Sango has gone with his Fire- Duro Ladipo’s wife

By Taiwo Abiodun
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This month marks  the 42nd anniversary of the death of late Duro Ladipo.

Taiwo Abiodun had an encounter with Chief Abiodun Duro Ladipo sometimes ago and she had a lot to tell the world.

Chief [Mrs] Abiodun Duro-Ladipo aka Moremi, Oya, who became a widow in her mid 30s   did not remarry because no man could be like her late husband, the late Yoruba Theatre Legend, Duro Ladipo popularly known as Sango.

Meeting her was difficult as she had moved from Bode Wasimi where she was living and had moved to her son’s place in Ibadan. Mama who had just returned from the United States of America looked fresh. Not only because of her Yoruba traditional plaited hair,  she looks like Oya the goddess and wife of Sango she acted in one of the plays. The woman who should be closer to 80 is still active as students, lecturers and visitors from abroad pay visits to her. Her stature did not betray her age.  Her average height combined with her fair  complexion  shows that   she has been taking good care of her skin coupled with  her good set of sparkling white teeth  that retains all 32 teeth in her mouth.

 On   her neck is the beautiful beads supported by a golden chain the goddess wore.

Beaming with smiles she answered all questions without bitterness.

Her velvet voice is unique and reminds us of the play “Moremi Ajasoro”,  a play where  she acted  the wife of Ile -Ife monarch  in the  60s.

This is the ever smiling, jovial and one of the most popular and honorable actress in Yoruba land, Chief  Abiodun Duro-Ladipo who  still maintain her Ekiti accent that reveals where she came from.

My story

”My name is Chief Abiodun Duro- Ladipo, also known as Moremi or Oya Oriri.  I met Duro Ladipo  in 1962. My ambition in life was to become a Nurse and I came to my sister’s place in  Oshogbo  to stay with her, hoping to become a Nurse. At a time, I went to Duro Ladipo show while he was just setting up his Mbari Mbayo Theatre Group in Oshogbo, where I acted in his play .

How we started

She said her late husband was  a school teacher when he started  his Mbari Mbayo Theatre Group. ”My husband loved culture and tradition but that did not mean he was a traditional worshiper. I use to tell everybody that  there is a big difference between Culture and Religion. Whatever you bow to is what  you worship, but culture and tradition is  a different thing entirely. God says you should worship Him. Duro’s father was a Catechist, Duro  himself was conversant with the Bible, he knew Genesis to Revelation. He was a true believer of God and I tell everybody that there is a difference between Culture and Religion”

“Although my parents did not want me to marry outside my town because I was their first child. They called him and  discussed to let him know how they valued me and that I was the first born and should  not only be a mentor but a leader who they should follow her footsteps. Marriage then was real, not like nowadays when a lady would just pack into a man’s house without the knowledge or fear for  their parents . My father pleaded with Duro Ladipo that he should let me be closer to them. I begged him not to let me down and he fulfilled all his promises. I  told him  I wanted to be a good example and a mentor  to  my younger ones who were coming behind.

My dressing

The woman who is noted to be braiding her hair always as if going on stage, said she is used to it. ”Yes, I am used to this style, ‘the hairstyle on my head is called Moremi, it is different  from Oya style. During my stage days I always used native clothes and also braid my hair in tune with the styles of the old people.”

My Acts

The woman who is popularly called Oya or Moremi Ajasoro said she has acted in many plays but the ones that made her popular were Moremi and Oya, wife of Sango Olukoso. She said, ”In Moremi, I acted as  the wife of  Ife King. The story of Moremi is the story of how a beautiful Ife woman called Moremi gave herself away to be captured by the Ugbo Warriors. The Ugbos used to wage war against Ife and would take natives away as slaves. Moremi then went to Esinrimi river and made a vow that if she succeeded in defeating Ugbo warriors, anything the river requested for she would pay. When the Ugbo people invaded Ife again, she allowed them to take her away. On arrival in Ugbo land, their King saw her beauty and married her. Moremi later learnt the secret of Ugbos and  why they had been winning the war.

In the end, she ran back home to reveal their secret.

The next time the Ugbo warriors came to plunder their town and take away their sons and daughters they failed . As the people of Ile-Ife used oil lamps and burnt their ”weapons” (palm fronds) of war, thus the Ife won and their enemies fled!. The people of Ife regained their freedom”.

      The woman continued, ” What happened next was a disaster. When Moremi went to thank the Esinrinmi River  and asked what she would bring as appreciation, the river demanded for her only son, Oluorogbo. There was a loud cry in the town. Despite pleadings to the river to demand for totems, the river rejected all and insisted on taking her only child. Thus, Moremi took her only child along with all Ife people to the river and thereby sacrificed him. Though gnashing and weeping followed but Moremi had no child again till death. Since then Oluorogbo became a Deity, and Moremi an heroine”.

No research again

Chief Biodun-Duro Ladipo is not happy that the present crop of Artistes are no longer doing research and this is discouraging, she said. ”It is rare to see such plays again. We did research into what happened in the days of yore, but today our artistes did  not even bother to do research for most of their plays are parlour plays or armchair plays.’’

She however added that it is not all our traditions that are bad, we should not reject or look down on our tradition and culture’. Among the plays we staged were Oba Ko so, Beyi O se , Moremi , Oba Wa ja, Oba Moro, etc. We traveled to  villages and towns asking questions, doing research on what we were going to do, we didn’t just sit down, act or do guess work. We don’t sit at home doing ” Parlour Theater ” or Armchair plays. But today, things have changed, the present crop of artistes are not doing enough.

No sacrifice of any kind

Asked to shed light on sacrifices acted in those plays,  the woman quickly answered ”We don’t do sacrifice and offer any rituals but we put all things in God’s hands,” she said.

Sango

Asked whether her husband used supernatural powers to perform when  fire was coming out from his mouth. The woman laughed and said, ” I don’t know, it is only Duro who could answer such question.”  “Duro has taken away his fire,” she added.

Can we compare Duro Ladipo’s Sango with today’s Sango.

She laughed and screamed, ” May God help us. We have different types of Sango now. Many have seen what they are longing to see in Sango, some in the name of wanting to be Sango would pour, into their mouths and Sango himself will come back and hit them and wipe their face”

River Esinrinmi

With all the mystical and mythical stories , did the River Esinrinmi truly exist? , she was asked. She replied, ”The river is still  there in Ile Ife.  It is there .It is still being worshiped .Yes”

Why I refused to remarry

Reminded that she was young when her husband died in 1978 and why has she refused to remarry since.? The woman screamed, ”Who will marry Sango Olukoso’s wife? Nobody!. Yes , I wasn’t up to 40 years when Duro Ladipo died. People asked same question but how many men can behave as Duro behaved?. How many can perform the duties and roles Duro played ? Come, I don’t want to be remembering that.”

Rumours about his death

Asked to confirm the rumours that went round when her husband died, she did not give a specific answer. I heard a lot of stories about his death, by then he was hospitalized at the UCH and  I didn’t know where I was . But people speculated that there was thunder, some said it rained , and some also said series of things happened but above all the University College Hospital ( UCH), Ibadan knew they received visitor.”