- Nigerian dramatist and folk singer, Jimi Solanke, has passed away.
- The cultural icon passed away early today, February 5, 2023, after a brief illness.
Jimi Solanke, a well-known Nigerian folk singer and dramatist, has passed away.
Following a brief illness, the cultural icon departed in the early hours of morning, Monday, February 5, 2023.
He passed away while traveling to Sagamu, Ogun State’s Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital.Jimi Solanke was born in Ipara Remo on July 4, 1942.
He started his artistic career as a pioneer member of the Orisun Theatre Group, which Wole Soyinka created in 1961.
Over the course of seven decades, he made a significant impact on a variety of platforms, from Western Nigeria Television in the 1960s to international festivals in Senegal and Algeria in the 1970s.He received a diploma in drama from the University of Ibadan, where he graduated.
Following his graduation, Solanke immigrated to the US and founded The Africa Review, a theater company that showcased African culture.
Individuals of this category typically dress in African attire, particularly Yoruba costumes.
In Los Angeles, California, Solanke made his name for himself as a storyteller. CNN characterized him as a “master storyteller.”
To work with the Nigerian Television Authority, he returned to Nigeria in 1986 together with three other members of the African Review group. Then he created Storyland, a place where he recounts tales while interjecting artistic pieces created by other artists. Plays his guitar while children encircle him, singing and dancing.
He was a member of the group that filmed Wole Soyinka, the Nobel laureate, Kongi’s Harvest.
