Veteran actress Idowu “Iya Rainbow” Philips has revealed how the late theatre icon Hubert Ogunde persuaded her to resign from nursing and pursue acting full-time, a decision she says changed the course of her life.
Before becoming a full-time actress, Iya Rainbow balanced her nursing career (at the Infectious Disease Hospital in Yaba, the General Hospital in Lagos, and others) with performances for the Osumare Theatre Group. Speaking in an interview on Feel Right News TV on Thursday, the 83-year-old recalled that Ogunde urged her to embrace theatre after watching her performance in the stage production Rabiatu Dance Drama at the Glover Memorial Hall in Lagos.
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Widely regarded as the father of modern Nigerian theatre, Ogunde pioneered travelling theatre in Nigeria and mentored generations of actors, making his endorsement one of the industry’s highest honours.
Ogunde’s advice
The actress said, “When we wanted to perform the Rabiatu Dance Drama. Everybody knows he was the one who did dance drama, but before my husband (Augustine Ayanfemi Philips) died, he had taught us. We performed the drama in Lagos, and Baba Ogunde and his three wives came to see it. When we were done, he said, ‘Wasn’t that Idowu who performed Rabiatu?
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“Wasn’t it Idowu who performed so well just now? And she said she didn’t want to leave nursing? Go and resign from nursing and take up theatre fully. You’re good at it.’ His wives greeted me, and that was all. In 1986, I wrote and submitted my resignation letter to the hospital.”
Ogunde’s influence extended beyond the stage. Over the years, several veteran actors have credited him with shaping their careers and encouraging them through difficult moments.
Last week, veteran actor Adebayo “Oga Bello” Salami also described Ogunde as his mentor who persuaded him not to quit acting after facing public accusations following the deaths of his mentor, Ojo “Baba Mero” Ladipo, and the veteran theatre pioneer’s wife.
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Support after her husband’s death
Beyond encouraging her to pursue acting, Iya Rainbow said Ogunde stood by her after the death of her husband, Augustine “Baba Osumare” Philips, founder of the Osumare Theatre Group, in 1984.
“I salute Hubert Ogunde; may his soul rest in perfect peace. He was my husband’s boss and trained him. When my husband died, whenever I wanted to go to his house, I always put on a mourning dress. He called me one day and said, ‘Idowu, you must not come here with this kind of dress again.’ His wife gave me another dress that day, and he asked them to tear the one I had worn to his house.
“He said, ‘You don’t mourn with the body but with the mind.’ He supported the group my husband left behind and me. Our leader then was Tajudeen Gbadamosi. We went to Ososa, Ogun State, where we used to rehearse.”
Patients protested
She also recalled that her decision to resign from nursing was met with resistance from patients who pleaded with her to stay.
“The patients I was taking care of refused; they said they would not allow me to resign. They said that even when they did something wrong, I would scold them but still take care of them.
“There are a lot of patients whose treatment in the hospital I paid for with my own money,” she said.
Iya Rainbow is regarded as a foundational figure in Yoruba cinema, having appeared in more than 500 films throughout her decades-long career.
She last made headlines when she joined the growing calls for the release of the abducted teachers and pupils in Oyo State.
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