TUNDE KELANI, AFRICA’S MOST RESEARCHED FILM AUTEUR

Bukola Lasisi

 

Show me any African film maker whose artistry has been heavily dissected, celebrated and published in indexed academic journals across the globe. Point one to me, I mean just one African film maker that had paraded the following first line erudite scholars whose cerebral inks have continued to paint on the canvas of knowledge regarding his filmography: Jonathan Haynes, Onookome Okome, Babafemi Babatope, Teddy Hanmakyugh, Uzoma Esonwanne, Daniel, Trenton, Aquila Njamah, Ryan, Connor, Soetan Olusegun, Iyiola Amos Damilare, Adeduntan Ayo, Ugochukwu Françoise, Falola Toyin, Adesokan, A., Ojebode Ayobami, Ernest-Samuel, Gloria Chimeziem,  Afolan, A, Onizuilike, U,  Adeboye Olufunk, Moller Olaf, Elegbe Olugbenga, Sunday Benjamin, Adepoju, Tunde Onikoyi, Olokodana-James, O, Fasan, Rotimi and others too numerous to mention.

Mention that humble and techie cinematographer at 74 that mingles or had mingled in the cycle of egg heads such as; Prof. Wole Soyinka,   Prof. Femi Osofisan, Prof. Toyin Falola, Prof. Kolawole Salako, Dr. Tunde Adegbola, Dr. Yinka Egbokhare, late Prof. Akinwumi Ishola, , late Adebayo Faleti, and other notable academics. Direct me to a man whose craft has become the benchmark in Africa and still have time to publish and co-author research articles in well cited journals.

Introduce me to the connoisseur of Yoruba culture with multiple recognitions and awards, the Egba man who places women and children at the centre of his stories. An advocate of new technology with penchant for adaptations from beautiful Nigerian literature. The visiting Fellow at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta who facilitates the teaching and coordination of short courses designed to enhance the entrepreneurial skills and knowledge of film-making  in the Centre for Entrepreneurial Studies (CENTS).

Only one living legend, a Nigerian filmmaker, storyteller, director, photographer, scholar, cinematographer, and producer, Tunde Kelani conveniently fits into the intimidating descriptions which place him as the most significant filmmakers in Africa. He is a cultural driver who understands the need for cultural preservation and appreciation; these are evidently the qualities missing in many Nollywood films today. His films are articulated as cultural texts that express the features of Yoruba anthropology and its cultural matrix.

Kelani like other ‘giants of African cinema’ such as Ousmane Sembène and Med Hondo, keeps provoking fecund discourse on the  ‘localization’ of original cinematic offerings that reflect the true identity of Africans. This was aptly summarised by Prof. Sheila Petty in her foreword of the book, The Cinema of Tunde Kelani,  “Kelani’s insistence on promoting Indigenous languages and storytelling in his own Indigenous language of Yoruba solidly positions him within the cadre of global artists advocating for and practicing representational sovereignty. His work invites and provokes conversation with other global artists and thinkers who maintain that art and life are interconnected in Indigenous systems of thought.”

Come 18th March, 2022 the duo of Tunde Onikoyi and Taiwo Afolabi will launch another academic effort titled, “The Cinema of Tunde Kelani- aesthetics, theatricalities and visual performance” in honour of the Yoruba Cultural Ambassador (YCA) at RPL Film Theatre, Central Library, 2311 12 Avenue, Regina,Saskatchewan, Canada . The 14- chapter book in 224 pages featured 15 thoroughbred authors , including Tunde Kelani and the foreword was written by Professor Shiela Petty, University of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.

 

Though TK was born in Lagos on 26th February, 1948, he didn’t grow up in Lagos. At the age of 5, he was sent to live with his grandparents in the ancient city of Abeokuta. He attended the Oke-Ona Primary School, Ikija, Abeokuta, then the Abeokuta Grammar school for his secondary education. Tunde’s grandfather was a Chief (the Balogun of Ijaiye Kukudi) and Tunde was privileged to have witnessed most aspects of Yoruba ways of life, the Yoruba religion, Yoruba literature, Yoruba philosophy, Yoruba environments, and Yoruba tradition at close quarters. He was introduced to Yoruba literature from an early stage in his life and was also greatly influenced by theatre as the Yorubas had a very strong travelling theatre tradition at that time. When he was in secondary school, he had the opportunity to see most of the great Yoruba theatre classics including the Palmwine Drinkard, Oba Koso, Kurunmi, Ogunde plays and many more.

As a director of numerous blockbusters in English and indigenous Nigerian language , TK (as he is popularly called), whose career spans over four decades, has been lauded for uniquely proving the perpetual value in African cultural heritage in general and precisely Yoruba culture.

After his secondary school education, Tunde Kelani was just a photographers apprentice, learning the ropes in the hopes of one day becoming a great photographer himself. But that was not the course his life would take. He became a trainee cameraman at Western Nigeria Television. He then saved up to study at the London International Film School in 1970s, making his first independent film, shortly after graduation. The Dilemma of Rev. Father Michael (Idaamu Paadi Minkailu), was adapted from a book written by the poet, academic, translator, playwright with Adebayo Faleti, a Nollywood icon and the first-ever Yoruba news anchor in Nigeria. The screenplay for the film was done by Lola Fani-Kayode, the TV producer known for creating the classic TV series, Mirror in the Sun. Tunde also completed a diploma in the Art and Technique of Filmmaking at the London Film School.

While in London, he had a stint as a journalist, Tunde worked for the BBC and Reuters, covering the Ethiopian drought and travelling to Zimbabwe thrice to cover the nation’s independence.

He is  known for his love of adaptation of literary material into movies as most of his works have followed that style of filmmaking including Ko se Gbe, Oleku, Thunder Bolt, The Narrow Path, White Handkerchief, Maami and Dazzling Mirage. . He stands out among his peers and contemporaries, even among the younger generation of filmmakers. He produces technically high-quality films, capturing sources that attest to contemporary human conditions, to the very core aspects of our cultural identity.

Kelani’s manner of presenting his movies is what marks him far apart from everyone else. from engagements with artists of the highest reputation and popularity which remains constant, to his collaborations with intellectual personalities which continue to have certain effects on the entirety of the themes, and subjects matters of his films, and his plots, settings, costumes, and makeups all reflect deliberate efforts.

After his first independent film, series of cinematography gigs followed some 16mm feature films, including Anikura, Ogun Ajaye; Iya Ni Wura; Taxi Driver; Iwa and Fopomoyo. By 1990, Tunde Kelani was the assistant director and also acted in the first American movie to be shot in Nigeria titled ‘Mister Johnson’ – an adaptation of the 1939 novel by Joyce Cary. Pierce Brosnan and Maynard Eziashi starred in the film.

With a preference for adapting literary works, he has been referred to as a ‘bridge between the first generation of Nigerian filmmakers and the Nollywood era’. TK fortified the proverbial bridge when he established a film school, Mainframe Film and Media Institute (MFMI) in Abeokuta, Ogun state. MFMI commenced operations in June 2016 with the aim of nurturing a new generational capacity and hone the skills of the existing filmmakers for the challenges of tomorrow. MFMI’s faculties which include Joke Muyiwa Fadirepo, Bola Bello, Femi Odugbemi, Wale Ojo, Niji Akanni, Olatunji Afolayan, Muritala Sule, Doyin Hassan, Ropo Ewenla, Steve Sodiya, amongst others are among the best hands-on-trainers in any part of the country.

In 1991, Tunde Kelani started his own production company, Mainframe Films and Television Productions because he wanted to produce films and not just lend technical support. Having emerged from the world of theatre and literature himself, adaptations of books and plays for cinema are the core of Kelani’s filmmaking practice, and through them, he celebrates writers and their works to the generation he describes as a ‘public that reads less and less’.

At Mainframe, he has produced movies such as Ti Oluwa Nile, Ayo Ni Mo Fe, Koseegbe, Oleku, Thunderbolt (Magun), Saworoide, Agogo Eewo, The Campus Queen, Abeni, Narrow Path, Arugba and Maami, Dazzling Mirage, Ayinla, Cordelia and currently working on late Sikiru Ayinde Barrister’s biopic .

Tunde Kelani exhibits a certain inner glow as a-film-father-figure to those who wish to learn from him or aspire to be part of his projects. He does not only educate the younger generation in the art of filmmaking and cinematic practices, but he prepares them for taking over in the future, knowing that they will be required to shape the film industry in years to come. This is what he has devoted himself to for many years, one which he continues to undertake munificently and gracefully.

Though, he might not call himself a fashion icon, his style is essentially afro-centric. From his aso-oke caps to his foot wears, every detail speaks of his commitment to African culture and makes his every day attire a reminder of who he is. His T-shirts usually have slogans sourced from such African fabric as Adire and Ankara just as his formal wears are. He is easy to spot from the crowd what with the signature style.

Kelani has been instrumental to a number of film festivals in Nigeria. No wonder he was appointed by President Mohammadu Buhari as the Chairman, National Film and Video Censors Board, which was seen by some of his admirers and contemporaries as a rare bull’s eye. A position he was said to have relinquished out of principles and sincerity of purpose.

Tunde Kelani Awards and Recognitions include but not limited to the following:

• Recipient of the prestigious ‘Africa Reel Award’ at the Silicon Valley African Film Festival (SVAFF), California, USA in 2012.
• NMA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014.
• Member of Emmy Awards International Jury in 2015.
• Angenieux Award (Prix du Public) at Nollywood week 2015.
• African Magic Viewer’s Choice (AMVCA) Industry Merit Award in 2018.
• Ecran d’Honneur award at the 22nd edition of the Ecrans Noirs Film Festival in July 2018.
• Elected to vote in the Directors Category of the Board of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences also known as ‘The Oscars’ in 2019.
• Leopold Sedar Senghor Prize for African Cultural Creativity and Impact in 2019.

He is one of the most successful movie producers. TK is married to Toun Kelani and their union is blessed with two children.

TUNDE KELANI IN PICTURES

      

Picture credits- Internet