Duro Ladipo’s Son: My Dad Had Magical Power, I Saw Him Emit Fire From His Mouth

He was a polygamist who organised his home perfectly

The late Durojaiye Ladipo still evokes some memories due to the pioneering role he played in the theatre industry. Though his roles have been well documented in several books and electronic documentaries, one of his sons, Mr. Ladepo Ladipo in this Interview with OLAOLU OLADIPO went down memory lane to talk about the life and times of his father. Excerpts:

Your father was an accomplished and well known dramatist and singer. As a son, who was late Chief Duro Ladipo as a father and husband to his wives?



I was not too young to say one thing or the other about my late father. I was 12-year-old when he died on March 12, 1979. He died at the age of 52. The little that we spent together as a family, I can say categorically that my late father was very loving to his wives and children. He demonstrated love towards his family. At home, he had a room for each of his four wives.

He had 16 children in all. We all lived together peacefully. The home was so peaceful though my father was a complete polygamist. He was a perfect polygamist who organised his family so well. There wasn’t any form of rancour among the wives. The first wife, Mabel, took care of the children whenever my father went on tour with other wives.

So, your father travelled a lot?

Yes, most theatre companies travelled from place to place performing in various towns and villages. They performed in city halls and open places in those days. That was the era of the Alarinjo Theatre, this was during the colonial and the immediate period after the country got its independence.

What was his usual day like?



He woke up very early in the morning to play the piano. He was a pianist and an organist before he moved into the theatre. Did he have a Christian background? Yes, his father, I mean, my grandfather, was an Anglican priest. His name was Joseph Oni Ladipo who was a catechist. He (Duro Ladipo) grew up as a Christian in the mission house as Christian.

You were telling us about his daily routine…

Like I said, he played hymns with the piano to wake us up to say our normal Christian prayers. He would then return to bed to attend to us late when we were set to go to school. He built a separate apartment for us (his children). We didn’t really stay with our mothers in their rooms. What he did was to employ nanny who took care of us all because he felt he didn’t want any form of discrimination among his children. When we dressed up for school, we would all go to his room and line up to collect our daily upkeep. He bought a bus that took us to school. He employed a driver who took us to and from school. I also remember that he took time to chat with each of his children; he made sure that he put our heads in his chest individually before allowing us to go to school. He used to carry out rehearsals and he did that when we had gone to school. His theatre members would then be coming in after we had left. He already had a schedule of rehearsals of plays to deal with. He usually used such occasions to attend to people that wished to join his company by giving them auditions. He had an office at home.

What was his relationship with his wives?

Like I said, my father was a perfect polygamist, his related with his wives perfectly. I never witnessed anytime my father quarreled with any of his wives or when the wives quarreled against themselves. When disputes come between the wives, he had this ability to settle the disputes in a manner that would satisfy every one of them in a manner that would bring peace at home. He took care of them and gave them allowances.

What sort of food did he eat and when did he eat his breakfast?

My father loved to eat pap and Akara (bean cake) or moin moin in the morning. His food was usually prepared by his most junior wife Funke. The rehearsals would now commence after he took his breakfast.

What did he do afterwards?


We had a very large compound to accommodate his theatre work. At the time of growing up, members of his company rehearsed for a television series called Bode Wasinmi. The first session of the rehearsals started about 10am and ended by noon after which they went for lunch. By the time we came back from school, they would have started the evening rehearsals. We watched the evening rehearsals when we came back from school.

What were the rehearsals like?

My father usually came out in his knickers to direct plays and audition for new members. We watched how he directed plays. He also utilises such periods to compose and introduce members to some new songs that he had composed. He utilised songs to bring out the themes of his plays. He was a thorough theatre manager and a resourceful person who had this ability to discover new talents.

What impact did your father make in the theatre industry?


My father was the first Nigerian to take Nigerian play overseas. In all, my father travelled to over 12 countries across the world, particularly to Europe and America. As a kid, I travelled with him to France and Germany. I also travelled with him to England. As a kid my father made me play the role of Olu Orogbo in one of his plays.

So, you were a member of his theatre company?

Yes. I was. We were kids but we were very active in the company at that time.

Does that suggest that he wanted his children to take after him?

Yes. He really wanted us to take after him. He used to teach me and my junior how to play the piano but I took so much interest in learning the piano. He made me develop interest in the piano. I did well as a student of performing arts, particularly in music at the university. I directed an opera at the university. I remembered my father when I was doing an opera in my final year at the university. I cried so much that day. My senior sister, Sola, is a prominent staff member of the Osun State Cultural Centre. Like me, she developed interest in the theatre though we have other members of the family too.

Did he ever tell you how he got involved in traditional religion?

There were circumstances that really led to that. From available records, my father followed his father to all the locations that he was transferred to by the mission. During that time, there was so much belief in traditional worship in Yoruba land. The CMS at that time brought Christianity to Yoruba land. Duro was very much interested in masquerade at that time. My grandmother told us that she would look for him. My father was a mysterious child who was born 14 times before he finally stayed and that is why they named him Durojaye.

His mother outlived him?

Yes. He died before his mother. He died on March 11, 1978, but my grandmother died 10 years after.

At close range, did you see any sign of mysticism around him?

What I know was that my father was so open to knowledge. He wanted to acquire so much knowledge. He read about many things. His mother noticed early in life that he used to sneak out to watch masquerades perform while they searched for him. There was a day they (his search party) saw him in the midst of many masquerades. Rather than go home with his mum, he took one of his mother’s wrappers and wrapped it around himself and joined the masquerades. That was when his interest started. When his father discovered, he was seriously whipped because his father thought it was awkward for the son of a priest to be found with masquerades.

Did he join the Egungun Cult?

To the best of my knowledge, he didn’t join but along the line, he met a German cultural researcher called Professor Uli Beier who was in Nigeria to conduct research in the early 40s. Beier travelled to Osogbo and met my dad. Beier was fascinated that my father was interested in culture. They teamed up and Duro took him to many Yoruba townships. In return, Beier told him about his plans and encouraged him to start his own theatre company.

How did he start his theatre work?

It was at that time that Professor Wole Soyinka came back from the US with the Rockefeller Foundation to promote Yoruba culture. Their idea was to look for talents and Soyinka met Beier and they teamed up to organise the Mbari Mbayo Cultural Organisation. They also organised a conference in Ibadan for scholars in the visual arts. After the conference, my father persuaded Soyinka and Ulli Beier to establish the centre in Osogbo. Duro donated a portion of the space housing his bar for the use of the centre. That was the beginning of Duro Ladipo’s foray into the theatre. My father now utilised the platform to start and organise his theatre company.

Your father was famous for depicting the character Sango in some of his plays. Why did he choose Sango among numerous Yoruba gods?

Like I said, my father owed so much to Ulli Beier with regards to whatever he achieved as a theatre practitioner. Beier prompted him to venture into Shakespearean style of theatre. Beier told him to incorporate the knowledge of Western drama. Eventually, my father now sought to Africanise these characters in his works. He looked at the history of Yoruba legends. He (Duro) felt the need to look at our culture and see how to promote our history through the theatre. He got inputs from several traditional rulers and a book, The History of Yorubas.

Oba Koso was a popular play that took him far and wide, could you tell us about the play?

The play shot him to limelight globally because of the mystical essence of the character that he portrayed in the play. Sango himself took after a god called Jakuta, so my father was the third person to assume such powers.

Did your father possess the powers of Sango?

He did actually. Duro went into the cult of Sango in Oyo and he became a devotee. He went to them and they gave him power. If you want to portray Sango, you must belong to that cult. I will not say that my father did not have magical powers. I actually saw him emit fire from his mouth.


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