City People Visits DELE ODULE’s Film Village

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• It Is Located In Oru, Ijebu (Near Ijebu-Ode)

Veteran actor, Dele Odule needs little introduction in Nollywood  especially within the Yoruba movie industry. He is simply an enigma. This thespian, who has spent over 3 dacades has gone a notch further by investing in a Cultural Centre in Oru, a suburb of Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State. A few days ago, City People Team visited this wonder place which, according to him has gulped the popular actor in excess of One Hundred & Fifty Million naira. Odule shared his vision of the project with us.

What was the idea originally? How did it come to you?

Yeah, thank you. The idea is simple, I have discovered that all those people who have suffered, those who have contributed immensely into Theater Arts, the likes of our baba Ogunde. Let me be very sincere with you, I conceived this idea after I personally felt that Ogunde was not properly placed where he belongs. Because if we all agree that Ogunde was the father of theater in Nigeria. If we agree and we believe that he actually commercialized theater and people are now benefiting from theater arts today, I think he had not been placed properly. Those who are in the academics, they have honored them. Those who are in the commerce, they have honored them. Ogunde as an entertainer who had done greatly well for this nation; because a lot of people now are making their money through entertainment. Even skitters are making their money, including those who are doing rubbish on the Internet in the name of social media, they are making their money. They will not say they are doing rubbish, they will say they are also into entertainment. I love Baba Wole Soyinka and I believe he had done well and is still doing greatly well for this nation, but Ogunde deserve that national theater more than anybody in this country. Because, how do you immortalize Baba Ogunde If you cannot name somewhere in Nigeria that is significant with entertainment in his name. And that is why I said, if they can do that for Baba Ogunde, then who are we? Then, I will do something that will immortalize my name after I am gone. This one will still live after me. People who are going will say, Oh! Who owns that place, that is if it is properly managed. So directly or indirectly, I have immortalized myself. That is the idea.

Is it a film village or a cultural center?

It is a cultural center. I think I would prefer this place to be named or to be referred to as a cultural center. Because a film village has to be bigger than this and wider but I don’t have the resources yet. I am not partnering with anybody. I am doing this from the little I’m making from theater arts. I cannot afford a Film village now because Film village is beyond what people think, because you have to have studio there, you have this, you have that, and so on and so forth. I cannot afford that. But in my own little way, I want to do, like I said earlier on, I said, if this place conforms with your scripts, so be it. We still have plans to do some other sheds, some other little, little buildings that one can use as sets. So, we will be using it for film production, no doubt about that. Even if it is just two, three scenes of a very big project. They will see if this place is good enough to be used. But basically, it is an art and cultural center.

Are you planning to unveil it? Yes, I’m planning that. I am planning that probably in November to mark my birthday. I am planning it. But before then, we may have started what I will refer as test running. So if there is need for us to adjust one or two things, maybe from what people are telling us, advice here and there, then we will start putting it together. Then we will now open it officially. We will unveil it officially.

I know Oru is your hometown. What is the significance of Oru?

Can you see that pot there? That is Oru. Oru is the battlefield of the Ijebus. It is where the warriors, where they gather, where they strategize. It’s like their camp. Oru means pot, And that is why I have designed that and placed it there.

And how did Oru shape you in terms of upbringing and in terms of your worldview?

I was actually born in Ile-Ife, I came back to oru in 1969 when my mother died. Well, I will say artistically Oru shaped me because when I was much younger, I got involved in a lot of cultural activities. I am still involved. I get involved in cultural activities in Oru. They like me for that, I always support them, and that doesn’t make me an idol worshiper. I’m a Christian. My mother was a Muslim. I pray for my mom according to Islamic rites. That’s me. I’m a very libra person. I’m a very liberal. But environment where I grew up actually influenced my career. Because when I was growing up, there were activities here, drumming, dancing, and that is why I still don’t want to leave state performance. I have a standard troupe still tomorrow. Dance troupe. Very, very strong dance troupe. Had it been it is the period they are rehearsing. You would have seen them rehearsing in that small hall that we have there.

How do you juggle the various gifts that God has given you? You also do sculpt, you do design?

I don’t do it for commercial purpose; I do it as hobby. I do it at my leisure period when I have nothing I am doing. I try and lay my hand on something and come up with something. That’s what I do basically. And it has helped me because a lot of things I would have done with money, I do it myself. Things that would have cost me millions of naira, I did it myself. Because that particular sculpture of bird there, they will say, go and bring 250,000 or 300,000. So, imagine. I actually wanted to contract it out for someone who is a professional, you know, who would have charged me maybe 1 million or thereabout.

How did you come up with this location? How easy was it?

Well, it wasn’t too hard for me because my cousins owned this place. In fact, I started buying from him. I bought about two plots, and started buying till we got close to 2 acres here and I’m still aspiring to have more if I have the opportunity.

So what are you looking at in terms of sustainability of the business?

Sustainability, yes. That is where I need people like you. I won’t lie. Because it’s not the money that is coming out, but we also need the money. Because you can’t be paying Paul to rob Peter. You can’t be robbing Peter to pay Paul. So I can’t be going for location, shooting, and make my money when I still have children in the school that I need to also, you know, responsible for. So people like you can say, okay, I have this idea. Why not this? I plan to affiliate it with a recognized institution so that we can be training people. We plan to train people here. We plan to train people here. We plan to receive IT students. We plan to do all those things so that we want to try and catch them young, we have the opportunity to go to all the secondary schools. Those who are interested in arts, we want to start bringing them in. So whichever way we can, you know, give back to the society, we are planning to do that. And by doing that, definitely some good people, sponsors will come in.

-Sunday  Adigun