He speaks on many things, pls watch this video
This is the man Dr.Orlando Owoh sang his praise in his album, ILEYA. Vasco Dagama e ma ku Odun,Barika De Salah Musulumi Ododo. Eran Ileya te ri yen kii seran pasiparo ......''
Chief Awodeyi Obagbalode now lives in Iyere- Owo , his home town where he located to many years ago after leaving Lagos in 1983. He is a great artiste . He is a multi instrumentalist - he plays organ, flute , guitar and sings. He
is also a wood carver. He paints and he used these skills when he was performing
with the late Afro King musician Fela Anikulapo Kuti and the African
Kenneries late Orlando Owoh, in their hey days.
He is popularly known as Vasco Dagama.
In
his art Gallery are various artworks from paintings to carvings. Hung
on the walls of his gallery are paintings of various musicians like
Michael Jackson, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, Orlando Owoh and many more. He
carved a human head from a small tree growing in his compound .For this septuagenarian man , his handiwork makes him happy as they are his source of his happiness . As this Reporter was with him he would once in a while glanced at his carvings and sang some of the tracks where the late Orlando Owoh sang his praises , he sang some
Fela's songs and as the interview was going on Vasco da Gama
as he is fondly called lighted a stick of cigarette, looked at this
reporter and in his baritone voice mocked and said " Yes, I smoked
Indian Hemp while in the Nigerian Army , with Orlando and with Fela.I
have no regret smoking it , but for my old age...., " , he paused and
added ' it is not everybody that can cope with Indian hemp"
How I earned the nickname- Vasco da Gama
Only very few people or his childhood friends know his real name as he is fondly called Vasco Da Gama .He gave the genesis of his name , "My name is Awodeyi Obagbalode but I am known all over the world as Vasco da Gama. When I was in primary school while everybody was giving himself nicknames I chose to be called 'Vasco da Gama'.
I read about this man who was an explorer in World History and that
was how the name stuck on me till date ,Only few people know my name''.
How I met Fela
Vasco da Gama
who was once enlisted in the military boasted that he joined the
military as a Corporal in 1968 and was in the
Military Band in Lagos playing for the military when he met Fela , his
words" I was in a Military Band called St.Augustine. We once waxed a
record called ' "Asewo no bi Work , Na management" .Fela was there and
when he saw my performance he called me to come and join him. but when I
told him I was still in the Army .He asked how much they were paying me and I told him
.He called me and like an obedient servant I followed him".
FESTAC 77
Vasco da Gama ,will not forget easily about FESTAC 77 , he said "that was when I even knew Fela when FESTAC 77 was about to take place. Of course I
had already known Fela before then but I later went to join his Band in 1977 . I remember
what happened then , it was Fela who was asked to come and do the
Opening Glee but he quarreled with the Federal government over it .They had invited him to come to FESTAC 77 venue to perform but he told
the Federal government to rather come to his shrine at Kalakuta
Republic, he bluntly refused to go out of his shrine .That was how they
invited King Sunny Ade to come and play and do the Opening Glee
since Fela's demand could not be met by the Federal Government".
Drama at the FESTAC 77
Vasco da Gama
said he would never forget in a hurry many things that happened during
the festival, he said " They had worked the gas to light torch flame
,but the late Duro Ladipo one of the greatest Yoruba Cultural Artistes
declined and said no, since it is an African festival it should it
should be done in African way .Later Ladipo and and his wife, Biodun
went round the National Theater seven times and the seventh time he
(Duro Ladipo) stretched out his hand and fire sparked from nowhere , there
was thunder and lightening , and fire came out and everybody shouted
.It was a drama I will never forget in a hurry. Duro Ladipo used African
power, He was powerful and he dazed all. Later King Sunny
Ade went to the podium and did the opening glee where he sang "
Welcome , welcome Ladies and gentlemen , you are welcome to Africa where the festival is taking place here in Nigeria in Africa ...." ,
this was another great song that sank into everybody's mind to date.''
Fela's character
"I
had known Fela so much and we became intimate , at night I would go and
play in his Band .One day he told us about his film he was about to produce , and
the film's title is the 'Black President' in Ghana .One day we were in
Kampala Hotel in Ghana when the policemen came to arrest Fela but it
was the then Military head of State Flight Jerry Rawlings who came to
rescue him".
Kalakuta Republic
"I
was there when the Kalakuta Republic was razed , it was one John Uman
who took our machine and went out but he took one way in order to be
faster , for road construction was going on ,at Ojuelegba that was why
he took one way but he was pursued to Fela's compound and the Traffic Warden, and the official [Traffic Warden] was beaten .Later some policemen came and were beaten , later
many Soldiers came and they beat everybody while Fela's mother was beaten
and thrown down from upstairs .They then set the house on fire .It was
hell.
"We had a generator which was in a Bedford lorry and ....when they took light , it was wired with the barbed wires , .....and
the soldiers came to set the house on fire and that was how the film ,
Black President was burnt ".
Fela was beaten , Kalakuta was
burnt down, we went to court and in the end they called it unknown Soldier .They paraded some soldiers but how would you know who did it ?.
The Judge said it was an unknown soldier that did it .
Fela
was generous to a fault , he was not selfish .He would say we all worked
for the money and we should equally share the money , ...in that
Kalakuta Republic there are some Lagos boys who hibernate in his house ,
free food was 24 hours, drinks same , ganja etc, he would tell you we
equally worked for it.
Fela was a millionaire before
Millionaire , he was highly
connected , when his house was burnt foreigners came , Kitigaya, Steve
Wonder, Peter Tosh and many other international musicians came to
sympathize with him , they brought a vehicle for him.He later moved
from Mushin to Ikeja".
Orlando Owoh
"We
knew ourselves from home before I joined the army , but in 1969 we were
in Garrison , there was one man from Ifon in Ondo state called Major
Adewoyi who came to meet Orlando ( and later invited him to Agbor) that
was where he sang the song of Madam Dupe .... They had bought vehicle
and instrument for Orlando , and finally when I came to Lagos I was
going out to play with him , he used to settle me differently , I was an
instrumentalist .I take Indian hemp
,as a military man, we 'eat' it like roasted yam but it is not good
for 'Omoluabi' ( a responsible man) to smoke it ,
Orlando and Fela's competition
"In
smoking Indian hemp Orlando cannot compete with Fela ,Fela had a
wrapper who had no other job than to be wrapping Indian hemp for
him.While Orlando will not smoke Igbo in the public , but Anikulapo May
God bless his soul , he takes Igbo every hour".
Vasco da Dagama
finally relocated to his country -Iyere , Owo in Ondo State in
December 1983 , he said he was hearing voices to return home "whenever I
slept I would be hearing some voices instructing me to go home , to go home, then I
would be playing Orlando's music , Ero ki yeye mi o ba dele o (
greetings to my mother at home).
Combination of his talents
On his multilateral talents, he said "I
did not train under anybody. God gave me the gift , I was even an actor
in theatre.I was the one leading in the class when I was in the primary
school and I did not know I could draw .When I was with Fela
there was a boy called Lenin Garoko who was designing Fela's album , I
used to go and play with him in his shop , later I thought I could do it
and Lenin encouraged me and I focused on it .I joined OCB Ade another
musician and was playing jazz for him ,We waxed a record but money
became the problem and I told them the truth but we parted ".
Orlando's travails
''I
was not permanent with Orlando as a Band member .When I heard of his death I
was sad .He was a man. He would be remembering me as Awodeyi .
''He sang my praises ' Vasco Da Gama
E ma ku Odun , barika de sallah Musulumi ododo, eran Ileya te ri yen
kii seran pasiparo....'.This record was a big hit and I became more
popular in the country "
One day Orlando came at 4pm to play ,
and he was to play for one Colonel Aina , but he went to play in two
places and there was trouble .
''He was
not selling cocaine , he was more popular abroad than in Nigeria
.They arrested him many times over Indian hemp , and when his place was
searched they found cocaine in his house , but his wife said she was the
owner". The Multi talented musician praised the late Orlando's wife for
defending her late husband over the drug , he said "That
Sade was a great woman ,you can't have another woman like that , she
was a great woman " , he kept repeating the words while nodding .
Defending
King Sunny Ade , he said " You will never see Sunny Ade with drug or
cigarettes , you will never see him smoking at all and he can hardly
finish a bottle of coke'' .
On why there are rivalries among the musicians ?
According to da Gama fans are the ones causing it , for example Bob played a tune in guitar
for Sunny Ade and it was translated negatively to hurt
another musician and that he was referring to Obey while when Obey
played his own guitar they claimed it was referring to Sunny Ade
Due
to this rivalries I could remember Bobo Aladeniyi, Adeyeye Salaja ,
Arakatura .There was a time some perceived enemies were accused of
seizing Salaja's voice .Bob played guitar and it almost caused problem
between him and Sunny , they turned it to ' Haa, Guitar Sonu, Obey wa
ti, Sunny mu' ( When Obey's guitar got lost , it was searched for but it
was Sunny who took it ) and it was the fans that caused all these"
"Yet these musicians love themselves", according to Dagama
"If you are not closer to them you will not know, they are the greatest
enemies in the public eyes and among their fans yet they are best
friends"
On his age, the multi talented artist said ''I am getting old , that is why I come down to Iyere- Owo my home
town in Ondo a State to stay''.
This man is getting old and lives on printing job and carvings where he makes little money to survive. He has made Owo proud . He deserves to be honoured. Please Owo indigenes home and abroad let us honour this man before it is too late.
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