Moses Olaiya
Encyclopedia
Moses Olaiya better known by his stage name "Baba Sala", is a comedian, dramatist and Yoruba language
film and television actor from Nigeria
.
A Yoruba
from Ijesha
, Baba Sala, regarded as the father of modern Nigerian comedy, alongside other dramatists like Hubert Ogunde
, Kola Ogunmola
, Oyin Adejobi
and Duro Ladipo
popularized theater and television acting in Nigeria. He is a prolific filmmaker. Significantly, Baba Sala started his career in show business as a Highlife
musician, fronting in 1964 a group known as the Federal Rhythm Dandies where he tutored and guided the juju music
maestro King Sunny Adé
who was his lead guitar player.
Yoruba language
Yorùbá is a Niger–Congo language spoken in West Africa by approximately 20 million speakers. The native tongue of the Yoruba people, it is spoken, among other languages, in Nigeria, Benin, and Togo and in communities in other parts of Africa, Europe and the Americas...
film and television actor from Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
.
A Yoruba
Yoruba people
The Yoruba people are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa. The majority of the Yoruba speak the Yoruba language...
from Ijesha
Ijesha
The Ijesha , are a sub-ethnic of the Yoruba. This group is predominantly from the city and environs of Ilesha and the historic state of Ilesha in the same area....
, Baba Sala, regarded as the father of modern Nigerian comedy, alongside other dramatists like Hubert Ogunde
Hubert Ogunde
Oloye Hubert Adedeji Ogunde was a Nigerian actor, playwright, theatre manager, and musician who founded the Ogunde Concert Party in , the first professional theatrical company in Nigeria.Ogunde starred in Mister Johnson, the 1990 motion picture which also featured Pierce Brosnan...
, Kola Ogunmola
Kola Ogunmola
Elijah Kolawole Ogunmola or Kola Ogunmola was a Nigerian dramatist, actor, mime, director, and playwright....
, Oyin Adejobi
Oyin Adejobi
Chief Oyin Adejobi was very popular in South-Western Nigeria as a dramatist and seasoned actor. His name, Oyin, means "Honey". He wrote and performed in a variety of Yoruba productions on the stage, television and movies...
and Duro Ladipo
Duro Ladipo
Duro Ladipo was one of the best known and critically acclaimed Yoruba dramatists that emerged from postcolonial Africa. Writing solely in the Yoruba language, he captivated the symbolic spirit of Yoruba mythologies in his plays which were later adapted to other medium such as Photography,...
popularized theater and television acting in Nigeria. He is a prolific filmmaker. Significantly, Baba Sala started his career in show business as a Highlife
Highlife
Highlife is a musical genre that originated in Ghana in the 1900s and spread to Sierra Leone, Nigeria and other West African countries by 1920...
musician, fronting in 1964 a group known as the Federal Rhythm Dandies where he tutored and guided the juju music
Jùjú music
Jùjú is a style of Nigerian popular music, derived from traditional Yoruba percussion. The name comes from a Yoruba word "juju" or "jiju" meaning "throwing" or "something being thrown." Juju music did not derive its name from juju, which "is a form of magic and the use of magic objects or...
maestro King Sunny Adé
King Sunny Adé
King Sunny Adé is a popular performer of Yoruba Nigerian Jùjú music and a pioneer of modern world music. He has been classed as one of the most influential musicians of all time.-Background:...
who was his lead guitar player.
Filmography
- Orun Mooru (1982)
- Aare Agbaye (1983)
- Mosebolatan (1985)
- Agba Man (1992, Home Video)
- Return Match (1993, Home Video)
- Tokunbo (1985, TV)