to the movie industry, how do you feel?
I feel so happy. I feel so elated. And I thank City People Magazine Group and the Publisher, Seye Kehinde, for that honour. May God continue to be with them.
You started your career with Duro Ladipo Theatre Group. What were some of the lessons you learnt while there?
Duro Ladipo used to stage historical plays and I was interested in that, so I joined them. In those days, you must be truly talented before you can become an actor. You had to be able to sing and act.
Which do you regard as your breakthrough movie?
I really cannot single out a movie and say it was my breakthrough. I like all the movies I have participated in. Before the advent of home videos, we had been acting on stage at different places. Some of the notable stage plays we did in those days included Orogun Adedigba, Ekuro Oloja, Oba Igbalode, and many others. When the film came, I acted with Hubert Ogunde in productions such as Aiye and Aropin n t’enia. I acted with Taiwo Hassan (Ogogo) in movies such as Omo Orukan. Personally, I also wrote scripts for movies such as Ti Oluwa Ni Ile, among others.
Most people know you as an actor, not a writer. How often do you write scripts?
I am a very prolific writer and I actually wrote the scripts for all the movies I have produced. I am a playwright, actor, singer, composer, and many other things rolled into one.
How did you develop your talents?
As a stage actor, we used to go on tour to all the parts of the country, including Igboland and Hausaland. It was in the course of those journeys that I began to develop myself in different areas of the make-believe industry. As a good stage actor, you must be able to act, sing and dance. Back then, I used to lead the group.
How often do you go on set these days?
I have stopped producing movies for now because of the antics of marketers. Whenever they sell our movies, they don’t give us the money. For the last film I made, Agbabiaka, I had to give it to LTV 8 to sell for me. If I produce any movie now, I would upload it on the Internet and sell it there. I wouldn’t give it to any marketer again. However, whenever I am invited on set, I heed the call and I go there.
But we hardly see you in movies these days, is that deliberate?
Let me tell you the fact about that. Lately, I have stopped appearing in some films and the reason is this. There is an issue among our artistes. There is ANTP and TAMPAN. The TAMPAN and marketers are working hand-in-hand and they had a meeting where they agreed that anybody who is a member of ANTP should not be invited to any of their sponsored films. That is why they stopped us from being given roles in some movies and we are okay. We will not beg them, I will not beg them, I will stay alone because God is always with me.
Will this segregation not create problem among actors and actresses? Won’t it affect the peace and relationship in the industry?
It is already happening; they have not been inviting us to their movies.
Looking back, are you fulfilled with what you have achieved in your career and private life?
I thank God. What else? I just returned from America. I was invited for an award, I have not appeared in movies in recent times and still, they didn’t forget me. I thank God.
Do you have any regret?
I’ve never regretted being an artiste. If I come back to the world again, I would come as an artiste.
Can we go back to the early days, how did you come into acting?
When I was in elementary school, Pa Oyin Adejobi used to come to our school to teach us plays that we performed for the Ansar U Deen Society. The money they collected there, they used it to pay Mallim, an Islamic and Quranic teacher. Then, the government had not started paying Mallims. We did Joseph and his brethren play, Abraham’s play and many others.
We staged them for society and through that, I developed an interest in acting. When I left school, I went to Duro Ladipo, I was there for 6 months. I, however, went back to my former master, Oyin Adejobi, and we were involved in what we called travelling theatre. We went from one place to another, Lagos, Ibadan, Ikirun, Iragbiji, we were all over the place and that was how I started my acting career.
I was with Baba Adejobi for 25 years, I was his manager. Baba was working at the council, so that gave me the power to be a writer, a director and an actor because Baba was always away at work before he finally retired to come back into full time acting.
What qualities must an actor possess to be successful?
First, he must be someone who is honest and has integrity. He should also be patient and truthful. He must be ready to learn before he could become a master in the game. Before I became an independent actor, I spent about 25 years under the tutelage of a master. It is your boss who would put you through so many things so that you don’t make mistakes. Above all, you must be prayerful and wait for God’s time.
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