eekend Magazine: Many people know you as Saka. Can you tell us more about yourself?
Hafiz Oyetoro: My name is Hafiz Oyetoro. I was born in Adegbola Village, Iseyin, Osun State. Adegbola used to be a small farm settlement and my parents were farmers. They used to travel from Iseyin to Adegbola, where we stayed two weeks to attend to their farm and at a stage, they finally settled in Adegbola. That was when I was born some 50 years ago. I stayed at Adegbola for the first nine years of my life. Thereafter, I was taken to Iseyin to start my primary school education. I had my primary school education at the Baptist Day School, Koso-Iseyin. I attended the Koso Community Grammar School. I later went to the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife, where I studied Dramatic Art. I had my Masters in African Study at the University of Ibadan and later I proceeded to the Lagos State University for my Post Graduate Degree in Education. I am presently running my Ph.D programme at the University of Ibadan, Institute of African Study. I am a lecturer at the Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, Ijanikin, also an actor, a theatre art practitioner. I am married with three kids. I will be 50 years on August 20, 2013.
Why the love for theatre art?
I can’t really explain it; maybe that is what God wants me to be. It is God that gives way, that also gives one wisdom to identify ones potential. It is God Almighty that gives direction. I think and I believe that going into the world of theatre art is God’s own making.
How was your growing up?
My father initially had two wives, my mother was the second as at then, but as time went by both my mother and the senior wife arranged for a third wife for my father. The reason for this as I was explained to was that, they were getting old and decided that my father needed a younger woman as wife. So, at a stage, my father had three wives and we were seven children. I was the only one from my mother to my father. I used to be number four on the roll, but two of my seniors died, so, I am now number two. My mother had two children; my late elder sister was from another man. What happened was that my mother had her for her first husband and when he died, she refused to be inherited by the families of her late husband as was the tradition then. Somewhere along the line, she met my dad. They got married and she had me for him.
After my birth, there was no other child from my mother. So, I remained my mother’s only child after the death of my sister. We had a very close knitted family; in fact, I did not know my mother. It was the senior wife who used to take care of us. In fact, it was as at the time I was in the university that I got to know, in the real sense, who my mother is. When we came back home on holidays we would all gather in my step mother’s room and she was the one who did everything for us all, irrespective of whose child one is. We never asked for anything from my own mother. I think we had the Grace of God because we never experienced the usual rivalry that characterizes polygamous homes. To my mother and indeed, everybody, the senior wife is known to be our big mum. She was the mother of everybody. The two wives were also very close. In fact, when she died two years ago, everything in the family collapsed. I will miss her. (Long silence). I have since moved my parents back to Iseyin, they are now very old. The house was no longer what it was. Our big mother was the coordinator of the family.
What year did you know your real mother?
I think it was in 1986 or 87. There was a census at that time and we had to write the names of our father and mother. It was then that it dawned on me that the woman I used to see was my mum was actually my step mum. However, we were all together. I still miss her now and I will always miss her.
Were you ever taunted by anyone as a child?
(Laughter) Yes I was taunted, harassed and bullied when I was in primary school by one of my classmates known as Kazeem. I had only joined them in school from the village. There was this guy, Kazeem, he was already in school before me. He used to bully me. He always threatened me. He would blackmail me, so to speak. He would say to me that he was going to report me to our teacher. I had phobia for teachers, but I always wanted to go to school. In school, I stayed quietly on my own and not relating with anyone. One afternoon, I was hungry and I was to eat. This guy just appeared and wanted to take my food as usual, but something just came to me and I shouted, ‘no I won’t give you my food, am hungry too’. He said he was going to report me to my teacher and I challenged him to go and report. It was then I noticed that he was also afraid and never wanted anybody to know about it. Having seen this sign on his face, I continued to shout, until people came to calm me down.
That ended his taunting. We are very good friends now. Another incident that readily comes to my mind is that when I was in primary school, I had a teacher, Mr. Olaleye. Each time I was sick, you know those kind of children sickness, and I would always want to go home.
Mr. Olaleye, having noticed it, would ask me to come to him, he would pray for me saying “In the name of Jesus you are healed” and truly in some minutes, I would be ok and all the pains would go. I got addicted to it such that by the time the school is separated I would go from my school to his whenever I am sick. It continued for a long time until I went to secondary school.
Would you like any of your kids to go into theatre art?
If any of my children wants to go into theatre art, so be it. However, I will like them to choose the career they prefer and encourage them to actualize it rather than dictate to them. I do not have any regret going into theatre art. I only want them to take decision on their own.
Which one was your first major acting?
Haa, I can’t remember because I started acting from primary school. All the sent-off parties for headmasters, teachers and primary six pupils who were passing out and going to secondary schools - every year we used to do these Biblical stories. I have been acting, though; I did not think that it would be my profession. I wanted to be a pilot, but you know how village setting is. However, I used to act, so when I went to secondary school, right from my form one up till form five as it was then, I was a very active member of our school dramatic society and we used to have elected plays for final year students. We would take either the Yoruba or English plays. We would enact it and turned it into drama and later we would take it to other schools around us. So, I have been doing that, even when I got to the university.
When I finished my secondary school education, I was with my uncle for sometimes, he brought me up in Ibadan. I didn’t have the opportunity of being brought up by my parents. I lived with my parents until I was nine years. At a point, my uncle came from Ibadan to stay at Iseyin and then he took over the affairs of everybody in the house. I was with him from age nine till I went to the university. I must tell you, I did not enjoy my stay with my uncle because he was a very strict person. He would beat one at any turn of event. He could not identify mistake. There was no room for mistake. He gets angry easily. He was not a patient man at all. He does not have the patient of handling children. He gets angry at every little thing. So, the atmosphere was much tensed. I had a much tensed childhood upbringing.
By the time I got to the university, I could not relate. I was a complete loner. So, when I got to the university I had the problem of relating with people. I had the problem of sharing my ideas. I had the problem of looking into the eyes of people. Indeed, I had lost my confidence. I had inferiority complex (laughter). Nevertheless, I thank God. At the university, I met one black American lecturer, Mr. Chuk Mike, he and his group organised for an audition. That was my first night in the university. They called everybody together in the department and said we should do auditioning. I never knew what auditioning was all about. When I got to the university, they said we have to enact a play; I performed so woefully because I could not relate. I was always alone, but Mike saw something in me. I cannot say what he saw in me. There was this major departmental production (Rising in the Sun), that he was to direct. The play was a black American film. He made me to play one of the major roles.
First, he took me to the University of Ibadan to see a speech therapist, Mrs. Ajai, a very motherly woman, she treated me like her child. She made me to come to her house in Ibadan every Saturday. For four years while I was at Ife, I go to Ibadan every Saturday for speech therapy. After sometime, I was advised to see one Dr. Oluwo, he should be a professor by now. He was the Head of the Psychology Department of Ibadan. He also took me like his son. He took me on speech. So Chuk used to call me for shows anytime the need arises. He bought me a small recorder, he recorded all my lines and he handed it to me so I got to listen to all the lines.
With this, by the time I left the university, I was able to relate with others. All this was as a result of my tensed upbringing. I don’t blame him. My childhood under my uncle throughout those years has contributed a lot to my life today. Today, there is no situation I cannot cope with. All I need to do is to look back to my life with my uncle, the problem is solved. Forget about my fragile look, I am rugged, very rugged. My uncle toughened me both spiritually and psychologically.
Some of my cousins and my elder brother could not cope with the hash situation and they ran away.
What was your major television show?
I cannot remember, but I know that we did something for one television station in Akure, when I was in school. I also remember the ‘414 Connection’, which we did. I also remember that we did something for OGtv as a graduate. I was a founding member of a campus comedy group called the Komic Palace Production . It started right from when I was in my 200 Level. We had people like Yinka Akinbi who is presently a big producer in Nigeria today, Kunle Agboola aka Belumi, Seyi and a host of others. We were eight in number as at the time we founded the Komic Palace Production. It was during that time that a producer came from Akure and recorded us for the Akure tv, which I did not watch. I later came to Ibadan. There was another group called Laughomania . I became a residence artist among people in Ibadan. After that, there was this Tunji Fatile Production in Ibadan where we recorded the ‘414 Connection’. This was the first major TV comedy series that actually brought me up a little. It made me a local champion in Oyo State then.
After that, I did my masters and later came to Lagos. Gbenga Win-Dapo, a friend, was a lecturer at the Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, Ijanikin. He started with the Faculty of Education but later became the Head of the Theatre Art Department. We have been together since the days of Laughomania along with Smart Babalola, Solomon Igware were the owners of Laughomania. I was only a residence artist with them. After Gbenga left, I got a job with a primary school at Victoria Island. I came to visit him and it was through him the present Dean, Dr. Adediran and God that I got employed as a lecturer in 2002. During this period, Win-Dapo invited me to the ‘One Big Family, Area C’, which is a police comedy series. We did the ‘House Apart’ where the man, Saka and Sule were created which Gbenga Win-Dapo created and wrote. It was a concept created and developed by our friend Greg Odutayo of Royal Root Communication Production. It was well packaged.
What transpired between you and Etisalat before you moved on to MTN?
I do not want to talk about it. When the time comes, I will call a press conference and my lawyer will write officially about it. Honestly, I do not want to talk about it now.
How do you socialize?
Depending on what you mean about socializing. I don’t drink. I am a loner. When am not working, I spend my free time with my family. I have a loving wife who stood by me when nobody believed in me. She is a fountain of encouragement.
What type of food do you love most?
I used to like eating amala, ogunfe, bokoto ewedu and gbegiri. As I am getting older, my doctor advised me to stay away from amala. I still miss my amala. I think will need to call my doctor to say it’s been six months now since I eat amala last, and he would say to me you can go ahead, but now I prefer beans, plantain and bread.