Epic film on late Duro Ladipo underway – Son

The shooting of a multi-million Naira epic film on the life and times of the late Duro Ladipo, a towering figure in Nigeria’s folklore plays and music, has commenced in Oyo State.

The deceased, who usually acted in his plays, was one of the best-known and critically acclaimed Yoruba dramatists who emerged from postcolonial Africa.

Writing solely in the Yoruba language, he captivated the symbolic spirit of Yoruba mythologies in his plays, which were later adapted to other media such as photography, television and cinema.

His most famous play, Ọba kò so (The King did not Hang), a dramatisation of the traditional Yoruba story of how Ṣango became the Orisha of Thunder, received international acclaim at the first Commonwealth Arts Festival in 1965

Details

Wole Duro-Ladipo, son of the late playwright, disclosed details of his father’s biopic on Sunday in Ibadan during a courtesy visit to Lekan Alabi, the founding Trustee of the Duro Ladipo Foundation.

“The film is expected to hit the cinemas in Nigeria and abroad before the end of this year.”

Mr Duro-Ladipo, based in Chicago, U.S., assured that everything was in place for a successful film shooting.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the late Ladipo died 47 years ago at 45.

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He died during an illness at the University College Hospital (UCH) in Ibadan on 11 March 1978.

Responding to Mr Duro-Ladipo during the visit, Mr Alabi, the Maye Olubadan of Ibadanland, congratulated the late Ladipo’s successors on taking the steps.

He recalled that Mr Ladipo’s most impressive play, “Oba Ko so,” had won the first prize at the Commonwealth Film Festival in London, UK, in 1965.

“It was such a great play then, and it will be nice to have the film in the cinemas now,” Mr Alabi said.