Ailele le, awo mi lo - the night falls and the initiated graciously takes his exitWHEN the news of the transition of Chief Segun Olusola broke in the evening of last Thursday, it was received across the nation with shock, doubts and wishes of reversal. Any 77 year old would have probably come of age, but not for an old, but strongman whose life was 'activitiful'. For those who knew Segun Olusola, the expectation was that of his continuous existence till eternity.The last one-month, unknown to many, had seen Olusola in and out of the hospital. The illness started like just one of such he had survived in the past ' he had a habit of carrying on with socio-cultural engagements even while bedridden ' but no one ever thought it was the beginning of his journey into isalu orun (extraterrestrial realm). When he breathed his last, the telling effect became grossly overwhelming for the family and close confidants. Speechless is an understatement. Indeed, Olusola's transition had finally come to confirm his fears. He had thought, feared and strongly believed too, that he would die at thirty. He had a fast beginning: starting his robust career very early in life, hobnobbing with kings, queens and noblemen at a youthful age and achieving ground-breaking results in the process could only gather his thoughts towards early departure from life. When he clocked thirty and nothing happened to him, he believed a day spent after then was just a bonus. That bonus eventually accumulated into additional 47 years! His death, however, came a day after the UN-declared World Refugee Day, which his African Refugees Foundation had consistently commemorated since 1993.Often described as a market of many functional roads, Chief Olusola could be reached from many fronts. There was virtually no area of human endeavour that he did not touch. He was also able to show people the light to traverse such multiplicity of routes. How then does one find appropriate words to describe the wordsmith, Segun Olusola' How does one enact the life and times of a creative genius whose talent and skill as an actor, playwright, poet and master storyteller had profoundly redefined Nigerian arts' Many will always remember Segun Olusola by the impact of The Village Headmaster, Nigeria's longest running television drama series which he created. To some others, his regular appearances on television as a broadcaster, which also made him the first African television broadcaster, will always suffice. On another front, he was a regular newspaper face - always in the news. An accomplished journalist by all standards, he was a journalist's delight at any given time.In theatre, Olusola's exploration as one of the founders of The Players of the Dawn, a 1959 amateur group of theatre performers, would later forge a directional channel to professional English language theatre in Nigeria. In partnership with the likes of Segun Sofowote, Francesca Pereira and others, Olusola's finesse as a playwright, director, actor cannot be over-emphasised. The Village Headmaster was only an offshoot of his practical experience as a theatre practitioner in the early amateur group. It is also on record that virtually all members of The Players of the Dawn transformed into Wole Soyinka's 1960 Mask, a more professional theatre outfit later established at Ibadan at the time. Olusola's passion for theatre also extended to the employment of drama to drive television programming in which his signature was very bold. Even in private life, he involved theatre in his engagements. It is not surprising, therefore, that he became the first recipient of the prestigious ITD Distinguished Personality for 2005 bestowed on him by the Lagos State Chapter of NANTAP (National Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners) when he clocked 70 that year. That was just one of his countless awards spread across all areas of human endeavour. Since 2005 when that prestigious award was created and the creator of The Village Headmaster became the maiden recipient, he became a bar of standard with which other recipients have been measured. Subsequent recipients include: Prof. Ahmed Yerima, then Director-General, National Theatre/ National Troupe of Nigeria (2006), Chief Rasheed Gbadamosi, playwright and art connoisseur (2007), His Royal Highness, Oba Abiodun Idowu Oniru, Oniru of Iruland, Victoria Island and its environs (2008), Mrs. Sarah Boulos, President, Society for Performing Artists in Nigeria (2009), His Royal Majesty, Oba Olusanya Adegboyega Dosunmu, Olowu of Owu Kingdom (2010), Alhaji Teju Wasee Kareem (Managing Director, Zmirage Multimedia Ltd) (2011) and Mrs. Sandra Obiago, Executive Director, Communication for Change (2012).When Chief Segun Olusola was celebrated with the award in 2005, the National Theatre, which was more artist-friendly than today, was at the lowest ebb of its infrastructural integrity. The facilities had all broken down. Like other halls, the Cinema Hall 2 where the event was held was in a ramshackle state: the rugs, the seats, the cooling system, part of the stage - they were all in a state of disrepair. At the time, the Federal Government led by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo was bent on selling off the Theatre edifice. People had also complained about lack of security. All these factors were strong enough to prevent the NANTAP-Lagos from staging the play there, but Olusola had a totally different opinion. He pushed an argument when he was informed of the ceremony and the plan to seek alternative venue. He said: 'If NANTAP, which had much earlier joined other Associations in the protest against the sale of the National Theatre edifice, was genuine in its decision to be part of the protest, then continuous use of the venue would be a proof to the government that artists were committed to the legacy and liveliness of the National Theatre'.So, on the day of the play which coincided with the 2005 edition of the UNESCO-declared International Theatre Day, every member of the audience was armed with the event brochure serving as hand fans to fight the heat that almost marred the ceremony. Olusola, the celebrant and his children, family members, friends, associates, professional colleagues and well wishers were all there drenched in their own sweats but engrossed in the magic of the performance and genuine interest in the edifice called National Theatre!In later years, the decision by the government to sell off the National Theatre was rescinded. Olusola was happy at the development. So were all stakeholders in the culture sector. In all, Segun Olusola's participation in the processes leading to retention and further preservation of the National Theatre complex as Nigeria's only cultural edifice, cannot be underestimated.In literature, Segun Olusola's writing is strewn with deep creativity and fluidity of language that set the reader on an unstoppable journey into a romanticized world captured in words. Letter to My Son is one of such body of works through which one can discover a rare relationship between father and son - all captured in letters that have become archival materials; letters that, at the beginning, were targeted at a particular youngster (Jimi Olusola), but which has been thrown into public domain where it is now useful to any responsible and socially inclined son.When Segun Olusola was caught adorned in agbada (big billowing top) or dansiki (medium size billowing top) complemented with his abeti-aja (dog-eared cap) and his trademark horse-whisk, it was time for a special storytelling session. Olusola was a quintessential master storyteller. He had the mastery, the language and the magic to keep his audience totally attentive. On such occasions, every session began with a song drawn from folkloric repertoire. The story arrested even the most distracted audience members. More often than not, the story unfolded and was punctuated by audience plausible reactions, which in most cases, were signs of approval of both the content and the delivery of the story. Each story ended with a song - a folksong - the most commonly used being Aillele le, awo mi lo (The night falls and the initiated graciously takes his exit). What followed' A thunderous applause leading to a standing ovation.As a diplomat, Segun Olusola's tenure as ambassador of Nigeria to Ethiopia will forever be remembered for its continuous embrace of the arts. No wonder he was christened Cultural Ambassador. The name did not just come from the vacuum. It derived from the legacy of deliberately using the arts to drive diplomatic activities. Reading sessions which included hosting of established African writers as guest readers was his own direct way of re-inventing diplomacy through the practice of literature. The late Prof Ulli Beier was one of such guest writers at the Embassy of Nigeria in Addis Ababa.Theatre was also not left out. When the Nigerian House in Addis Ababa, began and completed by Olusola, was ready for opening in 1992, the International Centre for the Arts, Lagos (ICAL) led by the indefatigable Gbenga Sonuga (now Oba Gbenga Gbadebo Sonuga, Fadeseswa of Simawa), was invited to entertain the guests including the then Vice President of Nigeria, Augustus Aikhomu. The performance showcased the best of Nigerian thematically strong, total theatre performance, a show witnessed by a comity of diplomats from various countries of the world.Chief Segun Olusola may not be a visual artist, but his astonishing collection of art works was big enough to start up a home gallery called Ajibulu-Moniya Gallery. Here, a wide range of art works - most of which were acquired by Olusola - continuously kept the gallery rich and inviting. The artists on show cut across generations of contemporary Nigerian artists: Erabhor Emokpae, Bruce Onobrakpeya, Tola Wewe, Mufu Onifade, Wande George, Idowu Otun, Kunle Filani and many others. The gallery had been used to promote so many individual artists and art groups including the Ogun State Chapter of the Society of Nigerian Artists, Osogbo Artists Cooperatives, Best of Ife (a group of outstanding graduates of Fine Arts from the University of Ife/Obafemi Awolowo University) and more. When this writer became the foremost Nigeria artist to master and paint on animal skin, courtesy of Olusola's support as ambassador in 1992, Ajibulu-Moniya Gallery became a corporate face of the practice of this unique art form for a long time. The Gallery is still on course and art continued to breath around Chief Segun Olusola until the unexpected happened last Thursday.Olusola was a strong voice in the Humanitarian Community. Shortly after his service as ambassador of Nigeria to Ethiopia in 1993, he founded the African Refugees Foundation. In the course of his diplomatic mission under the then Organisation of Africa Unity (OAU), he witnessed senseless production of refugees through hostilities between warring countries and within countries in conflict. Such countries as Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia, Rwanda and Eritrea provided this experiences through which he saw, first-hand, the harrowing agony of innocent people including women and children who, by the making of their uncompromising leaders, became refugees. The feeling of sympathy and immediate need for institutional intervention informed Olusola's decision to convert his gratuities to establish the African Refugees Foundation.Sometime in 2002, Nigerians resident in Libya otherwise tagged illegal immigrants were deported to Nigeria. There was an allegation of some money in form of compensation paid by the Libyan Government to the Nigerian Government. Nobody could trace the money. The deported Nigerians became homeless and continued to hold meetings openly at the open field of the National Theatre. Nothing came out of the meetings. When the sufferings became unbearable for these victims who had suddenly become refugees in their own country, the only place they could face for succour was Chief Olusola's residence in Surulere. That fateful Saturday, Olusola was observing a rare siesta when the 'refugees' overran his residence and decided to hold him hostage as a way of pressurising him to intervene in their plight. Against the wishes of his aides, he came down to attend to them. He addressed them like a father to his children and subsequently used the African Refugees Foundation to organise a fund-raising concert for them. The rest is history.Segun Olusola was a highly committed family man, a father of so many children. In his dictionary existed no 'NO'. He was available to grace all events to which he was invited, even to the detriment of his health. He was available to embrace new ideas and to flesh up a scanty one from anybody irrespective of the person's age, background or status. He is survived by his wife, Chief Mrs. Beatrice Fehintola Olusola; children: Ms. Aderonke Ajibulu-Moniya, Mr. Jimi Olusola III and Mrs.Toyin Laditi; step children: Mrs. Toyin Adejumo and Mr. Samuel Olusola; immediate younger sister: Chief Mrs. Biodun Kehinde; brother, Mr. Sabitu Olusola, and others.'Ailele le, awo mi lo' - the night fell and the initiated took his exit leaving behind profound etchings of achievements. Chief Olusegun Olusola, the son of Baba Carpenter and Iya Eleni (mat weaver) will be greatly missed by the entire culture sector, diplomatic community, the media and the humanitarian world.' Onifade was Curator/Artist-in-Residence, Ajibulu-Moniya Gallery and Special Assistant on Arts and Culture to Chief Segun Olusola from 1997 to 2004
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