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.
Did your mother tell you how she met your father?
He married my mother with the usual ceremony, although the difference was that some of his other wives joined him in his group as actresses. In the past, parents did not like their children to take up acting. So, he married some of them in order to retain them and build the theatre group. My mother once said that sometimes after training the girls, their parents would come back and take them away.
Did your mother appear in any of Ogunde's movies?
My mother took part in some of my father's plays. They got married in 1967 and she played a role in Aropin N'Teniyan and Ayanmo. In the former, she acted as the eldest wife and in the latter, she featured as Iya Pupa. She was also on stage in Yoruba Ronu, Awo Mimo and others.
How many wives did your father have?
I really don't know the number. But I think it was 10 and my mother was the last wife. I am the second to the last child of my mother.
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.
Where were you when he died?
I was not with him because when he took ill. He was flown abroad and he died at Cromwell Hospital, London. I was with him when he took ill in Jos. But when he was to be flown abroad, I was about to return to school and he promised me he would be back. He encouraged me to face my studies. The first time he took ill and was flown abroad, he returned to finish the shooting of Mr. Johnson.
Is it true that he had about 50 children?
It is not true. We are not up to 50. We are just over 20.
Did all his children participate in his movies?
If not all of us, it will be most of us. Each time he was producing films, we were all required to give one form of support or the other. His wives did the same. We were always with him.
Was he paying them?
He was not paying us and his wives. Everybody was always happy to partake in his productions. But he would provide allowances sometime to appreciate us and not that he was paying us professional fees.
How wealthy was he?
In terms of his movie equipment and creativity, he was rich. But in terms of financial worth, he was not rich. All the money he made, he invested it in the business because he loved what he was doing. He never threw parties. He believed in building his business and to quantify his worth in that area, I will say he was a billionaire.
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 did he react to his wives' quarrels?
The level of the quarrel determined how he handled it. He would dismis trivial ones or call the feuding wives to listen to the story of each of them. He knew how to settle whatever disagreement they were having without allowing it to fester.
Your father ensured you had quality education; did he give others such opportunity?
I studied Theatre Arts at the University of Ibadan and all my siblings are graduates in one discipline or the other, depending on individual's career preference. He did not also influence the career choice of any of us. He gave us freedom but kept us away from bad group.
What do you miss most about him?
I miss his pampering and intimate talks. He pampered me a lot. I remember the day he came to my school, he gave me a celebrity treatment. Most of my colleagues who saw him that day said they never knew he was my father. Since that day, many started according me respect.
When I was in UI, even after his death, people were willing to assist me. Lecturers were willing to mentor me to make sure I finished well. They also expected so much from me because of the success and brilliance of my father in the entertainment industry. When I performed below their expectations, they felt disappointed. If a question was to be answered, I would be expected to give the answer. I recall that one of my lecturers, Prof. Dapo Adelugba, packed several textbooks for me one day to read, saying " Ogunde's child must not fail in this department."
How did he scold you whenever you misbehaved?
I was told he used to beat my older siblings. But he never beat me. The highest punishment he gave me when I erred was to ask me to kneel down and put my hands up. Even at that, after some minutes, he would ask me to go to my room.
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.
Did your father's success as a theatre practitioner influence your career choice?
To some extent it did because I acted in Awo Mimo on stage. I was always with him during productions. If I had not studied Theatre Arts, I would have read Mass Communication or any art-related course.
Before you were married, how did your husband react when he knew your father was Ogunde?
Initially he did not know while we were courting but when he knew, I was not too sure if he was overwhelmed. One or two persons had developed cold feet in the past because I am from such a famous family. They thought that much would be required of them to marry me. I used to be bothered about certain misconceptions concerning the Ogunde family. I think people are getting more enlightened so as to separate fiction from facts.
What are the qualities you imbibed from him?
The major quality I took from him is the way he trusted people easily. I also imbibed his patience and meticulous planning. He was never in a rush to achieve anything. He would take his time to attain the best. I want my children to emulate his humour and creativity. It is his creativity I want my children to imbibe more. I remember when Chief Obafemi Awolowo died and he was to perform, he did not rehearse and when he mounted the stage, he sang so wonderfully. I was surprised when I saw him sing. He was highly creative.
How was his social life?
My father attended social functions occasionally. But he was not given to parties. Social activities were not as elaborate then as they are now. He was mostly indoors meditating. He also attended festivals because of his profession and to draw inspiration.
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
*He enjoyed sugary thing
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