Popular Actor, Jimi Solanke, is dead

Veteran actor, dramatist, folk singer, poet, and playwright and master raconteur Jimi Solanke, has passed on at the age of 81.

According to report, the renowned Dramatist and Arts enthusiast died in the morning of Monday February 5,2024 following a brief illness.

Profile :
Jimi Solanke born July 4, 1942, a Nigerian film actor, dramatist, folk singer, poet, and playwright. He played key roles known in Kongi’s Harvest, Sango, Shadow Parties, and many more major stage plays l. He was also referred to as Uncle Jimi.

Jimi Solanke attended Odogbolu Grammar School and was one of the first set of graduates of The School of Drama by the Institute of African Studies, the first in Africa at the University of Ibadan.

It later became the Department of Theatre Arts. Solanke later joined the Department of Dramatic Arts, at the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University OAU) in 1969. He is an Associate fellow of the Institute of Cultural Studies.

He was mentored by the likes of Wole Soyinka, Ola Rotimi, Akin Euba, Peggy Harper, Dapo is Adelugba, and Demas Nwoko.

Jimi Solanke Career
After graduation, Solanke moved to the United States, where he created a drama group called The Africa Review, which focused on African culture. Solanke established himself in Los Angeles and California where his storytelling career began. He was described as a master storyteller by CNN.

In 1986, he returned to Nigeria with three members of the African Review group to work with the Nigerian Television Authority.

His reputation earned him the lead role in most of Ola Balogun’s films, he was part of the team that made the film Kongi’s Harvest which was written by Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka.

Solanke played lead roles in Death and the King’s Horseman, Kurunmi, Chattering and the Song, Kongi’s Harvest, Ovoramwen Nogbaisi, The Divorce, and many more.

He starred in several shows on Nigerian Television (NTA) starting from the 1960s to date, including The Bar Beach Show, For Better for Worse, Village Headmaster, Family Scene on Lagos Television (LTV), Children’s Half Hour, Storyland, African Stories on (AIT), Sango – The movie, and many others.

In addition, Solanke composed Onile Gogoro, Eje ka jo, Jenrokan, Na Today You Come and he was the lead voice in Ralph MacDonald’s The Path recorded in New York 1977, and a consultant for Theatre for Development, UNICEF, UNFPA, Women and Children’s Health.

Credit: thehistory.co.za