I WAS NEVER IN THE ANTP'S ARRANGEMENT – Yemi Solade

...TAMPAN is professional association with a geographical spread

 Agbo John Agbo/hotmanpet.blogspot.com

Yemi Solade

Yemi Solade could be best described as a consummate and quintessential man of theatrics, a founding member of Theatre Arts and Motion Pictures Practitioners Association of Nigeria (TAMPAN) and one of Nollywoods’ finest Actor. He bears his mind on a number of issues in an online interview with AGBO JOHN AGBO, that borders on why he left ANTP and the emergence of what he described as a truly ‘professional association with a geographical spread’. He is also the interim chairman of the newly formed association.

May we meet you sir?

My names are Olayemi Olufela Solade JP. I am Agbaakin of Igbein, Abeokuta in Ogun State. I was born in Lagos in 1960, raised in Surulere, the heartbeat of the city of Lagos.

Sir, we heard from the grapevine that you once lived in Northern Nigeria. How true is that?

That’s absolutely true; I served my fatherland in Maiduguri, Borno State that is in the North East to be precise. Subsequently after the NYSC programme, I picked up a teaching job with RAMAT POLYTHENIC in Maiduguri.

What actually spur your interest in Acting?

My foray into acting started in 1977 during Nigeria’s hosting of FESTAC 77. I immediately took up dance as a vehicle to express my ambition to becoming an artist. I grow up liking and enjoying entertainment.

 

Yemi Solade, Interim National Chairman, TAMPAN

Sir it is obvious that you made the right choice of a career, any low moments, I mean like regrets?

I give supplication to God, the first Creative Talent who imagined and created all things. There have been low and high moments in anything anyone does. I have had my fair share of these moments, but I vowed to live, sleep, wake up, eat, drink, talk, walk and die an actor. So, come rain, come shine, I remain the consummate and quintessential man of theatrics.

Few months ago it was alleged that you spear headed the break of ANTP to form TAMPAN. Sir what do you have to say to that?

I was NEVER in the ANTP arrangement. I only offered myself to serve ANTP in 2010. The veterans Chiefs in the association Chief Jimoh Aliu and Lere Paimo thought in their wisdom that I withdraw from the presidential race to pave way for the eventual traditional candidates- Victor Asaolu and Dele Odule. I honoured them by stepping aside, but I recall telling both men that they will come back to me. ANTP remained in the state of inertia four years down the lane. The association was bedeviled with political crisis, internally generated bickering for 13 years out of 20 years in the chequered history of ANTP’s registration. In February 2010 opted of ANTP, when the National Election was botched in Ibadan, security operatives fired tear-gas and people, not just ANTP members scampered for safety. Residents of Yemetu in Ibadan were momentarily affected by the madness occasioned by the ineptitude and wanton breach of peace by the top echelon of ANTP. Based on the foregoing and other non progressive tendencies witnessed the erstwhile President of ANTP, Prince Jide Kosoko intimated me of a meeting in Otunba Adebayo Salami (Oga Bello)’s home in Ikorodu. The meeting was held on the 9^th of February 2014 and it was there and thereon a new body was agreed upon by the majority to be formed. The result of that epoch-making decision heralded TAMPAN as an answer to the lingering and very damaging effects of the lacuna created by ANTP and the attendant and preponderance of influx of all sorts and manner of characters into the rank and file of the core professionals in the business of theatre arts and motion pictures.

Besides the political crisis and the seemingly loss of relevance of the ANTP, what other reason(s) informed the break away?

I think ANTP was formed to see to the bringing together of Theatre Arts workers in the Yoruba sector and we are in the era of videography which demands technological know-how, with the dictates of the 21^st century. Practitioners in the Tv/film world want to get it right, especially when the administrative brouhaha had set them back as a result of too many years of legal tussle. This is where TAMPAN comes handy and its preferring ways out of the doldrums. This is the first time we are mobilizing for a truly professional association of national geographical spread. In less than three months of the emergence of our virile association we have been able to land in 16 states of the federation and FCT, Abuja.  Our drive is to make TAMPAN an all inclusive professional set up and to break the conventional jinx of tribal sentiments in our practice. I left ANTP as soon as I was tear-gassed in Ibadan because I didn’t believe that deciding who should lead a professional body ought to resort to animalistic behavioural pattern.

Reports’ reaching us is that TAMPAN has a chapter in the UK. How true is that sir?

It is true that TAMPAN exists in the United Kingdom and we intend to reach out globally to cover the Nigerian communities the world over.

Sir, what are the chances that TAMPAN would not have the ANTP experience, considering its root?

 In order to forestall such anti-human and anomalous parades, TAMPAN has been structured to deviate from the parochial tendencies that became undoing of ANTP in the areas of association image, business language and decorum, membership drive and quality and general mental attitude.

 

The Interim National Committees' visit to Ataoja's Palace in Osogbo

Sir how do you intend to achieve your mandate of a ‘professional association with a geographical spread’?

Achieving the national geographical spread is a general consensus on the part of the existing members that we can only become a truly national body if we open TAMPAN up to cover the entire Nigerian states. TAMPAN has been zoned into four regions (Southwest, Northern, Eastern and South-South/Niger Delta), each zone with a Chairman to oversee the spread and institutionalization of our association in respect of zones. And this methodology is rapidly yielding adequate results.

Does the Board of Trustee (BOT) of TAMPAN reflect this national geographical spread?

Obviously, we have selected men and women who have the love of our trade at heart along our zones to form the BOT. And we also incorporated 30% gender ratio in our selection.

Findings have shown that the existing structures in the industry are hegemonic and cult-like in almost all its sectors. How does TAMPAN intend to handle that?

Cultism is a cankerworm and cancerous in any fabric of the society. We in TAMPAN oppose this trend and would not encourage it. We intend to professionalize and integrate on areas of specialization, thereby kicking the endemic cultic practices out of the system.

As the interim national chairman where do you see TAMPAN in the next five years?

I see TAMPAN in five years taking motion pictures artisans on a roller-coaster of structural development and professional bliss as envision by the frontiers of the newly formed association.

Thank you very much for your time sir.

Thanks for the privilege accorded me and I wish you the best in your pursuits and endeavours.