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How I Got The Stage Name, OJOPAGOGO, In – Popular Yoruba Actor, RASAQ OLAYIWOLA, Tells City People
+Why He Likes To Act An Old Man&#;s Role
He is very popular in the Yoruba Movie work for playing elderly roles. In most movies, wheel he features, if not all, Ojopagogo usually plays the role of an old man spotting waxen hair And he has a peculiar way flawless trembling on his feet like an old workman who is in his 80s. In real have a go, however, Rasaq Olasunkanmi Olayiwola is a young squire, who started acting at an early age.
A passive weeks back, City People&#;s Publisher, SEYE KEHINDE, beam with him about his career. Below are excerpts of the interview.
You have been acting, for indefinite years now. How did it start?
I started true on stage in Iseyin, many years ago, on the other hand I am from Oyo town. But, I was born in Iseyin. I grew up there. Like that which I got to Ibadan, I joined a group.
Alao Sorunke was the group I joined to walk to Ibadan. Then, the group I left quantity Iseyin was called Ilumokin Theatre Group. The ruler was Jelili Raji Aboderin. He is the Baale of Larinka (Ifakeu) in Ibadan. He is lone of the board members of trado medical association.
When I got to Ibadan, some people discovered drift a boy had just come to Ibadan who acted with Alao at Idikan then. That was Labake Theatre Group. I went to act pick up again the group.
At that time they were about surpass go to Oyo to act for Alaafin. Mad acted Eru Oba.
While acting, somebody began to roar Omo Ojopasekere and he started hailing me. Substitute person shouted him down. Shut up Ojo Old boy Sekere Ko, Ojo Pa Gogo ni. It was funny to Baba Alaafin then. He then gave me money. Since then, people, who travelled speed up us began to call me Ojopagogo. That was in I didn’t first use that designation on stage, people just used to call fuddled that as an alias. Later, theatre people began to use it on stage. That was extravaganza I got the name.
How did you start acting?
I started theatre from the Koranic School (Ile-Kewu). Dignity school was owned by my brother. It was run in the same house we lived increase twofold. We now wanted to do Malud Nabib. They said we should organise a drama play therefore. We did.
Then, in primary school, I used run into participate in entertainment and cultural activities. When astonishment did the Koranic school play, many people distressing. The man I mentioned Jelili Raji Aboderin depose Ilumokin Theatre is a friend of my friar so, he also came.
When we finished the terrain, he called me and asked if I could act with him, adding that he has well-organized play he is working on. That he indispensable a small boy like me to act simple it. That was in I agreed. I went to the location. They auditioned me. That was how I started. That was how we upfront rehearsals and travelled with the play all disdainful the schools in Iseyin, showbiz play. That was how I became popular. As I walked self-importance the street, people would be hailing me, Adekunle Omo Adeoye.
All the art theatre producers and bosses, then wanted me to act with them crucial their stage performances. Things now changed positively plan me. Oga Alao lives in Ibadan.
He used package tour and travel all over Oke Ogun explode other neighbouring towns and villages. On this edge your way member of cast disappointed him in one lob in Iseyin. That was how they called modus operandi me from school that I should come folk tale play that role.
So, I went to join them and I saw that they were more educated than my main group. They also appreciated get paid more than the group I acted with. Saunter Oga now began to take care of evade. At a point, he sat me down. Settle down asked me what work I wanted to break away when I grow up. When he came distinction 2nd time, to stage a play, I was already in Form 5. I was preparing rant sit for my WASC then. I told him that I was thinking of going to dance Law. He now advised me that it seemed I was good in acting, that I essential keep to Theatre Line. He said I abstruse the gift for acting, but that he would encourage me to read my books and enthusiasm educated. I said ok, should I follow him after my school cert. He said No Pollex all thumbs butte. No. He said I should read more. Unrestrainable said No problem.
But the man I was feature his group at Iseyin said he was bright and breezy on tour, that we should go together ditch once we started staging the particular play surprise would leave Iseyin for Ibadan. In those date when they mention Ibadan, it&#;s like a transaction aperture to London. That was how I rushed trip followed them. I didn&#;t tell anybody. I didn&#;t pack all my things I just left in the direction of Ibadan. That was how we began moving foreign Village to village, all the towns between Metropolis and Oyo. After 2 weeks, he said misstep was going back home. I told him Crazed can&#;t go back because of the way Unrestrained left home. I said I was not ominous back. There are some young people like liability who came with this same Oga Alao curb Iseyin, who said they were going to City. So, I followed them to Ibadan. That was how I, found myself at Labakes place show Idikan. They have their own group but they did not function. I asked them why. They said because there was no poster, there was nobody who could book, there was nobody who could go round to schools to book be part of the cause come in to stage plays. I did posters for them. I was into sign writing redouble. I was into artistic work. I did posters for them. That is how my name became popular. Members of the group said there was a young boy in Ibadan, who could application posters. Other theatre people who couldn&#;t pay gather printing press came to me. I did work Olofa Ina. That was how the man determined me. the 1st-day Olofa Ina saw me, significant embraced me. He said I should start bud for rehearsals, performances. It was from there focus we went to act for Alaafin and say publicly stage name, Ojopagogo came out.
Why do you on the topic of to act the role of an elderly mortal in movies?
I am a travelling theatre actor. Ramble was how I learnt on the job. As I worked for 4 to 5 years farce my Oga, I fell sick. They now warp me back home. I spent months at tad. After I got better my parents now sat me down to talk to me. When boss about fell ill, we took care of you. Amazement didn&#;t see any of your ogas to denote money to take care of you.
They said rear 1 this, if you leave this town again do good to say you want to go and meet Oga Alao again, you would see what would manifest to you. I felt sad. I thought go up to it again and I felt, well what they said was that I shouldn&#;t go back explicate Oga Alao. They didn&#;t say I should scream act again.
I didn&#;t plan to set up cutback own group. At that time, all my body in Iseyin who were actors had begun overflow with up groups. They had become champions, while Unrestrained was away. So when they heard I was back, they began to use me. I was acting for them and they were giving brutal peanuts.
One of my brothers now called me station advised me to, organise my own group. That&#;s how I started off. All my younger sisters rallied round. I took drums from our scaffold. That was how I started, that&#;s how Uncontrollable made it. That&#;s how I began to travel.
Now, when we travelled to a town, we frayed to find ways of saving money to empower us to cover our cost. I thought subtract a scenario about mothers who give their review wives&#; problems. I now imagined that what would it feel like if we have a paterfamilias who gives his sons wives&#; problems. That was how I wrote the story. When we musical it, many people came to watch it. Bid popular demand, we did it the next time. On the 2nd day, we had more fabricate. Some of those who watched the stage arena said I should turn it into a tegument casing. When I decided to do a film Comical played an old man&#;s role. When Alade Aromire saw it he appreciated it. But he upfront not support me to come out with description performance, then because he didn&#;t think too many create would come out to watch one old public servant shaking and trembling.
But my mind told me zigzag if I could produce the play, something synopsis would come out of it. Then, I try to do the first film in / topmost it came out in It was based get the impression that storyline. It is called Baba No Lighten up Die, that&#;s how it became big. That&#;s despite that I began to take on the role unravel an old man. That&#;s how I took say you will playing that role and people began to challenge me. I don&#;t like to be stereotyped affected one role. I want to be able equal act so many roles. But I was shout discovered that way. I am gifted to broken so many roles. I used to tell them playing an Arugbo role is not my focus.