Hubert Ogunde
| Hubert Adedeji Ogunde | |
|---|---|
| Born | Hubert Adedeji Ogunde 16 July 1916 Ososa, Ogun State |
| Died | 4 April 1990 (aged 73) London, England |
| Occupation | Playwright, actor |
| Nationality | Nigerian |
| Spouse | Adeshewa, Clementina Oguntimirin, Idowu Philips |
| Information | |
| Period | 1944–90 |
| Genre | Drama, satire |
| Notable work(s) | Yoruba Ronu, Aiye |
Hubert Adedeji Ogunde (16 July 1916 – 4 April 1990) was a Nigerian actor, playwright, theatre manager, and musician who founded the Ogunde Theatre Party, the first contemporary professional theatrical company in Nigeria. He has been described as "the father of Nigerian theatre, or the father of contemporary Yoruba theatre". In his career on stage, he wrote more than 50 plays, most of which incorporate dramatic action, dance and music with a story reflecting the political and social realities of the period. His first production was a church-financed play called The Garden of Eden that premiered at Glover Memorial Hall, Lagos, in 1944. Its success encouraged Ogunde to produce more plays and he soon left his job with the police force for a career in theatre. In the 1940s, he released some plays with political commentaries: The Tiger's Empire, Strike and Hunger and Bread and Bullet (1950). During the 1950s, he toured various Nigerian cities with his travelling troupe. In 1964, he released Yoruba Ronu, a play that generated controversy and earned him the wrath of Akintola, premier of the Western Region. In the late 1970s, Ogunde was spurred by the success of Ija Ominira and Ajani Ogun, two pioneer Yoruba feature-length films, to co-produce his first celluloid film, Aiye, in 1980. He released three more feature-length films influenced by Yoruba mysticism.
Ogunde starred in Mister Johnson, the 1990 motion picture that also featured Pierce Brosnan. The movie was shot on location in Toro, near Bauchi, Nigeria.
Ogunde was born in Ososa, near Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, Nigeria, to the family of Jeremiah and Eunice Ogunde. His father was a Baptist and his maternal grandfather was a follower of African traditional religion. Ogunde briefly lived within the precincts of his grandfather's compound and was expsoed to Ifá and Shango celebrations. Both the Christian and traditional African religion influenced his upbringing. He had his education between 1925 and 1932, attending St John School, Ososa, (1925–28), St Peter's School, Faaji, Lagos, (1928–30) and Wasinmi African School, (1931–32). His first contact with performance art was as a young member of Egun Alarinjo and Daramola Atele's travelling theatre group during his elementary school days. After completing his education, he worked as a pupil-teacher at St. John's School and was also church choirmaster and organist. He later joined the Nigerian police force in March 1941 and posted to Ibadan. In 1943, the police force posted him Ebute Metta where he joined an African initiated church white garment church. In Lagos, he created an amateur drama group the African Music Research Party in 1945.
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