The death of Jimi Solanke, the acclaimed folklorist, dramatist and playwright, has plunged Nigeria into mourning, as President Bola Tinubu and Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State led the tributes to the artistic genius.
Solanke, who enchanted millions of viewers with his television programme ‘Story Land’ on the Nigerian Television Authority, passed away on Monday morning at the age of 81, after a brief illness.
He was being rushed from his country home in Ipara Remo in the Remo North Local Government Area of Ogun State to the Babcock University Teaching Hospital, Ilisan, when he breathed his last.
He had been battling with his health since December. Solanke was also famous for his roles in Kongi’s Harvest, Sango, Shadow Parties, and many more.
Dickson Awolaja, the lawmaker representing Remo North State Constituency at the state House of Assembly, who confirmed the death, said, “I am deeply saddened by the demise of Pa Jimi Solanke. His death is a huge loss to us in Remo North and Ogun State as a whole, considering his invaluable contributions to the development of our nation. May his soul rest in peace.”
Tinubu, in a statement on Monday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, said he was shocked by the news of Solanke’s death, describing him as “one of the finest of Nigeria’s creative artists and a pillar of our cherished mores and cultural heritage.” Governor Abiodun also expressed his grief over Solanke’s death, calling it a colossal loss to the theatre community and Ogun State.
Abiodun noted that the late thespian “consistently put the name of the state in the spotlight for very good reasons, especially in the arts, right from his days at the University of Ibadan School of Drama.”
“He was renowned for his tireless dedication to the arts, Baba Agba, as he was fondly called by his numerous fans across the country, was a great ambassador of our dear state. He showcased the culture and tradition of the Yoruba race on the world stage with his drama, music, poetry and other works of art.
“In 1961, he was one of the pioneer members of the Orisun Theatre Group, founded by Professor Wole Soyinka. He went on to have several decades of diverse exposure and experiences in the global entertainment industry across various broadcast stations, countries and festivals, impacting the sector immensely,” Abiodun said.
The governor said Solanke’s many admirers “still remember with nostalgia, his epic performances at the Western Nigeria Television, WNTV, Ibadan in the 1960s, his unforgettable stagecraft at the World Festival of Negro Arts in Senegal and the amazing skills he displayed at the Pan-African Cultural Festival in Algeria, all in the 1970s.
“He also dazzled audiences with his brilliant performances in epics like Death and the King’s Horseman, Kurunmi, Kongi’s Harvest, The Divorce and Ovaramwen Nogbaisi. These performances and his numerous talents made him a global icon of the arts.”
He was praised by the Oxford Times and the New York Times as a ‘Skilled Nigerian Actor’ and an ‘Excellent Troupe’ respectively, for his performance of Wole Soyinka’s Kongi’s Harvest, during a tour of Europe.”
