Durodola Durosomo Duroorike Timothy Adisa Ladipo (December 18, 1926 – March 11, 1978), more commonly known as Duro Ladipo, was one of the best known and critically acclaimed
Yoruba
The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...
dramatists who emerged from postcolonial Africa. Writing solely in the
Yoruba language
Yoruba (, ; Yor. '; Ajami script, Ajami: ) is a language spoken in West Africa, primarily in South West (Nigeria), Southwestern Middle Belt, and Central Nigeria. It is spoken by the Ethnic group, ethnic Yoruba people. The number of Yoruba speake ...
, he captivated the symbolic spirit of
Yoruba
The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...
mythologies in his plays, which were later adapted to other media such as photography, television and cinema. His most famous play, ''
Ọba kò so
''Ọba kò so'' (''The King Did Not Hang'') is a play by Duro Ladipo depicting the mystical and ambivalent personality known as Shango of Yoruba mythology.
Historical and Cultural Significance
Duro Ladipo's revolutionary play, Oba Kò So, was ...
'' (The King did not Hang), a dramatization of the traditional Yoruba story of how
Ṣango became the
Orisha
Orishas (singular: orisha) are spirits that play a key role in the Yoruba religion of West Africa and several religions of the African diaspora that derive from it, such as Cuban, Dominican and Puerto Rican Santería and Brazilian Candomblé. T ...
of Thunder, received international acclaim at the first Commonwealth Arts Festival in 1965 and on a Europe an tour, where a
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
critic,
Ulli Beier
Chief Horst Ulrich Beier, commonly known as Ulli Beier (30 July 1922 – 3 April 2011), was a German editor, writer and scholar who had a pioneering role in developing literature, drama and poetry in Nigeria, as well as literature, drama and p ...
, compared Ladipọ to
Karajan. Ladipo usually acted in his own plays.
Early life
Durodola Durosomo (or Durosinmi) Duroorike Timothy Adisa Ladipo was born on December 18, 1926
to Joseph Oni Ladipo and Dorcas Towobola Ajike Ladipo. Many sources claim he was born in 1931, but this was most likely erroneously stated.
Because Ladipo was born after nine of his parents' children died before the age of one, Ladipo was believed to be an
abiku
Abiku is a Yoruba word that can be translated as "predestined to death". It is from (abi) "that which was born" and (iku) "death".
Definition
Abiku refers to the spirits of children who die before reaching puberty; a child who dies before twelve ...
.
Abiku, meaning born to die, is a
Yoruba
The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...
concept in which there are spirits that possess the bodies of several children of a parent and exist to cause pain and sadness for him or her. The only way this could be solved was by engaging in intense spritiual rituals made to tie the child down to this world or convince the evil spirit that its death would not bring sadness. This was why some children can be seen with unaffectionate names. Ladipo being believed to be an abiku can be seen by his many names beginning with dúró, a
Yoruba
The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...
word meaning to stay, wait, or remain. His name Dúródọlá means "wait for wealth," trying to convince him to stay and enjoy life, Dúróṣọmọ́ means "stay to be our child," another variation, Dúrósinmí means "stay to bury me," and Dúróoríkẹ́ means "stay to see how much we will care for you."
Despite the fact that both Joseph and Dorcas Ladipo were devout
Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
Christians who rejected the beliefs of their parents, they were so troubled by the apparent abiku possession that for Ladipo, they went to a traditional
Ifa
IFA or Ifa may refer to:
Organisations
Economics
* Independent financial adviser, a type of financial services professional in the UK
* Index Fund Advisors
* Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, representing actuaries in the UK
* Institute of Ac ...
priest, or
Babalawo
Babaaláwo or Babalawo in West Africa (Babalao in Caribbean and South American Spanish and Babalaô in Brazilian Portuguese) literally means 'father of the mysteries' in the Yoruba language. It is a spiritual title that denotes a high priest o ...
.
After Duro survived infancy, his parents had five more children, including a set of twins, who all survived infancy.
Ladipo's great-grandfather was a drummer of the
gangan and worshipper of the god
Shango
Shango (Yoruba language: Ṣàngó, also known as Changó or Xangô in Latin America; and as Jakuta or Badé) is an Orisha, a deity in Yoruba religion. Genealogically speaking, Shango is a royal ancestor of the Yoruba as he was the third Alaafin ...
who escaped the
Jalumi War
The Jalumi War, also called the Battle of Ikirun, was a battle that took place on 1 November 1878 in the north east of present-day Osun State, Nigeria.
It was part of the larger conflict named the Ibadan War.
The forces of Ibadan victorious in det ...
with the help of Oderinlo, one of the war generals, because it was believed to be forbidden to kill a drummer in war. The tradition of drumming and drummaking continued with his son, Ladipo's grandfather. However, Ladipo's father, Joseph Oni, refused to follow his ancestor's footsteps and instead converted to Christianity around 1912. He became a minister at an Anglican church in
Oṣogbo thereafter. Joseph wanted Ladipo to follow in his footsteps to be a preacher, but Ladipo was influenced by his grandfather, who was also a devout worshipper of
Shango
Shango (Yoruba language: Ṣàngó, also known as Changó or Xangô in Latin America; and as Jakuta or Badé) is an Orisha, a deity in Yoruba religion. Genealogically speaking, Shango is a royal ancestor of the Yoruba as he was the third Alaafin ...
and
Oya, and was well versed in Yoruba mythology, especially those emanating from Old
Ọyọ. Ladipo also observed
Ifa
IFA or Ifa may refer to:
Organisations
Economics
* Independent financial adviser, a type of financial services professional in the UK
* Index Fund Advisors
* Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, representing actuaries in the UK
* Institute of Ac ...
and
Egungun
Egungun, (''egúngún'' with Yorùbá language tone marks) in the broadest sense is any Yoruba masquerade or masked, costumed figure. More specifically, it is a Yoruba masquerade for ancestor reverence, or the ancestors themselves as a collectiv ...
festivals at
Ila Orangun
Ìlá Òràngún (or Ila) is an ancient city in Osun State, Nigeria, that was capital of an ancient city-state of the same name in the Igbomina area of Yorubaland in south-western Nigeria. Ìlá Òràngún is the more populous sister-city (and si ...
and
Otan Ayegbaju
Otan Ayegbaju (Otan for short) is an historic town in Yorubaland founded about 500 years ago by descendants of Oduduwa, who migrated from Ifẹ. It is the headquarters of Boluwaduro Local Government Area. Nearby towns are Eripa, Iresi, Igbajo ...
, towns near
Osogbo
Osogbo (also ''Oṣogbo'', rarely ''Oshogbo'') is a city in Nigeria. It became the capital city of Osun State in 1991. Osogbo city seats the Headquarters of both Osogbo Local Government Area (situated at Oke Baale Area of the city) and Olorund ...
.
Career
Ladipọ tried hard and succeeded in exposing himself to traditional and Yoruba cultural elements, especially when living under the veil of a Christian home. At a young age, he would sneak out of the vicarage to watch Yoruba festivals. This fascination with his culture goaded him into researching and experimenting with theatrical drama and writing. After leaving Oṣogbo, he went to
Ibadan
Ibadan (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Oyo State, in Nigeria. It is the third-largest city by population in Nigeria after Lagos and Kano, with a total population of 3,649,000 as of 2021, and over 6 million people within its me ...
, where he became a teacher. While in
Ibadan
Ibadan (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Oyo State, in Nigeria. It is the third-largest city by population in Nigeria after Lagos and Kano, with a total population of 3,649,000 as of 2021, and over 6 million people within its me ...
he became one of the founding members of an artist club called
Mbari Mbayo and became influenced by a German scholar named
Ulli Beier
Chief Horst Ulrich Beier, commonly known as Ulli Beier (30 July 1922 – 3 April 2011), was a German editor, writer and scholar who had a pioneering role in developing literature, drama and poetry in Nigeria, as well as literature, drama and p ...
. He later replicated the club in Oṣogbo, and it became the premier group for promoting budding artists and dramatists in Oṣogbo. Throughout his career, Duro Ladipọ wrote ten Yoruba folk operas combining dance, music, mime, proverbs, drumming and praise songs.
Ladipo started his personal theatre group in 1961, but he became fully established with the founding of the Mbari Mbayo Club in Oṣogbo. His popularity as the leader of a folk opera group rests on his three plays: Ọ''bamoro'' in 1962, Ọ''ba ko so'' and Ọ''ba Waja'' in 1964. Ọ''ba Waja'' - "The King is Dead" - is based on the same historical event that inspired fellow Nigerian playwright
Wọle Ṣoyinka's ''
Death and the King's Horseman
''Death and the King's Horseman'' is a play by Wole Soyinka based on a real incident that took place in Nigeria during the colonial era: the horseman of a Yoruba King was prevented from committing ritual suicide by the colonial authorities. In a ...
''.) He also promoted ''Mọremi'', a play about the Yoruba ancestress of the same name. He later transformed Mbari Mbayo into a cultural center, an arts gallery and a meeting point for young artists seeking to develop their talents. Duro Ladipọ wrote quite a number of plays, such as ''Suru Baba Iwa" and "Tanimowo Iku." Some of his plays were also produced for television. In fact, he created ''Bode Wasinimi'' for the Nigerian Television Authority, Ibadan.
In 1977, Duro Ladipo participated in
FESTAC '77
Festac '77, also known as the Second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture (the first was in World Festival of Black Arts#History, Dakar, 1966), was a major international festival held in Lagos, Nigeria, from 15 January 1977 to 12 F ...
, the Second World Festival of Black and African Arts and Culture, in Lagos, Nigeria.
Personal life
Despite his Christian background, Ladipo was a
polygamist
Crimes
Polygamy (from Late Greek (') "state of marriage to many spouses") is the practice of marrying multiple spouses. When a man is married to more than one wife at the same time, sociologists call this polygyny. When a woman is married ...
and had three wives and about fifteen children.
In 1964, he married
Abiodun Duro-Ladipo
Abiodun Duro-Ladipo (born 1941) is a Nigerian actress and singer of noble Yoruba people, Yoruba birth. In 1963, she joined the theatre company of Duro Ladipo, whom she married the following year. Acting in her husband's Epic theatre, epic plays, ...
, his third wife, and she became a permanent member of the troupe. She gained fame as an actress, taking main roles in all the plays performed by the company.
He died on March 11, 1978, at the age of 51 after a short illness. It is said that when he died the heavens opened, and there was sudden rain with lightning and thunder. This was interpreted as a sign that
Shango
Shango (Yoruba language: Ṣàngó, also known as Changó or Xangô in Latin America; and as Jakuta or Badé) is an Orisha, a deity in Yoruba religion. Genealogically speaking, Shango is a royal ancestor of the Yoruba as he was the third Alaafin ...
, the god of thunder and the main character of his most famous work, welcomed him into the heavens.
Notes
References
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ladipo, Duro
Nigerian dramatists and playwrights
Yoruba dramatists and playwrights
1931 births
1978 deaths
Postcolonialism
20th-century Nigerian dramatists and playwrights
Yoruba-language writers
20th-century Nigerian writers
Nigerian folklorists
Yoruba male actors
Male actors in Yoruba cinema
Nigerian male stage actors
Nigerian theatre managers and producers
Yoruba businesspeople
20th-century Nigerian male actors