ULLI BEIER: TEACHINGS AND LESSONS FROM THE LIFE AND TIMES OF AKANJI ARABAGBABU (2)
BY: ORIMOLOYE, Ifeoluwa

The basic philosophy of Ulli Beier which interests me the more is that he preferred the self-taught, the autodidactic artists over the academy trained “scholarly” artist, and in my opinion, this philosophy could have contributed to the establishment of the Mbari Mbayo Arts and Writers Club, because (perhaps) to him, you do not necessary need to be a graduate of the creative writing school to write creatively. You also do not need to be a scholar in fine arts before you can create impressive art works. As such many of our seasoned and aged giants in respective fields of art who are known to have no formal training in that regard will forever owe Ulli an appreciation for their continued success in that field, even long after Ulli is gone. Many of them were opportune to perform on international stages, despite the absence of a formal training. If one could give it a deeper thought, an assessment of our immediate environment reveals a lot of individuals who are authorities in one field or the other in either writing, crafts, drama, and so-on and can attribute their continued success (without formal education) in the field to Ulli.
Ulli Beier who was then a teacher at the university Ibadan would be remembered for the creation of the Mbari Mbayo Arts and Writers Club which later became a platform, or a voice for emerging artists in those days. It was stated that the Mbari-Mbayo club lent a platform to those who had talents in visual arts and it helped unveil those talents. Prominent individuals like W. Soyinka as well as C. Achebe were members of the club. Mbari was culled from an Ibo word ‘creation’ which exhibits the underlying philosophies of the club that extends to the promotion of arts. Amusingly, the word ‘Mbari’ was later manipulated by the audience (who got engrossed in the activities of the club) into the Yoruba form ‘Mbari Mbayo’, that is, ‘When I see it, I shall be delighted.’
At the creation of the Osogbo chapter of the club by Duro Ladiipo (in conjuction with Ulli Beier), the club got more attention with its Yoruba opera, drumming, dance and poetry.
The overall importance of this legacy by Ulli Beier and other young writers, according to Britannica.com is that “the club created a social impact on Osogbo by reaffirming the traditional interdependence between African art and African society.” The club also brought to limelight some indigenous artists. In addition to that, the club also created an awareness about the potentials embedded in the Nigerian culture cum literature. The club also served as a platform for informally trained artists.
Also, referring once again to Professor Ogundele, one lesson that can be deduced from the life and times of Ulli Beier is that, “In the present state of both our culture, doing studies alone will never do; we need to also be putting something back. Ulli Beier’s advocacy essays constituted another way of putting something back.”
The black Orpheus was another legacy of Ulli which served as a Journal of literature that promoted indigenous writers. The black Orpheus as a journal, doesn’t regard writers with formal background as contributors, it involved skilled writer without a formal education, such that they can express themselves freely without having to abide by the confinements and limit provided by academic writing. This must have built a lot of confidence in the early writers. There was also the odu which was a cultural journal devoted to Yoruba studies and meant for Yoruba audience.
In Osogbo, He created an archive and provided the facilities which housed the photographs of the deities-their icons. There was that of the priests, as well as that of the traditional rulers, especially that of Timi Laoye of Ede, Oba Adenle, the Ataoja of Osogbo, and the likes. He also took the photograph of the shrines and other valuables present in the South West. This also includes the photograph of plays, especially that of Duro Ladiipo. “Evident in these photographs are not just the eyes of a good photographer, but a person who loved and respected the people he photographed.” (Professor Ogundele).
Ulli Beier, the pioneer director of Iwalewa house which is an art centre located at the University of Bayreuth in Germany, contributed immensely to arts and humanities through the art centre.
Under the pen name Obotunde Ijimere and Akanji Arabagbabu, Ulli Beier wrote highly successful indigenous plays, as well as some other plays. Oba Koso, a drama by Duro Ladiipo, which has the hands of Ulli’s ingenuity written all over it, displayed the hidden potentials of our rich culture.
Of a major significance is the need to introduce to students the philosophies of Ulli Beier, which translates to the fact that excellence doesn’t come by academic qualification, and that there is a need to identify, embrace and preserve our culture. Pertinently, the odu which was a Yoruba journal created by Ulli Beier came at a time when the craving for English was on, and to speak Yoruba was treated as vernacular which was prohibited in schools and was a punishable offence. His life and times signifies the need to give back to the society, or, in other words, the need to contribute one’s quota to the development of the society.
Ulli Beier whose original name is Horst Ulrich Beier died in Sydney, Australia on the 3rd day of April, 2011, aged 89.