Age 2 Age

Episode 3 of our historical strand: Hubert Adedeji Ogunde (1916–1990), policeman-turned-showman, playwright, twice banned, arrested more than once, and the man they call the father of modern Nigerian theatre.

This one's a little different from our usual conversations. Ogunde passed in 1990, so instead of sitting across from him, I built this episode entirely from the record: his own recorded interviews and documentary footage, his biographer's research, and his family's own testimony. Every word you hear either comes directly from him or is built carefully from what's actually documented about his life.

In forty-six years, he took a hymn from his father's church and a masquerade from his mother's village and built a touring theatre company that outran two bans, a colonial fine, and a government that didn't want him telling the truth in front of a crowd. This is his story, told in his own words.

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This episode draws on Hubert Ogunde's own recorded words (BBC/NTA documentary footage), Ebun Clark's biography, and independently checked archival and press material:

Ebun Clark, Hubert Ogunde: The Making of Nigerian Theatre (1979), the definitive biography, quoted here via Ojo Olorunleke's critique of the work

BBC/NTA documentary footage of Hubert Ogunde (his own words, on camera)

Samson Gbadegesin, "Political Theatre in Nigeria: Faces, Phases and Contending Forces," University of Amsterdam repository

Bernth Lindfors, "Ogunde on Ogunde: Two Autobiographical Statements," JSTOR

Oliver Coates, "Hubert Ogunde's Strike and Hunger and the 1945 General Strike in Lagos," Research in African Literatures / Project MUSE

National Troupe of Nigeria, official history, ntn.gov.ng

Ogunde Living History Museum, Ososa, family biography and archive

Mary Adekoya Ogunde, "My Life with Hubert Ogunde," The Nigerian Voice

The Guardian Nigeria, The Sun Nigeria, Tribune Online, TheCable, Ogun Today, Premium Times, and other Nigerian press, various years

Wikipedia, "Hubert Ogunde," cross-checked against the above, not relied on alone

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He was twice champion of the world. He gave away everything he owned for a country that lasted three years. He died at 42 working as a museum guard, and his grave lies in weeds.Richard Ihetu - Dick Tiger - was born in Amaigbo in 1929. He sold empty bottles in Aba market. He fought his way to two world titles and brought the first world championship ever contested on African soil home to Ibadan. Then Biafra happened, and he chose his people over everything he had built.

CHAPTERS00:00 Intro01:46 The name02:50 Amaigbo04:23 My father dies05:26 Bottles, Aba06:13 The tap07:01 Becoming a fighter08:01 Liverpool11:29 Liberty Stadium, Ibadan13:53 Abigail, and the eight14:44 What I built17:17 Biafra17:40 The medal19:49 What the war took20:39 I can't complain21:20 The museum22:12 The grave23:00 The adviceThis is the second episode in the Age 2 Age historical strand, where I take someone from our history and answer my own questions in their voice, the same questions I ask every guest on this show.A note on how this is made: this is a reconstruction, not a recording. Every fact you hear is sourced. The sentences themselves are mine, written from that research. Where the record is silent or sources disagree, I say so in the episode rather than filling the gap.---SOURCES & FURTHER READINGPRIMARY SOURCESAdeyinka Makinde, "Dick Tiger: The Life and Times of a Boxing Immortal" (Word Association Publishers, 2005). The first full biography of Tiger and the backbone of this episode. It is required reading on a Modern African Sports History course at the University of Florida.BBC World Service, "African Perspective: Dick Tiger" (produced by Gavin Evans, broadcast August 2006). Radio documentary featuring Adeyinka Makinde, Tiger's eldest son Richard Ihetu Jr., sparring partner Ron Lipton, and Jose Torres, plus archival audio of Tiger himself.Dave Anderson, "Dick Tiger, 42, Nigerian Boxer Who Won World Titles, Dead," The New York Times, 16 December 1971. The contemporary obituary, and the source for his career earnings, his properties in Aba, and his own words on losing them.Justina Ihetu, "In Africa's Honor." Written by Tiger's daughter.Daily Trust, "48 years after, Dick Tiger's grave lies desolate" and "Dick Tiger: Not A Befitting Tomb For A Champion." Reported from Amaigbo. He is buried beside his wife Abigail.ADDITIONAL SOURCESEncyclopaedia Britannica — Dick TigerBoxRec — career record and biographical notesOxford African American Studies Center — Dick TigerIkenna Okoli, "Remembering Dick Tiger; Once The Pride Of Nigeria," Sahara Reporters, 12 August 2012Steve Bunce, "Dick Tiger was a champion at war," Boxing News, 5 March 2022A.J. Liebling's contemporary boxing writing on TigerPeter Walsh, "Men of Steel: The Lives and Times of Boxing's Middleweight Champions" (Robson, 1993)A NOTE ON ACCURACYSome details of Tiger's life are genuinely disputed between sources, and I've flagged the significant ones in the episode rather than picking whichever version sounded best. If you know something I've got wrong - particularly if you're family, or from Amaigbo or Aba - tell me in the comments and I'll correct it.Dick Tiger was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1991, the first African boxer to receive the honour. He has never been officially honoured by the Nigerian state.---ABOUT AGE 2 AGEAge 2 Age exists to bridge the gap between generations. I started it after my father died, when I realised how much I'd never asked him. Most episodes are conversations with African men and women over 60, at home and in the diaspora. Some, like this one, are with people who are already gone.There is somebody in your family right now who knows things nobody has written down. Go and ask them.Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your [email protected]#DickTiger #Nigeria #NigerianHistory #Biafra #Boxing #AfricanHistory #BlackHistory #Age2Age #NaijaHistory #Igbo

What if you could sit down with a man who's been dead since 1946 and ask him anything?

This is a new, slightly different, episode of the Age 2 Age Podcast where I step into the voice of the historical figures who built the Nigeria we inherited, and answer the same questions I've always asked living elders.

First up: Herbert Macaulay. Grandson of Samuel Ajayi Crowther, the first African bishop in the Anglican church. Trained surveyor and engineer. Founder of the Nigerian National Democratic Party — the country's first political party. Twice imprisoned for standing up to colonial rule. In 1944, at eighty years old, he handed the movement to a much younger man named Nnamdi Azikiwe rather than let his own legacy get in the way of the future.

He calls himself "the man, not the monument." Sit down and hear why.

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Age 2 Age Podcast - Ms Tola Ayeni

This new episode features the wonderful Ms Tola Ayeni. This was such a pleasant conversation and I love the different turns in our conversation. The candour about some of the difficult topics we covered is truly remarkable and I think there are a lot of nuggets for every listener.

For more info, check out: @coachtola on all digital platformswww.lintr.ee/coachtolaFor more about the podcast and other platforms connect with us: https://www.linktr.ee/age2age If you have any questions or comments about any topics in this episode please email: [email protected]Please like, share and subscribe to the podcast wherever you're listening in. Thank you 🙏🏾

The dreaded pandemic had altered plans for a long time but I'm glad to be back with a few episodes. I was lucky to be able to sit and have a conversation with Mrs Amon thanks to her daughter reaching out. We talked about our parents and getting older which naturally brought us to legacies and posterity. I jumped at the opportunity to sit with Mrs Amon and we quickly eased into what became a very free-flowing conversation about life, work, independence, faith and children. I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation and Mrs Amon took so naturally to it in-spite of the lights and video camera (yes we filmed this one too and it will be out on Youtube one day)

Thank you for sticking around and hope you enjoy this life story. 

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I met Mr Valentine Ezike on a rainy Sunday evening in his lovely home and before long we were sat down to have this brilliant conversation. If you know anything about Nigeria you might know that there are quite a number of languages, cultures, tribes, faiths, sects and so on. It's no surprise that although I lived in Nigeria, I wasn't at all aware of the experience of someone of Igbo heritage. We speak about his experience not just growing up but also living through the Nigerian Civil war and life afterwards. As if one Civil war wasn't enough he also lived in Germany during the end of the civil war that saw the fall of the Berlin wall. In Mr Ezike's house I not only see pictures from his youth in Nigeria, I also see pictures of his early adult life in Europe before marriage and fatherhood. There was a lot to condense into this episode and the countless stories were a lot of fun to listen to. I apologise now for the many "wow"'s and odd sounds you might hear from me. I was genuinely fascinated. 

Enjoy this recollection of the life of Mr Valentine Ezike. 

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One thing that's clear to me at this point is that even though my guests in each episode so far have lived through a similar era with similar patterns, the story is quite different from person to person and I never know what to expect. 

Although Mr Taiwo wasn't a stranger to me, there was still so much I didn't know about his life experiences. Some of which was quite fantastic and revelatory to me. I wish ALL of our conversation that day was recorded but that would have made for a much much longer episode. In this episode, we talk about life through the lens of a professional barrister, a father and devoted husband. 

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I sat with Mr Odunuga just minutes after walking through his door and we made ourselves some tea and got chatting almost immediately. It was really natural like we'd known each other for a lot longer. His insight and interesting life was a pleasure to listen to. 

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Music in this episode:

Joromi 

Gentleman

Ja Funmi - King Sunny Ade

I really got lucky to be able to sit and have this conversation. Not only did we talk about many insightful things, we also agree that his generation and my generation ought to have more of these kinds of conversations. It was an absolute delight to talk about various topics with someone who is really quite close to my family. If you enjoy this episode and want to share your feedback, please email: [email protected] Mr Femi Idowu is a husband, father and grandfather living in Kent, UK.

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This episode is entirely different from the norm on the podcast and that's because in this episode my guest is a friend of mine whose support was integral to the decision to launch the podcast. We decided (on short notice) to go over some recurring, but also random, topics from previous episodes. The goal was to put ourselves in the seat of the casual listener. To react to some of the themes as though we were the intended audience. Turned out to be a great conversation. Hope you enjoy this break from the norm.

References mentioned in the previous episode: