Ogunde biography
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He had his elementary education between 1925 and 1932, attending St John School, Ososa, (1925-1928), St Peter’s School, Faaji, Lagos, (1928-1930), and Wasinmi African School, (1931-1932). The company toured extensively, presenting productions that blended Yoruba tradition with contemporary stagecraft, scripted dialogue, elaborate costumes, live music, and dance.
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Political Theatre and Social Commentary
Ogunde used theatre as a medium for political engagement.
This ban was lifted under the new government of Lieutenant Colonel F.A Fajuyi.
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In 1963 Hubert guide formed the Dance company. in 1970 he release Ija Ominira and Ajani Ogun which attracted him a lot of success.
* Plays and Films
* Plays
• Garden of Eden and throne of God
(1944)
• Africa and God( 1944)
• Israel in Egypt (1945)
• Nebuchadnezzar Reign and Belshazzar Feast (1945)
• King Solomon(1945)
• Worse than crime (1945)
• Strike and hunger(1945)
• Journey to heaven (1945)
• The black Forest ( Igbo Irumole )(1945)
• Mr.
Devil Money (Ayinde) 1945
• Herbert Macaulay(1946)
• Tiger Empire (1946)
• Human parasites (1946)
• Towards Liberty (1947)
• My Darling Fatima (1951)
• Beggars love (1952)
• Half and Half (1949)
• Yours forever ( Morenike ) 1948
• Swing the Jazz(1947)
• Nigeria( 1977)
• Igba to ode (1977)
• Ewo Gbeja (1975)
• Onimoto (1971)
• Muritala Mohammed (1976)
* Films
• Aropin N’ Tenia ( 1982)
• Aiye (1980)
• Ayanmo (1986)
• Jaiyesinmi( 1981)
• Master Johnson( 1990)
* Award
• Order of Federal Republic of Nigeria by the Federal government under Alhaji Shehu Shagari in 1983, he rejected cause he felt corruption is rampant in the land.
• Excellence award in the field of drama and Film production by the Ogun state government in 1987 and 1988
• Honorary degree of Doctor of literature in 1985 by Obafemi, Awolowo University, Ile-Ife
• Honorary degree of doctors of letters on Friday 17th of January, 1986 by University of Lagos
* Personal Life
Hubert’s Ogunde got married to a lot of wives some of his wives are those who works with him, his wives is expected to be more than ten and they had a lot of children together some of his wives include Risikat Ogunde, Idowu Philip, Emily Kehinde, Olukoga guide and Adeshewa Clementina Ogunde a.k.a ( Mama Eko).
He died on Wednesday, April 4th, 1990 at Crowell Hospital, London, England at 5:25 a.m, he was 74 years old when he died.
The Ogunde Theatre Party
In 1945, Ogunde founded the Ogunde Theatre Party, recognised as Nigeria’s first professional theatre company.
The eldest of his wives; Clementina Oguntimirin later became known as Adesewa Ogunde or Mama Eko (Lagos Mama), as she was popularly known by her fans in the 1960s, after taking the leading part in the popular play of that name.
In December 1941 when he was in Ibadan he join the Police force after he passed the pole ice recruitment center.
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Hubert guide’s first folk opera, The Garden of Eden and the Throne of God, was performed with success in
1944 when he was still a member of the Nigerian Police Force.
She had five children for him. He composed over 40 operas in Yoruba. While working as a teacher and civil servant, Ogunde began experimenting with performance. The duo raised and taught their children about African culture and demagogues. Works such as Strike and Hunger (1946) and Bread and Bullet (1950) addressed labour disputes, colonial governance, and societal challenges.
He used the commercial repertoire of Yoruba theatre, frequently featuring both European instruments and drums in his plays, and he married all the actresses to keep the group together. He was the most prominent dramatist of folk opera. He founded Ogunde Theatre – the first contemporary professional company in Nigeria. By this act, Ogunde began the rise of modern professional theatre in Nigeria, a movement in which he remains the supreme artist and father figure.
Like any mortal, was born into a modest but reputable family of Mr. Jeremiah Dehinbo Ogunde and Mrs. Eunice Owotunsan Ogunde on Monday July 10th, 1916 at Ososa in Ogun State. Ogunde’s legacy endures in Nigeria’s vibrant stage tradition and in the broader landscape of African performance art.
References
- Femi Osofisan, Hubert Ogunde: Pioneer of Nigerian Theatre (Ibadan University Press, 2007)
- Biodun Jeyifo, African Theatre: Traditions and Transformations (Cambridge University Press, 2015)
- Karin Barber, The Anthropology of Performance in Nigeria (University of Chicago Press, 2018)
Olooye Hubert Adedeji Ogunde was a folklorist, Nigerian actor, playwright, musician, dramatist, theatre manager, policeman, teacher, teetotaller, human right activist, Seer, prophet and a nationalist of class.
The first play featured at Ogunde Theatre was entitled Tiger’s Empire. He altogether spent approximately seven years acquiring formal education. At the age of nine, young Ogunde entered Saint John’s Primary School, Ososa for his elementary education and left the school in 1928 for Saint Peter’s Faji School, Lagos State where he was until 1930.
Between 1931 and 1932, Ogunde was at Wasimi African School, Ijebu-Ode.
Hubert Adedeji Ogunde was born on the 31st of May 1916 and was a Nigerian actor, playwright, theatre manager, and musician who founded the Ogunde Concert Party in (1945), the first professional theatrical company in Nigeria. This move reflected his desire to make Nigerian stories accessible to broader audiences, including rural communities and diaspora groups.
Legacy and Influence
Ogunde’s model of professional theatre inspired generations of Nigerian artists.
Practitioners such as Duro Ladipo and Wole Soyinka built on his fusion of tradition and innovation. Institutions such as the National Theatre in Lagos and festivals like the Lagos Theatre Festival sustain his legacy, demonstrating the vitality of performance in Nigerian life.
Author’s Note
Hubert Ogunde’s career illustrates theatre’s potential to be both art and activism.
Devil’s Money (Ayinde) (1946)
Films
- Aiye (1980)
- Jaiyesimi (1981)
- Aropin (1982)
- Ayanmo (1988)
Hubert Ogunde and the Birth of Modern Nigerian Theatre
Hubert Adedeji Ogunde (1916–1990) is widely regarded as the father of modern Nigerian theatre.