NAOMI NDUBUEZE
The National Theatre witnessed an influx of people from the Yoruba Film industry on the Thursday, 15 of December, 2016 at the celebration of the 20 years’ remembrance of the film legend, Adeyemi Josiah Afolayan, popularly known as Ade Love.
Popular practitioners in the industry like Lere Paimo, Dele Odule and others were in attendance to celebrate the life and times of Ade Love.
Ade Love was one of the theatre giants in the 1970s. He was an actor, a filmmaker, a producer, director and dramatist. He was a man driven by passion and vision for the movie industry. Most of the notable works he did in the movie industry were: Ajani Ogun (1976), Taxi Driver (1983 ) and Kadara.
Tunde Kelani who was at the event said: “This is celebration. Ade Love left us 20years but his works still lives with us. And for me this is a reunion where all his associate and some of us who are together here to reconnect and share the experience which is in our heart.”
The children and grandchildren rendered a heart-warming music to celebrate their father and grandfather.
Ibukun Afolayan who is one of the children of Ade Love while recalling his childhood moments with his father said: “I miss his fatherhood and one thing that am unable to get till I become a father is his fatherly affection.”
At the event, clips of Ade Love’s movie were shown reconnecting people to his works. One of the movies shown was Kadara meaning “destiny”. The movie tells the story of how village men go into conquest for the heart of a queen. Though old, the movie quality gave a feel of the modern movie production and it portrayed culture and comedy
Ade Love may be gone but still lives in the heart of his son, Kunle Afolayan, who is an enterprising movie producer, mentioned the plan of starting a foundation in the name of his father. He said the foundation will be a platform for all practitioners in the Yoruba film industry to work together to preserve the legacy of Ade Love.
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