Do you remember Jimi Solanke, the one-time famous storyteller on Nigerian Television Author- ity and African Independent Television?
Though, he is not getting younger any- more, the 74-year-old dramatist still has his tantalizing voice.
In an encounter with The Point, Solanke said that anyone who came across him would acknowledge that he was still strong and vibrant when he or she listened to his voice.
“If at this age, I could still sound as clean as I do, God knows why he created me. Yet, I don’t take egg, honey or indulge in any treatments to clear my throat,” he said.
Going down memory lane, Solanke explained that he had to disobey his fa- ther and uncle to fulfill his dream. And his father, who wanted him to become an engineer, held that against him until he started seeing his son on television and in the newspapers.
But Solanke does not see his defiance to his father’s wish as an act of rebellion. “I had passion for the arts and I was de- termined to achieve it. And in the end, I am the winner because I had enough money to bury both my uncle and father. At a point, everyone wanted to do one or two things with me. I needed nobody to feed me and I was getting extra money to send home. My mother told me that once a child has chosen what he loved to do, he will not die of it,” he recalled.
While noting the importance of educa- tion, Solanke, however, argued that everyone cannot be a professor.
According to him, if he had taken more time to study, he might have been buried under files and researches. “Once you know something, you know it. We shouldn’t say everybody must be a professor. In most European countries, once you are good at what you do, you are a professor.”
Recalling how the famed ‘Storyland’ began, Solanke said it started with NTA inviting him to a workshop on children entertainment. But he had no idea what it will lead to.
“In Jos, they said they wanted me to be telling stories. We recorded just two episodes. But when I arrived in Lagos, they called me back to record more. And with as little as N100 per episode, that was how I started producing ‘Storyland’ with so much passion and satisfaction.
“Till I stopped coming, I was getting N100 per episode. I still have the con- tract with me and I would put this and
many more in my autobiography. How far could one go with N100 per episode of a programme being aired nationwide? But being a versatile artist, I was writing, singing and dancing. I did different jobs then.”
Solanke, explaining why ‘Storyland’ was stopped, said he became tired at some point. He would come all the way from Ife, leaving his family behind and they would keep him in Lagos for days without production.
The normal excuse, he recalled, was that the camera had been taken out for a recording or the camera had problems.
“Later, AIT invited me to start ‘African Stories,’ which went well for a while. But some issues also came up along the way.”
Much as he admires the younger artistes, he is not too pleased with their penchant for fake lives.
“At this age, you cannot kill me and I have done enough. This is the major rea- son most young men who are following these stars drink to stupor or death. Up till date, I have no boldness of mind to do such a thing. If you need to be high before you perform, then such performance simply lacks creativity”, he said.
Solanke’s children have decided to take after their father and that delights him. “I am not asking my children to take after me, but the baby of the house graduated from the Department of Dramatic Arts. Two of them are lead singers in the church. One likes to feature in pro- grammes I direct and one also has a Ph.D in Theater Arts”
