To those who were lucky to savor the theatrics of the now rested Village Headmasters that reigned from the 70s, the name, Femi Robinson, would ring a bell. Trained severally as Public Relations expert, business and theatre administrator, pioneer former director of programs of the Ogun State Television (OGTV) and now member of the Board of the Directors of OGTV.
Robinson, who was a national team footballer recently hit the bull’s eye in an encounter with Daily Sun at his residence in Akute area of Lagos. He took a critical look at a number of issues on the Nigerian film industry, the village headmaster, his love life, and politicians.
Social relevance of the Village Headmaster
The concept of the headmaster presents a situation where in a village, you have a people who have traditional ideas and here is a village teacher teaching the children of this traditional people and also imparting some knowledge on the villagers themselves, who had believed in some things before. But the new headmaster who had come to the village, Ifearaba, a role I played then, was somebody who was learned and was bringing new ideas which the village people didn’t quite like.
And because of that there was conflict but it started resolving itself as people started adapting to new things that were being brought out by headmaster Ifearaba. For instance, the village headmaster didn’t believe in their entire juju. He was using scientific knowledge to read them. One of the episodes was the brown trousers which is part of the opposition against traditional ideas. The village headmaster was opposing Kokosari, who was a traditionalist.
We were trying to preach that there should be orderliness and respect for the rule of law in the society. It was also to discard the wrong superstitutious beliefs that were not scientifically proven. Such issues like people mistaking a sickle cell carrier to an Abiku, Nigerian concept of witch being an elderly woman who has not been well taken care of, and all that.. So, we were educating and enlightening the society. Interestingly, most of the actors then did not realize that these are the things we were doing.
I was just about above 30. I was working in the University of Lagos (UNILAG). I saw the role as a very important role for the Nigerian society at that time. Not just as a mere role in play. Basically, what we were doing then was to satirize the society. It makes you laugh, but then, you were laughing at your own follies. The military were there at that time and that made it difficult for us to open our mouth wide and criticize them through satire. But satire was a veil to hit at them in those days.
Comparing village headmaster with soap operas and video films today
Unfortunately, filmmakers nowadays do not do this. They are rather glorifying all these ugly things by projecting occultism, materialism and all that. Now we have over commercialized everything. We even imitate the West so brazenly.
When the likes of Ambassador Olusola, Zebrudaya, were conceptualizing the Village Headmaster then, and people like Prof. Ola Rotimi were writing it, there was a clear distinction between what was right and wrong, the good and the bad. And the audience could easily discern these demarcations and get the message. But now, all these are turned upside down. To commercialize things they have even started glorifying the bad, the ulgy.
Showing the fat bottoms, rosy cheeks and all that. And the people patronizing them are the rich. The products are even killing theatre. It has all become pornographic. We have lost a sense of focus and this has also made us lose our tradition. Our tradition is rich. It gives us a sense of focus and teaches morals. I am not happy with all these as a pioneer of this industry.
The way forward
The only way out is to allow literary works to come out. To go back to showcasing our tradition and make sure we preach morals. A recent effort I have made is by writing a play: Ajantala. Meaning, the whirlwind that blew in the market place. This is a play that reflects about Nigeria. It starts from Lagos as a very vital part in the country.
It is a story that satirizes on the adverse influence of military rule in Nigeria, how it has dehumanized the citizenry. It also admonishes that we need to love each other irrespective of tribal differences.
That is why I am saying that we need playwright in this country who touch the people’s conscience through the theatre or plays. We are talking of sectarian wars and all that. It is because these people haven’t been advised in a subtle way that what they are doing is wrong and drama can do that.
Colleagues at Village Headmaster
Well, you know going back to remember them is a bit hard, but those I remember quit vividly are now dead. But there were those who worked behind the camera and are still alive. There was Akinbola, now Oba of Idanre land, also Oba Sanya Dosumu in Abeokuta; he was then director and producer. And the present Olowu of Owu .
He was the one who encouraged me to write scripts for the play then. He was always giving me some ideas that soon generated plawrighting. And one of the episodes I wrote then was the brown trouser. It was quite an interesting story that countered the villagers’ traditional belief. It was about somebody who stole my brown trouser and did juju with it so that I must leave the village. But the juju later went back to attack him not because I had juju my self, but because I had said it categorically and confessed it strongly that if any one did juju with the trouser it would not catch me. It is just a way of reading situations scientifically.
It was also to prove that when they boast that they would charm you with juju, it is just to put fear in you. So, you need to reject seriously. So when the juju refused to catch me the villagers went about saying that Araba is doing bigger juju.
How Gen. Mohammed Muritala saved my career.
I was working with the UNILAG then and was also acting in the Village Headmaster. There was a law in the civil service rule then that any public servant taking another job should be sacked. So, the directive came from Dodan Barracks, Lagos, that the list of such defaulters should be forwarded. And the headship of my department in UNILAG put my name on the list.
So the list went to Dodan Barracks and I think Major Akinsehinwa, he was the Aide De Camp of the late Gen. Muritala then, saw my name in the list and alerted the Head of State. Oga, the Village Headmaster’s name is among the list, oh and Gen. Muritala asked: Who put it there and he ordered that my name should be removed. The interesting thing then was that the military recognized the art because it was actually mirroring the society.
Grouse with politicians
Politicians do not have respect for artistes. They expect you to prostrate for them as become a part of their parties. They were your lord before they help you. I can’t imagine me prostrating for a boy I taught in the university. Nowadays, leaders want to pay you to produce plays that are based on what they want the people to believe. Propaganda. When we were doing Village Headmaster, we had leaders, who were listening.
My performing group
It is in recognition of the fact that I cannot just die with all the potentials in theatre. I have found the performing arts academy to promote upcoming artistes, theatre artistes. It pains me that most of our TV stations have commercialized drama presentation. This doesn’t help up coming artistes, who do not have the resources to promote themselves.
Love life
During our time, Love was taken very serious. We were not just after beauty, sex and all the vanities that young ones nowadays seek. Then for you to choose a wife, you were looking for someone who could be your sister. We were more concerned about the humane aspect of the lady. I keep telling people that my wife is like my sister. That is how close we are and deep our love is.
Source: http://www.sunnewsonline.com
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