H-Africa ANN: The Toyin Falola Interviews: A Conversation with Tunde Kelani, Part One Discussion published by Oloruntoyin Falola on Wednesday, October 28, 2020 A CONVERSATION WITH TUNDE KELANI, PART ONE: THE PROFILE AND THE INTERVIEW Tunde Kelani’s Bio: The Nigerian entertainment industry is dominated by a group of passionate African storytellers with a flair for intellectualism, and Tunde Kelani is not just one of them, but has established himself and his crafts as household names in Nigeria. Born in Lagos State, Nigeria, to Yoruba parents, he was exposed to a multicultural environment where traditions and African epistemic systems are weaved into the people, albeit unconsciously. Growing up, he was sent to Abeokuta to his patrilineal ancestral home, where he was groomed in the African and simultaneously exposed to indigenous knowledge systems through well-informed elders. Navigating his way, he acquired a reasonable level of cultural traditions, and his foundation in these systems inspired his creativity, and interestingly, he expanded his knowledge to give expressions to African (Yoruba) cultural traditions in which he has well- established himself today and made a global impact. Through experience gathered across four decades in movie productions, he has manufactured many movies that express the sociocultural heritage of the Yoruba people. On this account, Tunde Kelani has produced White Handkerchief, Ko se Gbe, Oleku, Maami, Dazzling Mirage, Thunder Bolt, The Narrow Path, and himself featured in a number of others. He has often been declared as a significant nexus between the old Nigerian film makers and the new generation of Nollywood directors. While the Nigerian movie industry was just blossoming, Kelani had harnessed necessary technological skills combined with his creativity and flair for indigenous knowledge to advance the Nigerian (Yoruba) socio-cultural narratives. As many as these movies are, they all have a unifying ideological temper, which is the promotion of the Yoruba philosophical standpoint about life. They are depictions of the African system in every aspect of human endeavor. When Tunde Kelani directs his works towards a given subject matter, he employs an Afrocentric methodology to carry his messages across. For example, on many occasions, his works center on the postcolonial tempers where the issue is seen from European systems' operations as they affect the current life system of the people. Therefore, his works fit into the description of the decolonization project because they masterfully highlight the country's sociopolitical conditions. The thrusts of his narratives thus connect the African world with their pre- colonial identity and expose those areas where sanity is needed. When his works are not engrossed with the purpose of clarifying and elevating indigenous epistemes, they are embroidered in socio- political criticism or the edification of the public on nascent societal issues. It is not unusual for Kelani’s narratives to be loaded with a mix of the aforementioned. TK, as popularly called, was influenced by a number of Yoruba film and literary icons who shaped and continue to influence his knowledge and intellect during his formative years. The works of these renowned Yoruba literary creatives are The Palmwine Drinkard, Oba Koso, Kurunmi, Ogunde plays, Citation: Oloruntoyin Falola. ANN: The Toyin Falola Interviews: A Conversation with Tunde Kelani, Part One. H-Africa. 10-28-2020. https://networks.h-net.org/node/28765/discussions/6650099/toyin-falola-interviews-conversation-%C2%A0tunde-kelani-part-one Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. 1 H-Africa all shaped his knowledge and interest in proportional measures. In a similar form, he was influenced by D. O. Fagunwa, who recorded a significant impact in African literary engagement and produced such work as Aditu Olodumare, Igbo Olodumare, Ogboju Ode Ninu Igbo Irunmale, Irinkerindo Ninu Igbo Elegbeje, and Ireke Onibudo. Apparently, all of these contributed to his interest in African cultural praxis. TK started his film production industry in 1991, and ever since his debut, he has made considerable progress and recorded profound success. Mainframe Films and Television Productions, his company, has produced great movies, including but not limited to Thunderbolt (Magun), Saworoide, The Narrow Path, Arugba, Maami and others. Q&A Toyin Falola What is your approach in delegation of responsibilities in multifaceted jobs? Tunde Kelani Filmmaking can be such a huge task. It starts usually by one person, from an original idea or from a source material and grows through a complex process. It is also a collaborative art which involves working with a team throughout the creative project. I start first with adding a script writer who works on the screenplay, the blueprint, the strong foundation which will support the creative structure involving other experts. In low budget production, key roles sometimes overlap – the producer may as well be the director, but usually, I add a production designer, actors, the cinematographer, production manager, the technicians, a process that grows from one or a few people to a crowd of creatives, service and administration as needed throughout the production. Toyin Falola Do you have a difficult production problem you had to solve? Tunde Kelani Filmmaking by its nature is about solving problems. The level of preparation and approach help solve or reduce the seriousness of the problems. The main problem is usually apart from the production is Citation: Oloruntoyin Falola. ANN: The Toyin Falola Interviews: A Conversation with Tunde Kelani, Part One. H-Africa. 10-28-2020. https://networks.h-net.org/node/28765/discussions/6650099/toyin-falola-interviews-conversation-%C2%A0tunde-kelani-part-one Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. 2 H-Africa managing the logistics of providing services, for example accommodation, catering, transportation, power, water for a team of a hundred people on a daily basis. The greatest problem may as basic as providing constant electricity and drinking water for cast and crew throughout the project. Toyin Falola Describe an instance where you had to resolve issues between staffs. Tunde Kelani I am always on the lookout early in the production for flashpoint areas between members of the team who find it difficult to work in a group atmosphere. In my early days, working with the greats, Hubert Ogunde taught me how to handle issues from key staffs. He explained to me the meaning of “Sùurù tó lọ́jọ́’ – filmmaking has a schedule, a start and a finishing date. I always explain to staff who find it difficult to get on with each other that the job usually is a temporary engagement with an end fixed on a production calendar. Surprisingly, through patience, perseverance and understanding, the staff get used to each other and parting becomes painful at the end of production. Toyin Falola Do you have any changes you have that you would like to reflect in movies that you have already produced? Tunde Kelani I admit that there are compromises along the way depending on the resources available at the particular moment of making the film. I enter into about three phases of production; firstly a period of apprehension – perhaps it is happening after all but may be abandoned if problems are unsurmountable, if not I progress to the second phase of a point of no return and towards the end, I enter the last phase of desperation. The film must be completed by all means. In such a situation, there are changes I would have loved but not serious enough to affect the story but a determination to become a better filmmaker and storyteller as I continue on the journey. However, I feel like remaking Saworoide after Prof. Akinwumi Isola published the book revealing so much background information predating the story of Saworoide, the film as we know it today. Citation: Oloruntoyin Falola. ANN: The Toyin Falola Interviews: A Conversation with Tunde Kelani, Part One. H-Africa. 10-28-2020. https://networks.h-net.org/node/28765/discussions/6650099/toyin-falola-interviews-conversation-%C2%A0tunde-kelani-part-one Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. 3 H-Africa Toyin Falola What checks and balances do you have when managing budgets? Tunde Kelani In low-budget independent filmmaking, a detailed breakdown of the screenplay provides the basis for a detailed budget. The process also involves negotiations and goodwill on all financial obligations, the choice of equipment and services. The actual disbursement of funds is monitored by the producer, production manager and the production accountant on a daily basis. The requests for funds are passed through the production manager, approved by the producer and authorized for payment by the accountant who keeps records and alert the producer about the financial position as the production progresses. Toyin Falola What was the process to interpret the script and develop its execution with the other key staffs and the cast? Tunde Kelani The process of interpreting the script depends sometimes on the writer I am working with. I have benefited more and evolved a style from working with Prof Akinwumi Isola. We developed a unique style which is both painstaking and rewarding. We start by discussing the story extensively and arriving at the plot. It is actually the process of writing the screenplay that I find very interesting. Prof. Akinwumi Isola writes in long hand, on a foolscap official paper, beautiful handwriting straight on the ruled paper and only at night. I have to wait for a few months when he passes perhaps the first fifty pages to me which I begin to type and format on my scriptwriting software. The story is revealed to me this way until the screenplay is finally ready for production. The gain personally is that by this time, the whole story page by page is in my head.