Years after he dominated the theatre landscape with his stereotyped comic characterization, Baba Sala’s name still remains synonymous with comedy. Photo: Filed
Moses Olaiya, better known by his stage name Baba Sala, is a Nigerian comedian, dramatist, musician and actor. A Yoruba from Ilesha in Osun state, Baba Sala is regarded as the father of Nigerian comedy.
Years after he dominated the theatre landscape with his stereotyped comic characterization, Baba Sala’s name still remains synonymous with comedy. The veteran actor, whose comic acts earned the national honour of Member of the Order of the Niger (MON) in 1978 during the then General Olusegun Obasanjo‘s regime, started when there was no certainty or likelihood of gaining national prominence with just doing comedy.
Also read: Photos from 80th birthday of iconic actor, Baba Sala
As Nigerian Film Industry, with all its glitz and glamour today, took its root from the Yoruba travelling theatre movement of the 60s, 70s and the early 80s, Baba Sala was one of the early starters of that era. And others included Hubert Ogunde, Adeyemi Afolayan (Ade Love), Duro Ladipo, Kola Ogunmola, Ishola Ogunshola (Isho Pepe) and Oyin Adejobi, to mention a few.
Out of the lot, it was only Baba Sala and his Awada Kerikeri group who picked comedy as their genre of theatre. Incidentally, not many know that Baba Sala started out in life as a civil servant, a sanitary inspector. This he combined with a part-time teaching work and the daily thrift collection popularly called ‘Ajo’ among the Yorubas. In the late evenings, he would transform from a thrift collector into a highlife musician. And in 1964, he led a group known as the Federal Rhythm Dandies, which was the band through which Baba Sala launched himself into stardom. The band was known for its quality Juju music …Read More
Source:: The NET
