Alhaji Adebayo Salami, more commonly known by his stage name 'Oga Bello' has soldiered on in the world of make-believe like a trojan horse. An indigene of Kwara State, the amiable gentleman shared his 50-year journey..
Congratulations on your 50 years on Stage anniversary, how do you feel looking back?
I feel great celebrating 50 years on stage. It's a milestone for me. As regards the celebration, it has been postponed to December to enable more sponsors participate in the fiesta and give room for more preparation. So, by the time we roll out the drums, it will be bigger and better. I will be going back to our forte as stage dramatist and at the MUSON centre, a stage play titled Olo'kola will be displayed. It's a stage play that was endearing to my heart when I started my golden career. Then the celebration to round it off will be at the Times Square, off Adeniyi Jones in Ikeja. One of the milestones of my years on stage is unveiling all my movies again, over 50 of them including the epics.
In all these years as theatre practitioner, what has changed in the industry?
Obviously a lot has changed. There has been an improvement in wages of actors and men behind the camera. When I started as a 12-year-old boy, we did everything for the passion that we had in the arts. I worked with Duro Ladipo known as Baba Mero and ended up being his assistant. Then it was tough as the eldest son and I was in modern school now referred to as secondary school. I hid my acting career from my parents and uncle, because actors were regarded as never do wells in the 60s and 70s. It got to the point that my parents when they discovered I was into theatre, they almost cursed me with the Qu'ran. But I made them reason that this was my passion and I won't let them down. I combined acting with secretarial job working under Chief Femi Okunnu as his personal secretary. I wanted to be a lawyer but theatre took the better of me and I could not realise this ambition. Thank God my son is now the lawyer though he is also an actor too. Destiny cannot be upturned. Like they say, we are all pencils in the hands of the creator.
But your son Femi is not a practicing lawyer, he has taken after you…
He does because he has people making appearances for him in court when his law firm has one case or the other. Don't forget that Femi went to law school and he practised for a while before finally venturing out to become an actor. There is this ethic in the law profession that forbids lawyers that they must not be seen doing something that brings them to limelight like what he is doing while they practise law at the same time. So when the arts got the better of him, he dropped his wig.
Some cable channels showcase Yoruba movies on their channels, has this added any form of material advantage to you?
Well, it is the marketers that are making money from these channels that showcases our movies. I will tell you something, the marketers that own and sponsor the movies are selling them cheap to all these cable channels. And all the casts in the movie don't benefit from the payment. Marketers are the ones making the money. Normally in other climes, this is not done as works of intellectual property are not taken as cheap products. But our people just want money and the platform to show their movies. For me, I won't settle for less, if you need my movies on your screen then you pay for my worth.
We don't see you in English movies unlike Jide Kosoko and others…
You should ask the movie producers why I'm not being featured. May be they think Oga Bello cannot speak English (laughter). I for one won't lobby for roles. At this stage in my career, anyone who needs my services will pay for it, I love to help the upcoming ones and that's why I feature in their movies. Yoruba movies account for a lot of new and educated actors who are doing well in their right.
Did you ever think of quitting this job at any point in your career?
Yes, in the early stages. When Baba Mero died and I was his assistant and the reins of leadership of Duro Ladipo fell on me and I assumed responsibility. Within a year of Duro Ladipo's death, his wife also gave up the ghost. This was too much for me and I was still young then. I thought of leaving the kleiglight but late Hubert Ogunde encouraged me to stay and continue to entertain our fans. Baba Ogunde told me in Yoruba, 'you'll have to continue with this work. When things are good, that is when opposition surfaces and unpleasant experiences occur but Salami you must roll up your sleeves and never look back. There are greater things ahead. You'll have to push on,' he advised.
How did you cope with fame?
It was not easy since I gained fame early in my career. I was trained by a disciplinarian and learnt to be focused in life...
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