Professor Tunde Fatunde

By Rasaki Ojo Bakare

One afternoon in May 1992, three wise but short men walked into the department of Theatre Arts, University of Calabar and met one small boy lecturer that resembles them in physical height. The small boy could only identify one of them because he had seen his picture on the front cover of one of his plays. As at that time, the small boy was the only person left in the departmental building as he was making final personal preparations for a command performance of his own play coming onstage that evening. He was excited about the arrival of this icon of play-making who could be one of the conference attendees spectating the evening’s command performance.
After offering ( with a full prostrate) a hearty “good afternoon Sirs” to which the three wise men responded happily, another lecturer in the department, a young Dr Emmanuel Onookome Okome walked in and spoke in pidgin to the three wise men. ” Na where una from dey come so? I don find una tire”. He then faced the small boy lecturer” Bakare, do you know this people”? I responded ” I only know one of them, Professor Ola Rotimi, because I saw his picture on the front cover of *The gods are not to blame*
Dr Okome then introduced the remaining two ” This is Sam Ukala and this is Tunde Fatunde. They are here for ICALEL and they will be watching your play this evening.” My heart began to pound. I had read the works of these masters both as an undergraduate and a masters degree student. They are now right in my presence and would be watching the premier performance of my second playwriting effort, *Rogbodiyan* , a command performance that has been commissioned by the conference organising committee. ICALEL, The International Conference for African Literature and English Language was an annual event hosted by the University of Calabar. I managed to say another ” Welcome Sirs” before I abandoned the four men and raced to the Arts Theatre where I begged the cast and crew to help my career by giving everything to the success of the impending performance as we have these three wise men right here to watch the show. The performance was directed by my Directing student, George Edwin Ukor, but I needed these men to endorse me as a good Playwright, one of the boys following their path. The performance was highly successful and I almost cried when, after the performance, Tunde Fatunde walked up to me, gave me a sheet of paper and said “Congratulations. I love your play because you punished all the Tief men in the story. Any time you publish this play, use this as a blub”. I opened the paper and saw *Topical…typical…a great satire*. This blub proudly adornes the back cover of *Rogbodiyan* till today.

That chance meeting impacted my career in no small measure as it constructed the basis of my future relationship with these giants. Ola Rotimi would later invite me to work with him at Ile Ife while Sam Ukala took me, on adjunct arrangement, to work with him in Abraka for twelve years. I woke up this morning remembering that particular day, and also remembering the passing away of those three wise men, who, one by one have passed on , like all mortals will do. Ola Rotimi passed on in 2000, Sam Ukala in 2021 and Tunde Fatunde, two days ago, 27th January, 2022! But, that day in May 1992, they were together.

As I pay tribute to the last of them standing but who has also now succumbed, I am struck with the reality of the shortness of this journey called life. Let’s do more good. Let’s forgive more. Let’s keep it simple, without encumbrances, without all the complexities. Let’s create more laughter, and as my good brother and friend, Dr Laide Nasir would say, add no tragedy.
Adieu, Tunde Fatunde, defender of the oppressed, irrepressible fighter against injustice and hater of Tief Men.

*Professor Rasaki Ojo Bakare is the Ekiti State Commissioner for Tourism