How I nearly died filming Wole Soyinka biopic

Filmmaker Joshua Ojo, producer of ‘Wole Soyinka’, a biopic of the Nigerian playwright and Africa’s first Nobel Laureate in Literature, has recounted his near-death experience while shooting the movie.

The biopic, set to be a comprehensive portrayal of Soyinka’s life, will delve into his early years, his literary achievements, and his activism.

In April, Ojo announced on his Instagram the biopic, which chronicled the life of the iconic playwright. The film captures Soyinka’s extraordinary journey, exploring his childhood, rise to become a Nobel Laureate and relentless pursuit of truth and justice, among other themes.

On Thursday, Ojo revealed on his Instagram that the movie stars Lateef Adedimeji, Ibrahim Chatta, Bimbo Oshin, Jide Kosoko, and others will hit cinemas on 8 November.

In a follow-up post on Friday, he shared some challenges he faced during the biopic’s production. He revealed that he was involved in an accident just before filming began and faced other challenges, such as securing funding and finding the right cast and crew.

He said: “What do we say to the god of death? Not today. After acquiring a studio to build the Kirikiri prison and 90 per cent of my sets, an unthinkable thing happened to me a few days before the shoot of my film Wole Soyinka. I went out, and on my way back to my hotel room in the city of Ibadan, I was hit by a hit-and-run driver. I didn’t see the car coming; the car came from behind and dragged me for a few seconds on the hot road.

“When the driver managed to stop, he reversed, and that was when he did another damage to my leg, and he zoomed off. That was the last thing I remembered. I passed out and woke up, only to discover I was still there. I saw people taking pictures and recording me. I couldn’t get up. I pleaded that they should help me to avoid another car hitting me, but they were busy making contents (smiles).”

Rescue

The filmmaker further revealed that a Good Samaritan driver rescued him from the accident scene and rushed him to UCH Ibadan.

He added that the doctor presented him with two options: either to amputate his leg or undergo emergency surgery.

“So I managed to order a ride; at that time, my leg was already five times what it used to be. We drove to UCH Ibadan, where I was told to pay cash instead of transferring. So I gave my ATM to the driver and gave him my password. I was in pain, so I had to do it. The driver dashed off and came back with the exact money.

“I paid, and that was when they attended to me. I thought it was just a small accident, not until I did an x-ray and I was given two options: either they amputate my leg or go for an emergency surgery. So I had to go for the emergency surgery, and after the surgery, I came back looking like a RoboCop. I had almost 15 metals pierced into my leg with nails, bolts, etc, and we went back to shoot.”

Furthermore, he revealed that even after undergoing emergency surgery, he continued filming while simultaneously receiving treatment at the hospital.

He said he was unable to walk for more than a year after the surgery.

Ojo added, “That was how we filmed Wole Soyinka for more than 50 days. God gave me a second chance to live, and I’ll forever be grateful. I visited Prof Wole Soyinka in one of those pictures, and he told me I’m proud of you.

“Courage is doing something daring no matter how afraid, insecure, intimidated, alone, unworthy, ridiculed or whatever paralysing emotions you might feel. I want to thank the driver, the special angel in my corner, my family and the entire cast and crew for standing by me during the healing process.”

Biopic

Ojo noted that he produced ‘Wole Soyinka’ and other biopic movies to highlight Nigeria’s and Africa’s rich history, legacy, heritage, and culture, which have often been overlooked or underrepresented.

He emphasised that Nigerians and Africans tend to adopt Western culture only if they adequately promote their own, stressing that language and identity are critical markers of who they are.

“The bitter truth is that, when we talk about black history or African history, few things come to mind: slavery, oppression, racism and all. Our heritage is a loss of that particular link to the past. You need to know your path, purpose and place. I grew up watching Indian and Chinese films; there was something similar in their language and culture.

“One of my favourite films is Apocalypto by Mel Gibson. It was a language film, but I enjoyed it and learned about Mayan culture. When you talk about Nigerians, they see Boko Haram, kidnappers, fraudsters, bobrisky because that is what we are projecting, and the new generation are soaking it up”, he said.

The filmmaker acknowledged that while he doesn’t have all the answers to the challenge of cultural preservation, his work has contributed meaningfully to the cause.

“They say your name is your shield. My name is Joshua Ojo; my friends call me Setepayi. I’m a filmmaker and a Pan Africanist, and that’s the tool and platform I use to project, celebrate, educate, and push our culture and heritage out there unapologetically.”

Ojo began his career as an actor in 1997 before transitioning into filmmaking, where he gained recognition for works such as ‘Efunsetan Aniwura’, ‘The Cock-Tale’, ‘Sango: The Untold’ among others.