From theatre to billboard, Omotoso dances at 70. 

Punch. .4.12



All roads lead to Akure, capital of Ondo State, as the Nigerian literati celebrate Prof. Kole Omotoso at 70, writes CHUX OHAI

Professor Bankole Omotoso is many things rolled into one. He is an accomplished writer with no less than nine published works of fiction, including a collection of short stories, to his credit. He is a dramatist,  columist, literary critic and actor, as well as the founding General Secretary and a former President of the Association of Nigerian Authors.
He will clock 70 on April 21, 2013. Yet, he has evidently been so active these past years that he recently confessed to not knowing how it feels to arrive at the biblical three-score-and-ten years.
Shortly after his groundbreaking novel, Just Before Dawn, was published in 1988, Omotoso was forced to leave Nigeria on self-exile. Although the exact reason for his exit was hardly known at the time, it was obviously connected with the controversy that surrounded the publication of the book.
In an online interview with our correspondent on Monday, he said, “My immediate reaction to the controversy was to relocate and hope somehow to be part of the forces that would dislocate the powers that tie down Nigeria. Eventually I left the country after I received threats from the Nigerian military and the then, Head of State, General Olusegun Obasanjo went to court to stop the publication of Just before Dawn.”
Ever since, Omotoso has been living and working in South Africa. Apart from teaching Drama and English at the Stellenbosch University in Cape Town, South Africa, he is best known for his role in popular advertisement campaigns in that country, especially by its biggest mobile telecommunications company, Vodacom.
Over the years, Omotoso had become a household name, courtesy of his role as ‘Yebo Gogo’, the inimitable character seen on TV ads and billboards in South Africa’s major cities. Also, his appearances on the set of M-Net’s drama series, Jacob’s Cross, since 2007,  has further boosted his image as a leading actor in Africa.
In appreciation of what they described as his many-sided commitment to the literary arts and activism, a committee comprising friends and associates of the writer have concluded plans to roll out the proverbial drums and celebrate his ‘coming of age’.
In a statement signed by Odia Ofeimun, the committee said the celebration would provide an opportunity to engage the continental tilt of Omotoso’s literary activism since he relocated to South Africa and his unique involvement with the international culture of mobile phone usage in that country.
At the heart of the celebrations is Akure, the writer’s hometown, where an exhibition, aimed at showcasing his contributions to civic education and the development of popular culture  in Nigeria and South Africa and titled The Kole Omotoso Exhibition -  Akure to Jo’burg, will be on display between April 19 and 21.
A reception tagged, An Evening for Uncle Very Very’s Nephew will be held at the Cultural Centre, Akure on the same date. Before then,  a special reading titled Kole Omotoso in person will take place at Jazzhole, 168 Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, in Lagos on April 1 at 4.30 pm.
The core celebration begins with a special birthday lecture with the theme, Radicals, Literature and Nigeria: Just Before 2014  to  be delivered by Professor G.G. Darah of the Delta State University, Abraka.  The event will be chaired by Professor Akinwumi Isola, at the Cultural Centre, Akure, on April, 20 at 4.30pm.
The lecture will be immediately followed by Omotoso’s South African play titled, Yes and ‘Know’ to Freedom Chatter, directed by Felix Okolo and produced by Hornbill Hornbill.