IBADAN UNIVERSITY LIBRARY Current Studies in Yoruba Culture, Language, and Literature A Festschrift for Olugboyega Alaba Edited by Deji Medubi Debp Gbadebp Abiodun Bello Department o f Linguistics, African and Asian Studies University o f Lagos IBADAN UNIVERSITY LIBRARY Current Studies in Yoruba Culture, Language, andLiterature A Festschrift fo r Olugboyega Alaba Copyright © 2017 by Department o f Linguistics, African and Asian Studies Faculty o f Arts, University o f Lagos, Nigeria All rights for this book reserved. No part o f this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission o f the copyright owner. ISBN: 978 978 56845 3 5 Printed By: JOYTAL PRINTING PRESS, IBADAN 08034237746 IV IBADAN UNIVERSITY LIBRARY Contents Profile o f Ojogbon Olugboyega Omo A laba................................................... Curriculum Vitae o f Olugboyega A laba .......................................................... Forew ord............................................................................................................. Part I: Culture Chapter O n e ............................................................................................................. 1 Aworan A won Oba Ninu I we Itan- Aroso D.O. Fagunwa Duro Adeleke Chapter T w o ........................................................................................................... 13 Are Nigerian Traditional Rulers Relevant in the Contemporary Democratic Dispensation? : A Literary-Cum Historical Analysis Adebisi Ademakinwa Chapter T h ree ...........................................................................................................30 Culture and Change in the Yoruba Society: The Literary Dimension Olugboyega Alaba ChapterFour..............................................................................................................53 Africa’s Ogun in the Five Faces of the Ancient Greek God o f Warfare Idowu Alade Chapter F iv e .......................... 71 Oju Amuwaye Yoruba Nipa Isere Oro Odun Igogo Ni Ilu Owo A. O. Aransi ChapterSix.............................................................................................................. 103 Agbeyewo Orin OlorogunNi lie Yoruba Abidemi Bolarinwa ChapterSeven.........................................................................................................116 "Ikunle Abiyamo Ninu Ero Ijinle Yoruba: Idi Abajo Agbara Obinrin" Adeola Adijat Faleye vii IBADAN UNIVERSITY LIBRARY ChapterEight........................................................................................................ 132 Name as a Designate o f Culture in Traditonal and Contemporary Yoruba Society o f Nigeria Oluhunmi John Faloju& Yusuf Opeyemi Fadairo Chapter Nine......................................................................................................... 150 116 Ami Ninu Odun Ogun Ni I lu Ondo M. A. Fasehun Chapter Ten............................................................................................................ 164 African Conception o f Human Existence:The Yoruba Experience Debp Gbadebp Chapter Eleven.......................................................................................................181 The Existentialism o f Yoruba Traditional Religion Samuel Jqgqdq ChapterTwelve......................................................................................................198 Yoruba and the Notion of Sustainability In Natural Resources Management Yemi Qke ChapterThirteen..................................................................................................... 220 Orisa Bibo Nile Yoruba: Ogunojalu Niluu Ogbomoso Gege Bi Afojusun Sunday Owoade Chapter Fourteen................................................................................................... 231 Iyanrofeere Ninu Oriki Iran Sooko Ni lie Ife Ejitoydsi Qlayemi Salami Part II: Language Chapter Fifteen...................................................................................................... 244 Focus Construction in Yoruba Literary Text: A Case Study of D. O. Fagunwa’s Ogboju Ode Ninu Igbo Irimmole Priscilla L. Adenuga & Oladiipo Ajiboye Chapter Sixteen..................................................................................................... 259 Agbeyewo Gbolohun Akiyesi Alatenumo Ninu Eka-Ede Ijebu R.A. Adesuyan viii IBADAN UNIVERSITY LIBRARY Chapter Seventeen.................................................................................................273 Oro-Oruko Asebeere Ninu Eka-Ede Ife Lawrence Olufemi Adewole Chapter Eighteen................................................................................................... 279 Constituent Questions in Awori Dialect of Yoruba South West Nigeria Akin Aina Chapter Nineteen................................................................................................... 300 Distribution and Function o f Ti, Bi and 77 in Eko Dialect Oladilpo Ajiboye, Ajiki Adeyemi & Eniola Lddiipo Chapter Twenty..................................................................................................... 317 Olukumi Focus Constructions Alimot Eleshin Ajikdbi Chapter Twenty One.............................................................................................330 Appraisal o f Prepositional and Antithetical Properties in Some Yoruba Verbs Olu Akeusola Chapter Twenty Two............................................................................................ 338 Verbal Peculiarities of Yoruba Language: A Comparative Appraisal o f Verbal Properties in English, French and Yoruba Olu Akeusola Chapter Twenty Three.......................................................................................... 348 Peculiarities o f Yoruba Grammar: Appraisal o f Yoruba Verbless Sentences, Resumptive Pronouns and Redundant Verbs Olu Akeusola Chapter Twenty Four.......................................................................................... 365 Asa Ati Ofin Girama Ti 6 De Amulo Oro Aropo-Oruko Ninu Ede Yoruba Sunday Olaymka Awolaoye IX IBADAN UNIVERSITY LIBRARY Chapter Twenty Five...........................................................................................375 Referential Cohesion in Yoruba Adeyemi Daramold & Kehinde Oladeji Chapter Twenty Six..............................................................................................400 Aspects o f Prefixation in Yoruba: The Harmonic Interaction Bisoye Eleshin Chapter Twenty S even ........................................................................................409 Two Types o f Oni in Yoruba: A Critique Folorunso Ilori Chapter Twenty E ig h t.........................................................................................421 Analysis o f Collocative Words in Yoruba Language Usage Joseph Omoniyi Friday-Otun & Olatubosun Omolewu Chapter Twenty Nine.......................................................................................... 442 Exploring the Linguistics Perspectives inthe Nigeria-Sudan Relationship Abdulrazaq M oh’d Katibi & Khadijat Olaniyan-Shobowale Chapter Thirty...................................................................................................... 459 Instances o f Language Variation from the Perspective o f the Yoruba Language Contact with English Abigdun Ogunwale Part III: Literature Chapter Thirty One..............................................................................................483 Agbeyewo Ero Akewi Lori Ewi Oluyemisl Adebowdle Chapter Thirty Tw o............................................................................................. 501 Envisioning Ideal Politics, Democracy and Sustainable Governance in the Selected Novels o f Afolabi Olabimtan Arinpe Adejumo x IBADAN UNIVERSITY LIBRARY Chapter ThirtyThree...........................................................................................516 Ero Bayeseri Ojogbon Alaba Lori Oro Esin Ninu Asayan Ardfo. Hezekiah Olufemi Adeosun Chapter ThirtyFour................................................................................................526 Literary Representation of the Military Era in Bamiji Ojo’s Ob a Adikuta Lere Adeyemi Chapter Thirty Five...............................................................................................546 Ipede Arenije Ninu Asayan I we Ere-Onitan Yoruba O.A. Adeyemo Chapter Thirty S ix .................................................................................................564 Fi'imu Agbelewo Gege Bi Ohun-Elo Ikoni Ni Asa ati Litireso Alohun Yoruba: Fiimu Arugba Ati Basorun Gaa Gege Bi Awota Adeyemi Adeyinka & Ifeoluwa Akmsola Chapter Thirty Seven.............................................................................................583 A Historical Treatise o f Atoka Photoplay Magazine Adeniyi Akangbe Chapter ThirtyEight..............................................................................................605 Olugboyega Alaba Feyinti Dayo Akanmu Chapter Thirty Nine...............................................................................................611 Alaba’s Owere Eniyan Meji Pere (The Struggle between Just Two People): An Adumberation o f Marxist Literary Theory Ke hi ride Elujiilo Chapter Forty..........................................................................................................621 A Study of Literary Devices inOlu Owolabi’s Lisabi Agbdhgbd Akala and Lawuyi Ogunniran’s Omo Alate Ileke Hamzat, S. A. O. & Adeyemi, O. Chapter Forty One.................................................................................................648 Ero ijinleati Oro Isele Awujo Ninu Awon Arofo Olugboyega Alaba Adedotun Ogundeji & Luqman Kiarlbee XI IBADAN UNIVERSITY LIBRARY Chapter Forty Two.............................................................................................. 672 Yoruba Playwrights and Politics in Nigeria: An Examination o f Selected Yoruba Written Plays Layo Ogunlola Chapter Forty T h ree ............................................................................................ 691 Imo-Ijinle-Ero Yoruba Bi Orisun I sura Ewi Apileko: Eri Lati Inu Ifa Tewogboye Okewande Chapter Forty Four.............................................................................................. 703 Iwulo Orin fun Itaniji Lori IwaOmoluabi ati Ibagbepo Alaafia ni Awujo: Orin Dadakuada Gege Bi Apeere Hakeem Olawale Chapter Forty Five............................................................................................... 717 Agbeyewo Oro Jenda Ninu Orin Salawa Abeni Olukemi Olofinsao Chapter 4 6 ............................................................................................................. 736 Olugboyega Alaba, Onimo Ijinle Ero Nipa Ile-Aye: Eri Lati Inu Omruuru Ardfo Ati Asayan Arofo Olatubosun Omolewu Chapter Forty S even ............................................................................................ 759 Ariwisi Onkowe Alatinuda Nipa Abuda Adamo Eremode Ninu Ogun Omode Ayodele Solomon Oyewale Chapter Forty Eight.............................................................................................781 Gender and Social Representation of Women in Yoruba Folktales: A Critique of Alo Apagbe Olaide Sheba Part IV: Stylistics Chapter Forty N ine.............................................................................................. 792 A Study o f Aspects o f Technocultural Variations in English and Yoruba Speech Usage in Nigeria Babatunjl Hezekiah Adepojii XII IBAD N UNIVERSITY LIBRARY Chapter Fifty......................................................................................................... 816 Modernization and Globalization o f Yoruba Language through Ontology Development: A Preliminary Investigation Akin Aina Chapter Fifty One.................................................................................................. 834 The Politics of (En)gendering and the Crisis o f Homology: A Comparative and Counter-Perspective Study o f Judith Butler and Oyeronke Oyewumi Abiodun Bello Chapter Fifty Two................................................................................................. 842 Yoruba Sexual Related Symbo-Figurative Expressions: A Metaphorical Description Taofeek Dalamu Chapter Fifty Three...............................................................................................860 A Discourse Analysis o f Translated Proverbs from D.O. Fagunwa’s Yoruba Novel Ogboju Ode Nlnu Igbo Irunmple Alfred Adenlyi Fatuase Chapter Fifty Four................................................................................................. 875 Yoruba Youths, Proverbs and a Common Misconception: An Explication Olusegun Rotiml Faturoti Chapter Fifty Five............................................................................................... 887 Adoption of Proverbs as Titles o f Literary Works Esther Titilayp Ojo Chapter Fifty Six................................................................................................ 900 Stylo linguistic Perspective o f Syntactic Techniques in the Art o f Yoruba Newspapers Writing Olutpla Qsunnuga xiii IBADAN UNIVERSITY LIBRARY Chapter 37 A HISTORICAL TREATISE OF ATOKA PHOTOPLAY MAGAZINE Adem'yi AKANGBE Photo-drama is one o f the principal media o f performance by the Yoruba theatre arts practitioners. It is the only channel o f dramatic expression in print media. Atoka photoplay magazine was the foremost and the most principal o f this attempt. It existed and survived for twenty five years. Its rise was meteoric, its acceptance was unprecedented and its output was sporadic. Like a wild fire in the harmattan season, the media became popular, celebrated and highly aacceptable to the masses particularly the middle class. None o f others that succeeded it was able to make such a remarkable impact. In spite o f its great fame and vivid impact however, as characteristic o f the Yoruba theatre movements, Atoka photoplay magazine suffered documentation problem. To date, Yoruba photodrama still remains a green farmland begging to be cultivated, and a literary fie ld itching to be tilled as there is paucity o f study on it. There has been scanty research on its history, production processes, and literary analysis o f its play productions. It is this problem that this study wants to solve by filling the academic gap on history o f Atoka photoplay magazine. Our focus in this paper is historical and as such, the paper dwells on the evolution, rise, and decline o f Atoka. 1. INTRODUCTION Atoka photoplay magazine was a unique publication that was prevalent in the South-West Nigeria from 1967 to 1991. Published by West African Book IBADAN UNIVERSITY LIBRARY A Historical Treatise ofA toka Photoplay Magazine Publishers (WABP) and printed by Academy Press (AP), it was a dramatic collaboration of theatre practitioners and publishers which aimed at bringing entertainment in form of play productions to the door steps of the teeming theatre lovers in printed form. Christened Yoruba Photoplay Series at inception, Atoka adopted its name in January 1970. It sustained regular bimonthly publications until the mid-1980s, and went out of circulation in 1991. Atoka had two broad contents: drama and additives (afikun). The dramas in Atoka are diverse and they are from multiple sources. A great percentage of the plays are from the repertoires of the various theatre companies, many of which have been produced on stage. In addition to this however are series of secondary materials which we referred to as additives. The additives are medley of add-ons or supplements which feature regularly and are meant to flavour and enrich the publication. These additives comprised Itan aroso (prose-fiction), Ewi (poetry), Ore dkeere (pen-pals), Irdyin kayeefi (comic news), Awdran efe (cartoons), Ipolowo oja (advertisements), Agborandim (general counseling) and Anti Ayo (love counseling). Atoka was the first and longest-serving version of photoplay in Yoruba that made a long lasting impression on the social, cultural, and economic planes. As the name ‘photoplay’ implies, the magazine employs the real pictures of the actors and actresses to tell its dramatic story; photography is therefore a principal medium of expression in Atoka. Literary study on Atoka photoplay magazine was pioneered by Ogundeji (1981:8-12). This was followed by Arohunmolase (1982:8-21), Adeoye (1984), Bolaji (1985), Adeleke (1995:23-24) and Akangbe (2005:72-76). In 2014 however, Akangbe carried out a seminal study on the history, production and content of Atoka photoplay magazine. This study is divided into seven parts namely: introduction, precursors of Yoruba photoplay magazine, evolution of Yoruba photoplay magazine, development of Atoka photoplay magazine, historical exploration of Atoka photoplay magazine, the Atoka series, and conclusion. 2. Precursors of Yoruba Photoplay Magazine Photoplay is the only print media adopted by the Yoruba theatre practitioners, it is employed as a secondary media of dramatic performance by the 584 IBADAN UNIVERSITY LIBRARY A deniyi A kangbe practitioners o f Ogunde dramatic tradition, it is therefore an ancillary media. It would be recalled that there was a magazine founded in Chicago, United States of America in 1911 named Photoplay. It was one of the first film fan magazines in America. A reputable publication, Photoplay began as a short- fiction magazine which was mostly concerned with the plots and characters of films at the time and was used as a promotional tool for those films. Photoplay created a format and maintained a standard which became precedence for almost all celebrity magazines that followed, and it boasted of a circulation figure of 204,343. The popularity of the magazine was enhanced by the public’s constituent rising interest in the private lives and exploits of celebrities. It is on the strength of this that Photoplay magazine was credited with unending celebrity media (Doyle 2008, www.pophistorvdig.com/? tag=pholoplav-magazine.history). There is a remarkable conceptual, technical, and functional difference between the western photoplay magazine and the Yoruba photoplay magazine. Primarily, the Chicago-based western photoplay magazine was a fan magazine for film stars. A fan magazine is a periodical which publishes information and gossips about celebrities. According to www.merrian-webster.com/dictionary accessed 21/09/2013. fan magazine is “a magazine devoted to the exploitation of popular interest in the personalities of the sports or entertainment world (as movie, radio, TV)”. The magazine therefore was publicity medium for the film stars as well as for the producers. As corroborated by Pierce and Hoyt (2014) in www. med iahistorypro iect.org/fanmagazines, “Fan magazines gave audiences a way to experience the magic of the movies beyond the theatre. The magazines also gave producers a way to promote their stars and coming films.” In terms of format, Photoplay was fictional; content-wise, it gave sketchy presentation of the plots and characters of films; and reputation-wise it was popular and widely accepted. So virtually, the western Photoplay magazine was by definition, outlook, content and preoccupation remarkably different from Yoruba photoplay magazine. Fig. 1: Cover samples o f Photoplay Magazine 585 IBADAN UNIVERSITY LIBRARY A Historical Treatise of Atoka Photoplay Magazine One major precursor of Atoka magazine was African film. African Film was published by Drum Publications in Nigeria and later also in Kenya and Ghana in the early 60s; it was just one of the many photo comics or “look books” that flooded English-speaking West Africa in the early post-colonial era (www.chimurensalibrarv.co.za/African-film accessed 10/10/2013). It was a “photo-comic magazine featuring an African facsimile of James Bond, known as Lance Spearman, and it once ruled the newsstands in cities across the English-speaking black Africa. It was very glaring that the magazine was a delight of the youths and a staple of both the educated and the half-educated, particularly the urban dwellers. African Film was unique for adopting the real photographs of its actors and actresses rather than using caricatures. As commented by Miseler in www.thisdavlive.com/articles/missing-spearman accessed 21/09/2013, the magazines are known as “look-reads” in publishing trade and it used to be popular in the Europe. It was introduced to South Africa in 1964. Initially, almost all was about white heroes like captain Devil of the South African secret police. Soon, Drum Publications of South Africa began to photograph black men in adventures in order to appeal to black men. According to Akangbe (2014: 70), “the African Film magazine was so famous among its African readers that its circulation figures were estimated at 100, 000 in West Africa; 45, 000 in East Africa and 20, 000 in South Africa”. African film influenced the birth of Yoruba photoplay magazine a lot. According to Oyewole Olowomojuore a.k.a. Kengbe oro, 1 African film had direct impact on the evolution of Yoruba photoplay Atoka. He said the quest by some curious people to have Yoruba version of African film gave birth to Atoka. Fig. 2: Cover samples o f African Film Magazine 586 IBADAN UNIVERSITY LIBRARY Adeniyi Akangbe A co-traveller of African film was the Boom which was about the adventures of Fearless Fang which could be regarded as the African version of Tarzan. The Stranger (a black Lone Ranger) was another magazine in the category of African Film and Boom. They all competed for the same readers’ attention. However one commonality which they all shared was that they were all comics making use of actual photographs of black people rather than hand- drawn illustrations. Also in all, dialogue bubbles were positioned either over the heads of characters or beside them. The three magazines arrived at Africa in the order of discussion, and their influence was also in that order. One other tradition that could have had an impact on Atoka photoplay magazine was the newspaper cartoon. Every newspaper has its cartoon section which is pictorial and tells its stories also in hand-drawn pictures. Though it is in fragmented episodes which, in most cases, are published daily; it does tell a complete story eventually. Cartoons are artistic and sensible creations which convey its clear messages to the readers: it could be humorous and funny but behind the facade of the humour is a great didactic message. Of much relevance and influence to Atoka is Awdreriin. The Yoruba magazine with a comic segment was a publication of the then Ministry of Education in the old western region which dated back to the 1940s and was in print till the late 70s. Awdreriin was a rich publication in Yoruba language which was circulated to all the primary schools in the defunct western region. Though predominantly prosaic, Awdreriin was a periodical and it had assorted sections such as “Ela Loro ati Matanmi”, a puzzle segment, and an interesting cartoon column titled “Ayo ati Alade”, among others, though the column employed drawing instead of pictures. 3 3. Evolution of Yoruba Photoplay Magazine Atoka was the first Yoruba photoplay magazine and it started production in 1967. It was published by West African Books Publishers (WABP) which was located in Industrial Avenue at Ilupeju in Lagos State. According to Oyewole Olowomojuore2, former editor of the magazine, the curiosity to have a replica of African Film in Yoruba gave rise to the establishment of Atoka. Incidentally, Academy Press (AP), the leading printers in West Africa as at then, acquired the state of the arts equipment. It was reputed to be the best printers of almanac and diary in the whole of West Africa then. The quality 587 IBADAN UNIVERSITY LIBRARY A Historical Treatise of Atoka Photoplay Magazine machines that were acquired were being underutilised so there was the quest to put them to maximum use for profitability. The only way to achieve this was to find more jobs for the machines. Academy Press then founded a sister company, WABP, as a publishing arm. WABP would generate manuscripts and prepare them for press while AP would do the printing. With this, it was hoped that Academy Press would have enough jobs to keep its array of machines running round the clock. Retired Rev. Moses Laoye Egunjobi3, popularly called Laoye Egunjobi, also corroborated Oyewole Olowomojuore’s submission. According to him, Richard Gamble, a white man collaborated with Alade Idris Animashaun and Doherty, among others, to establish Academy Press, the only modern press that engaged in colour printing in the whole of West Africa then. Due to insufficient job however, the idea o f founding a publishing company came up with the hope that West African Book Publishers would be feeding Academy Press with jobs. As revealed by Laoye Egunjobi, a photoplay initiative in English language preceded Atoka initiative. A photoplay magazine called Magnet was the initial project but it was not so successful. Magnet was patterned after African Film. It was also a mysterious story about a hero with unlimited power and prowess. It was the failure of the English project that gave rise to the Yoruba photoplay magazine which Segun Sofowote championed. As submitted by Laoye Egunjobi, the magazine targeted the middle-class and not the elites. It was meant to engage the artisans, the market men and women and the self-employed. Its aim was to promote Yoruba language and culture while entertaining and educating the readers at the same time. So, Atoka was meant to fill a void by meeting the reading and entertainment needs of the middle-class. West African Book Publishers was established to publish books and produce series of magazines so Rasheed Onikoyi was employed to take charge of photoplay publications. He was employed to direct drama that would be published. Already the company had been publishing a photoplay magazine called Magnet. Magnet, according to Abimbade Oladejo4, the pioneer photographer, had produced thirteen editions before the outbreak of the Nigeria - Biafra civil war in 1967 which stopped further production and cut­ off the market. This was because the magazine was predominantly selling in the Eastern part o f Nigeria which unfortunately had become the centre stage of 588 IBADAN UNIVERSITY LIBRARY A deniyi A kangbe the battle. Since the market of Magnet had been lost, the management looked inward to explore the opportunities in the West and the decision to experiment with the Yoruba theatre artistes was taken. That gave rise to the birth of Yoruba photoplay. Having agreed to venture into the production of a Yoruba version of Magnet, Rasheed Onikoyi advised the management to employ someone who would competently take charge of the new Yoruba photoplay project. So he recommended Segun Sofowote who was then engaged at WNBS/WNTV. As a producer at WNTV/WNBS, Segun Sofowote had worked closely with Hubert Ogunde, Kola Ogunmola, Duro Ladipo, Oyin Adejobi, Ayinla Olumegbon, Akin Ogungbe, Ojo Ladipo, Isold Ogunsola, and hosts of other performing theatre groups. As a matter of fact, many of them had become his personal friends so he had no problem in enlisting their cooperation; so the Yoruba photoplay magazine project became a reality. The photoplay project took-off with Segun Sofowote as the Olotuu (editor); Abimbade Oladejo (a.k.a. Abim) an indigene o f Ibadan, and a veteran photojournalist, as the Ayaworan (photographer); Dele Durodola as assistant photographer (igbakeji Ayaworan; and Adewale Johnson and Tony Bassey (who both left WABP in quick succession before they were replaced by) Jide Salisu as graphic artist (afaworanjewo). Typesetting was outsourced with one Mr. Adeyemi (a staff of West African Examinations Council at Yaba) as a freelancer. After a while, Miss Adefunke Orebiyii (who later became Mrs. Adefunke Sofowote) was appointed as secretary to assist in the administrative work. Rasheed Onikoyi, the editor of Magnet was mandated to direct the maiden edition of Yoruba photoplay series titled Yoruba Ronu by Hubert Ogunde which was acted and shot on stage at J.K. Randle Hall.5 This maiden edition simply adopted the title of the play - Yoruba Ronu - as its name. The second production titled Ologbo Dudu was also from the stable o f Hubert Ogunde. It was in two parts: Number 1 and Number 2, and was also directed by Rasheed Onikoyi. This second edition was labelled Yoruba Photoplay Series which was the name which the magazine adopted for the next three years. It was from the third edition (volume 3) titled Omuti by Kola Ogunmola that Segun Sofowote fully took over by handling both the field and in-house production activities. The Yoruba Photoplay Series team was quite disciplined and devoted to their duties. According to Segun Sofowote, 589 IBADAN UNIVERSITY LIBRARY A Historical Treatise of Atoka Photoplay Magazine we formed Egbe Eledeplpe (Committed-speakers’ caucus) and it became an offence for anyone to speak English language or code-switch. In other word, we must speak pure and unadulterated Yoruba language at all time and any defaulter would pay a fine. Miss Funke Oreblyil, the secretary, was the record-keeper. At the end of the year, the amount realised was calculated. Because I was clearly ahead of them in terms of performance, I offered to opt out and gave the price to the next person to me who happened to be Funke. The amount realised was used to buy a good book for the winner.6 The name eventually adopted for the photoplay series was also a product of competition. It was Ablmbade Oladejo who came up with the name Atoka for the hitherto known Yoruba Photoplay Series. According to Oladejo him self1, the management of West African Book Publishers which comprised Mr. Richard Gamble, Alhaji Alade Idris Anlmasahun, Mr. Bankole, Mr. Doherty and others instructed Segun Sofowote who was the editor to evolve a name for the magazine. A committee was set up and the staffs were asked to suggest names. Ablmbade suggested “Atoka” which was instantly received by all. According to Ablmbade Oladejo who recalled his childhood experience back home at Ijaye-Orlle, his country home and a suburb of Ibadan city along Iseyin road, “Atoka was a bird that was usually found on igba (sheabutter tree). The bird was a path-finder to farmers and hunters if they missed their ways”. Laoye Egunjobi also corroborated this that the production team which comprised Segun Sofowote (editor), Laoye Egunjobi (assistant editor), Ablmbade Oladejo (photographer), and Dele Durodola (assistant photographer) tasked themselves to produce a name, and at a meeting, Abim suggested “Atoka” which we all accepted. According to him, Agbe e yewo lotun-un a gbe e yewo losi, a wa rl i pe 6 n toka loooto. O n toka ede, 6 n toka asa, 6 n toka imo. E je a maa pe e bee. B1 6 se wole lojo naa niyen. Lati igba naa ni a ti yl oruko re pada si Atoka 8 590 IBADAN UNIVERSITY LIBRARY A deniyi A kangbe We pondered over the suggestion and discovered that truly it reflects. It reflects language, it reflects culture, it reflects wisdom. Let us endorse it. That was how it was accepted and since then Atoka has become its adopted name. Atoka, truly, is a pointer to the good, the bad and the ugly in the society. It also points at the past, the present, and the future. Atoka photoplay magazine was a goldmine of information to the readers. Incidentally, Segun Sofowote had a column named “Atoka n toka” where he counselled, taught, informed and entertained his readers; among others. Atoka is both the name of the magazine as well as its logo. The name is functional and the logo is iconic. The bird is a symbolic signification of the inherent values of the publication. The bird is the signifier while the publication is the signified. The relationship of the bird Atoka and the photoplay magazine in iconic signification is based on their similarities or sameness which is motivated. The bird ‘Atoka’ is a beacon, a pivot and a pathfinder for the ‘lost’ and semiotically, the Atoka photoplay magazine is a cultural beacon, a linguistic pivot, and a pathfinder for the socio-cultural values of the Yoruba society. By implication, Atoka is an inspiration to the society and a guiding light to the citizenry. The Olotiiu is the backbone of the photoplay production and he is instrumental to the success of the magazine at every production stage. Let us delve into the oral literature for a plausible explanation of the meaning of Olotiiu. In Yemoji festival at Ilone-Ijebu near Ilese in Ogun State, one of the performers is named Olotuu-osere i.e. the leader of the instrumentalists9. The functional role of Olotuu-osere clearly thrusts the coordinating and directorial responsibilities on his laps to ensure the success of the performance. It is in this sense that the term is also employed in the broadcasting industry where olotiiu (producer) is the boss of the programme presenter (atokim eto) in radio parlance. This draws our attention to the fact that the term ‘editor’ is variously employed with different specialisations in the creative industry with varying degrees of responsibilities. An editor in the publishing industry technically prepares a manuscript for publication; a newspaper editor supervises, oversees and takes responsibility for every content of the publication; a movie/film editor prepares the final 591 IBADAN UNIVERSITY LIBRARY A Historical Treatise ofA toka Photoplay Magazine version of a movie, determines the length and the order of shots and scenes; a radio/television editor is the one who has the overall control of a programme be it news, magazine, drama, etc. In Atoka, the responsibility of the editor is even much deeper and wider than those itemised above as he practically combines virtually the tasks of all these professionals. Olotuu is the stage manager, he is the artistic director, he is the location manager, the props manager, and the costumier. He is the origination and design manager, the dialogue writer, the content editor, the copy editor, the proofreader, and the production manager. In short, the editor of the Atoka photoplay magazine was a super-professional who was creatively ingenuous and literary-minded. Olotiiu is therefore the creative, technical and production pillar of the magazine. The editor solely adapted the dialogue of the performers for Atoka media. The speeches must be concise, precise and exact. Photoplay media does not tolerate lengthy speeches so dialogues could not be wordy or verbose. Therefore the editor was the author of the entire texts in the magazine. He also determined the cover concept which was also composed of the photographs of the actors and actresses. Atoka series did not have date (month and year) and volume (volume number and part number) initially. According to Segun Sofowote, it was later when the production became regular that dating and numbering were introduced. From the archive, the researcher discovered that dating and numbering system began in January 1969 with Duro Ladipo’s Oba Kdso, Volume 11, Series 28, Number 4. It is remarkable that the numbering retrogressively took into consideration all the past editions of the photoplay magazine right from Yoruba Ronu, the maiden edition. The numbering pattern has five features namely: volume, series number, month, year, and part number. Incidentally, the next edition that followed Duro Ladipo’s Oba Kdso, Volume 11, Series 28, Number 4 was not dated obviously due to omission. Oyin Adejobl’s Orogun Adedigba, Volume 12, Series 29, Number 1 had no indication of date and year. However the subsequent editions regularly showed these features. Segun Sofowote submitted that Hubert Ogunde was frequent in the initial productions of Atoka primarily because of his dominance in the industry and also his proximity to the company. Ogunde lived in Lagos as against his contemporaries who lived in faraway places like Ibadan, Abeokuta, and Osogbo. It is noteworthy that Hubert Ogunde produced four of the first 592 IBADAN UNIVERSITY LIBRARY A deniy'i A kangbe seven productions of Atoka. The length of a play and how interesting the play was usually determined how many parts it would have. On marketing, WABP had an arrangement with Drum publications because of its distribution and marketing network which WABP did not have. So at inception, Drum served as the marketing agent for WABP on commission basis. Financial wise, Atoka was very profitable and far more rewarding to the artistes than their performance on television media10. 3.1. Development of Yoruba Photoplay Magazine The rise of Atoka photoplay magazine was meteoric. It gained a wide acceptance and it became an instant success. The development of Atoka photoplay magazine was phenomenal. This tremendous growth was precipitated by a number of factors. Atoka project was a novel experience. It was novel in the sense that it had no precedence in the history of Yoruba drama, as such; its introduction to the Yoruba theatre-loving audience was an instant appeal to the dramatic sensibilities of the teeming audience. Apart from this, Atoka photoplay magazine was a reinforcement of the play productions of the theatre companies. The print medium was an ancillary media; it was not primary as virtually all the plays that featured in Atoka had been produced on stage. There was no exception to this. In other word, the audience was already aware of each title and as such were familiar with it, so their patronage was ready­ made. Moreover, owning and reading Atoka photoplay magazine was a status symbol. It was fashionable to be identified with newspapers, the middle-class and semi-educated Yoruba readers also found it fulfilling to read Atoka. As Laoye Egunjobi revealed, all the market women and artisans at Isale Eko, Campus, Igbosere, Ita Faji, Tinuubu, etc. made it a point of duty to buy each edition for themselves, borrowing was not in vogue, buying a copy for oneself was the order of the day. To corroborate this, this researcher who lived and grew up in Igbo-ora, then a less city which was above a hundred kilometres from Lagos, the production centre of Atoka magazine, did not lack any edition as his uncles and their neighbours always purchased a copy. Atoka photoplay magazine provided a ready medium of entertainment. It would be recalled that unlike now when electronic media avails us its diverse megaphones: radio, television, internet, cable networks, satellite dish, cell 593 IBADAN UNIVERSITY LIBRARY A Historical Treatise o fA toka Photoplay Magazine phones, etc; apart from radio then, with its very few stations, there was no other means of entertainment. So the advent of Atoka met the yearning needs of multitudes of Yoruba audience. In terms of production, Atoka was very presentable. The publication size, the layout, planning, textual and graphics arrangements, assorted columns, and quality printing all give sufficient endearment; so the physical outlook of Atoka was attractive, let alone its rich contents.. One remarkable index of production excellence is its lovely cover in process colours. Full colour printing was not a common trait of production in the 1960s and 1970s, the beautiful covers in process colours was a factor of distinction which distinguished Atoka photoplay magazine from other periodicals. This quality was also a strong factor of attraction for the readers. As typical of a periodical which must keep to its regulated production schedule, Atoka was able to consistently keep faith with its fortnight release date. Its teeming readers were very sure of grabbing a fresh edition every two weeks; this ability to keep the unwritten promise also contributed to the success story of the magazine. High quality level of production of Atoka enhanced its sales. The minimum print-run of Atoka per edition was 60, 000 copies. As Laoye Egunjobl 11 revealed, the 60,000 copies benchmark was for up-coming artistes who were relatively popular but for star artistes like Ogunde, Ogunmola, Ladipo, Adejobt, Palmo, Isola Ogunsola, Ayinla Olumegbon, Akin Ogungbe, and so on, the production volume was usually between 80, 000 and 100, 000 copies. It was also remarkable that there were hardly returned copies due to lack of sales and even if there were, such copies hardly stayed in the warehouse before orders would be placed from outside Nigeria like Ghana, Republic of Benin, other West African countries and even the United States o f America. 4. Historical Exploration of Atoka photoplay magazine This section undertakes an exploration of the salient historical factors associated with Atoka photoplay magazine. The maiden edition of the magazine was Yoruba Ronit, its manuscript was solicited from Hubert Ogunde, it was a bilingual production in Yoruba and English languages, and its production suffered some technical errors. It was the only edition that had English version. 594 IBADAN UNIVERSITY LIBRARY A deniyi A kangbe In terms of nomenclature, the title of each play doubled as the name of the magazine at its inception in that the magazine did not have a distinct name of its own. This was applicable to Yoruba Ronu (produced in only one number), Ologbo Dudu, Numbers I - 2; Omiitl, Numbers 1 - 3; Ardpin N Teniyan, Numbers 1 - 3; Moreml, Numbers 1 - 2; and Kuye, Numbers 1 - 3. It was from A wo Mimo, Number 1 that the name Yoruba Photoplay Series was introduced as a formal nomenclature for the magazine. With this christening also came another peculiarity which was the introduction of the Volume and Number system. Hitherto, no volume was indicated while the number was only indicated in Yoruba with the inscription of the word Apa Kinni, Apa Keji, etc. in a boxed ring under the play title. The data collected for this study showed that thirty-four editions of the magazine bore the name Yoruba Photoplay Series; this was from Hubert Ogunde’s Awo Mimo, Number 1; to Oyin AdejobPs Foworaku, Series 48, Number 3, produced in November 1969. Dating and comprehensive numbering of the magazine began in January 1969 with the introduction of two durational indicators (month and year) and one number element (series number). This practice began with Duro Ladipo’s Oba Koso, Volume 11, Number 2. Its durational elements were January (as the month) and 1969 (as the year). Its Series number was 28. The Series number took into consideration all the past editions since inception. The implication of this was that Duro Ladipo’s Oba Koso, Volume 11, Number 2 of January 1969 was the 28th edition o f the magazine. Surprisingly however, Orogun Adedigba, Volume 12, Series 29, Number 1 by Oyin Adejobi which was the very next edition that followed it was not dated. This must have been due to omission on the part of the editorial team though one would have expected the editor to indicate erratum in the following edition, this, unfortunately, was not done. The magazine adopted its final name of Atoka Photoplay Magazine in January 1970 with Asiko Naa To, Volume 19, Series 49, Number 1 of January 1970 by isola Ogunsola. This implied that fourteen (14) (3.25%) editions adopted their play titles as the name o f the magazine, thirty-five (35) (8.1%) editions had Yoruba Photoplay Series as their title while three hundred and eighty one (381) (88%) were produced under the name Atoka Photoplay Magazine. One can ask what the implication o f these labels was. Which of the elements was for the magazine as a whole and which was for individual plays? Why the multiple numbers for one publication in addition to month and year? 595 IBADAN UNIVERSITY LIBR RY A Historical Treatise of Atoka Photoplay Magazine The answers are not far-fetched. The purpose of the numbers was for referencing. Conventionally, Volume and Number elements are key indicators in referencing periodicals; this thus implies that Atoka certified standard referencing criteria. As to the dual references, while Volume and Number were reference indicators for individual editions, Series number was for the entire publication. Series number was a cumulative and progressive numbering of the publications sequentially. This initiative was functional and commendable as it readily indicated the number a particular edition occupied in the continuum. Apa Kinni, Apa keji, etc. was a translation of the number which had already been written in English. Moreover it was the oldest numbering element introduced right from the inception. It began with Ogunde’s Ologbd Dudu (published in two parts in 1967) which was the second title; and it subsisted through the formative years when Atoka had no formal reference numbers. Its retention, therefore, was both functional and historical. Finally, month and year were the time indicators which were very vital because without these, all the other elements would be of limited value because they could not be ascribed to a particular period or point in time. On the whole, one can see that the evolution of the numbering system was gradual. The production of Atoka Photoplay Magazine also had a number of historical issues. It was published fortnightly but there were exceptions where the schedules were disrupted due to in-house challenges and mostly lack of funds. For instance, four editions were released in August 1969 as against the regular two editions or at most three editions per month. These were: Obinrin Asiko, Volume 15, Series 40, Number 4 of August 1969 by Kola Ogunmola; Wolewole Arufin, Volume 16, Series 41, Number 1 of August 1969 by Ayinla Olumegbon; Wolewole Arufin, Volume 16, Series 42, Number 2 of August 1969 by Ayinla Olumegbon; and Wolewole Arufin, Volume 16, Series 43, Number 3 of August 1969 by Ayinla Olumegbon. One could not but wonder why the harvest of editions in August 1969. The management reason advanced was that the frequency was in a bid to clear the backlog of the productions in the editorial. We noticed an error of number labeling on Asiko Naa To, Volume 19, Series 50, Number 2 of January 1970 which was wrongly numbered as Series 49 like the Number 1 that preceded it. We therefore had Numbers 1 and 2 as Series 49 instead of Series 49 and Series 50 respectively. 596 IBADAN UNIVERSITY LIBRARY A deniyl A kangbe Though in Number 3, the numbering error was corrected as the serialisation was normalised but professionally, there was supposed to be an erratum in Series 51 pointing at that error but there was none. For economic reasons, and at times due to in-house factors, regular bi­ monthly production was skipped. We discovered that there was no production in November 1972 as Kehinsokun, Volume 37, Series 112, Number 6 by Hubert Ogunde was produced in October 1972 while Adebayo Faletfs Baba Keresi, Volume 38, Series 113, Number 1 that followed it was published in December 1972. There was another production break from September 1973 to January 1974 as Eni A Wi Fun, Volume 44, Series 133, Number 3 of September 1973 by Ayinla Olumegbon was followed by Olowo Banka, Volume 45, Series 134, Number 1 of January 1974 by Iso la Ogunsola thus implying that there was no production from October to December 1973. Again in 1983, there was another long break in production from May to December. The break was in the course of the production of Alagba Jeremaya written by Oyetunde Awoyele, a four-Number Volume. Alagba Jeremaya, Volume 96, Series 338, Number 2 was published in May 1983 but its third part, Alagba Jeremaya, Volume 96, Series 339, Number 3 was not published until December 1983. There was yet another production break between May 1985 and March 1986 as Ha Olori Agba, Volume 103, Series 374, Number 3 by Ade-Olpfin was produced in May 1985 while the following edition: Ha Olori Agba, Volume 103, Series 375, Number 4 was produced in March 1986. Economic issues were largely responsible for these hiccups in production schedule. A survey of the content of Atoka revealed that some Olotiiu also wrote plays which were performed by theatre companies and published in Atoka. Examples included Asiko Naa To, Volume 19, Series 4 9 -5 1 , Numbers 1 - 3 of January - February 1970 by Isola Ogunsola. The play was written by Segun Sofowote, the pioneering editor, for Isola Ogunsola group. The rider to the title: Ere Segun Sofowote kan tl Isold Ogunsola ati awon Elere re se (meaning a play by Segun Sofowote produced by Isola Ogunsola theatre company) was a clear indication of who the playwright was. Segun Sofowote also wrote Rlrd Ni Teniyan, Volume 14, Series 33 - 36, Numbers 1 - 4 of April - June 1969 for the Akin Ogungbe troupe. In the same vein, Mr. Oyewole Olowomojuore had some of his plays produced in Atoka. He wrote Iya Aladuura, Volume 87, 597 IBADAN UNIVERSITY LIBRARY A Historical Treatise of Atoka Photoplay Magazine Series 292 - 295, Numbers 1 - 5 of June to August 1981 for Tiata Oranmlyan and Akowe Elepo, Volume 88, Series 297 - 301, Numbers 1 - 5 of August to October 1981 for Gbolahan Atanda theatre troupe. The cover price of Atoka Photoplay Magazine was another historical issue of attention. It was discovered that the cover price changed ten times in the twenty-five years that it lasted. The changes, of course, were precipitated by the market forces. The prices are listed below. a. April 1967-A ugust 1970 - 1 pence b. August 1970 - February 1974 - l/6d c. February 1974-A ugust 1974 - 15 kobo d. August 1974 - December 1975 - 20 kobo e. January 1976-June 1976 - 25 kobo f. June 1976 - February 1979 - 30 kobo g- March 1979-M ay 1986 - 50 kobo h. June 1986 - December 1986 - N1.00 i. January 1987-O ctober 1987 -N 1.50 kobo j- November 1987 - 1991 -N1.00 We are curious about two of the price changes. The first was the change of currency in 1974 from British pound sterling to Nigeria naira and kobo. This was as a result of the official currency change announced by the General Yakubu Gowon-led military regime in February 1974. With this change, the indication of the cover price in British currency stopped in February 1974. While Olowo Banka, Volume 45, Series 136, Number 3 indicated its cover price in both the British and Nigeria currencies (l/6d and 15 kobo) to bid farewell to pound sterling and say welcome to naira; Olowo Banka, Volume 45, Series 137, Number 4 was only in the Nigeria currency. The second curiosity was the reduction in the cover price from N1.50 kobo to N1.00 in November 1987. The factor accountable for this was the reduction in the size of the magazine. The conventional A3 production size of Atoka was changed to A4 size to reduce the production cost from Series 398 - 430 between 1987 and 1991. The reduction began with Oro Agbala, Volume 108, Series 398, Number 1 of February 1987, a play written by Bayo Laleye for Oje Baba theatre group. The essence of this reduction was also to enhance the dwindling sale. An observation arising from this is that playwrights who were not members of the Ogunde dramatic tradition could also wrote plays to be 598 IBADAN UNIVERSITY LIBRARY A deniyi A kdngbe performed in Atoka thus bringing such writers to limelight. The instance of Bayo Laleye was an example. In a bid to beat the production cost down further, the management resorted to reprinting the past editions from Series 411 to 430. The reprints (Atunte) began with lkunle Abiamo, Volume 112, Series 411, Number 1 of October 1987 by Ayinla Olumegbon. Our observation was that the reprinted editions were labelled and numbered as if they were fresh production whereas they were not new. We regarded this as a lapse. Atoka enhanced the development of print media advertisement in Yoruba. The editors deserved applause for this laudable initiative as they took it upon themselves to translate the ad (advertisement) copies into Yoruba language to the delight of the advertisers, the financial gains of WABP and the corporate value of Atoka as a print medium. Atoka also promoted the culture of script writing among theatre practitioners as against the improvisational techniques which they were used to. This practice helped to prepare them for the next level o f film production. Similarly, the practice of going to locations for shooting of Atoka plays and its associated experiences, no doubt, prepared the artistes in advance and enhanced their performances in later years at film locations. 5. The Atoka Series Atoka was a distinct phase in the Ogunde dramatic tradition. The implication of this was that it was Hubert Ogunde, the doyen of theatre himself, who also pioneered Atoka. It was a household name in the entire South west and other parts of Nigeria particularly in the North. Its impact was also vivid across the West African borders. Atoka ceased production in 1991 though its fortune had started nose­ diving shortly before then. Its demise was partly precipitated by the advent of the home-video and its wide and instant acceptance. Home video tradition was quite appealing to the masses in that it was an innovation, which was quite new and strange to the people. Also, like Atoka, it was quite convenient and less tasking. It was very comfortable to sit back and watch drama production in the comfort of one's sitting room or a beer parlour, restaurant, hotel, etc. as the case may be. Unfortunately, the economic downturn of the 1980s had caught up with Atoka so its production cost had risen with the astronomical 599 IBADAN UNIVERSITY LIBRARY A Historical Treatise ofA toka Photoplay Magazine increase in the prices of paper, ink, and other printing consumables. The overhead costs has also jumped which all impacted negatively on the entire production cost and selling price. For instance, the cover price of Atoka which was stable at 50 kobo from 1979 shot up and doubled its price to N1.00 in 1986 and by 1991, a copy of Atoka was being sold for N1.50. It would be recalled that the advent of home-video did not only harm the fortune o f Atoka, it practically killed stage drama. Like the proverbial cobra which kills its own mother, the home-video came and killed Atoka and particularly the stage drama which was its forebear. Nevertheless, it should be noted that Atoka had prepared the average Yoruba drama audience for the home video. In all, Atoka had five editors from its birth to demise.12 Segun Sofowote and Abimbade Olalekan Oladejo (Abim) 13 were recruited at the same time. The role of the editor was central and pivotal to the production of Atoka. The editor o f Atoka known as Olotiiu was the brain behind every production and of course the backbone of the venture. He is the instant rallying point for other collaborating professionals. He is the ‘alpha and omega’ of every production as each edition began from him and ended with him. The Olotiiu was responsible for determining the particular title to be produced. He arranged for the performance and shooting of the play production at the various locations. He directed and supervised the composition of the artwork which entailed developing the negatives of the pictures taken at locations, selecting the pictures that would make the production, composing the story from the pictures, constructing the matching dialogues, determining the production sizes of each photograph, editing and proof-reading the artwork and its eventual approval for press. It must be noted that the editor determined the title of each production; while he could agree with the working title given by the theatre company, he could also change it entirely. He also determined all their supporting columns. One major relief for production cost was advertisement. The various companies that advertised in Atoka helped to lessen the burden of the cost of production. Of all the companies that advertised in Atoka, it was Patterson & Zochonis (PZ) that stood most solidly behind the magazine through its frequent advertisement of Cafenol, APC Elerin, Robb, Venus cream, etc. Atoka was very profitable initially. At its inception, it was a major source of income for WABP as its proceed was sufficient for the payment of salary 600 IBADAN UNIVERSITY LIBRARY A deniyi A kangbe for the organisation's workforce. The commission that was being paid to the theatre groups was also tangible. For instance, the late Oyin Adejobf procured a brand new Peugeot car on collecting his royalty from WABP on one o f his play productions. 14 Several theatre practitioners patronised Atoka. The queue of titles was usually endless. The notable and popular artistes with Atoka included Hubert Ogunde, Duro Ladipo, Kola Ogunmola, Akin Ogungbe, Oyin Adejobi, Isola Ogunsola ((Dr. I. Sho Pepper), Jimo Aliu. Lere Paimo, Ayinla Olumegbon, Ray Eyiwumi, Femi Oyewumi, Bayo Laleye, Moses Omilani, etc. Atoka had a definite format. It was 32 pages, not a page more and not a page less. It should be noted that two methods were adopted to catch up with the rising cost of production in the latter days of Atoka. The first measure was the reduction in the size o f Atoka from foolscap size to A4 size. This was to reduce the paper consumption and thereby cut down the costs of films, plates, impression (printing), and of course paper - both for the inner texts and the cover. The second measure was the reproduction of the old plays. The plays that had been produced long ago were reprinted. 15 This measure eliminated the entire origination costs. The cost of going to the location, shooting, recording and snapping pictures at locations, including the overhead costs, were eliminated. Also, the costs of films and plates were also saved significantly. It was only the cost of paper and printing that were expended. This was a good relief tactic. On the whole, Atoka produced one hundred and twenty (120) volumes which amounted to four hundred and thirty (430) series. It should be noted that series 398 to 430 which were predominantly a reproduction of some of the popular old titles were produced in A4 size. CONCLUSION This paper has critically examined the historical factors that gave rise to the evolution and development of Atoka photoplay magazine. It has been established that a number of magazines were precursors of Atoka notable among which were primarily African Film and secondarily Magnet. It was also established that the staff of Atoka, particularly the editors, were critical factors in the development and production of the photoplay magazine. A number of factors accounted for the meteoric rise and acceptance of Atoka and similarly, a number of other crucial factors also aided its demise. Apart from Atoka, 601 IBADAN UNIVERSITY LIBRARY A Historical Treatise of Atoka Photoplay Magazine other photoplay magazines came up which included Kayeft, Ibitkun Alawada, Atona and Atoka Alaroye. None of these however could survive and make concrete social and economic impact as Atoka did. Notes 1. Alagba Muri'tala Oyewole Olowomojuore made this categorical submission during the first interview session I had with him in his residence at Akobo-Oju irin area in Ibadan on Sunday July 1, 2007. 2. This submission was also made by Alagba Muri'tala Oyewple Olowomojuore. 3. These submissions were made by Alagba Laoye Eegunjobi, a former editor o f Atoka and a retired Baptist Reverend. He stated this during my first scheduled interview with him on Wednesday 7th October, 2009 at his residence at Aawe, Oyo State. 4. Mr. Abimbade Oladejo1 the pioneer photographer, made this submission on Thursday 20th June, 2013 in his residence at Block 269, Amuwo-Odofin Housing Estate, Mile 2, Lagos State, during an interview he granted the researcher. 5. Pa. Segun Sofowote discussed extensively with the researcher how Atoka began, its formative experience and the role played by each of the pioneering staff. He recalled vividly the maiden production at J.K. Randle Hall. The interview was held at Grail land in Ajuwon area o f Lagos on Wednesday 17th April, 2013. 6. This was also revealed by Pa. Segun Sofowote on Wednesday 17th April, 2013. 7. Mr. Abimbade Oladejo recalled that he was the one who suggested the name Atoka and it was well received by others. Mr. Sofofowote, Mr. Laoye Egunjobi and Mr. Eniola Adeyemi all corroborated Mr. Abimbade Oladejo’s submission during the researcher’s interview with them at various times. 8. This was a functional and philosophical view expressed o f Atoka photoplay magazine by Pa. Laoye Egunjobi in his country home at Aawe in Oyo State on Wednesday 28th November, 2012. That was the second extensive interview session he granted me. 9. Professor Ogundeji revealed this in his house on Saturday September 1, 2012 during one o f the numerous discussion sessions he granted me on the Atoka project. 10. Pa. Segun Sofowote also made this revelation during the interview. 11. This was revealed by Laoye Egunjobi on Wednesday 7th October, 2009 at Aawe during the first interview session he granted me. 12. These were Mr. Segun Sofowote, 1967 - 1972; Mr. Laoye Egunjobi, 1968 - 1978; Mr. Oyeewole Olowomojuore, 1975 -1979; Oba Adebolu Fatunmise, 1978 - 1981; and Mr. Eniola Adeyemi, 1979 - 1991. This research also studied the pioneering photographer, Mr. Abimbade Olalekan Oladejo (Abim), 1967 - 1972. 13. Mr. Segun Sofowote joined WABP in 1967 when he set up a strong structure for Atoka. He was at the helms o f affairs o f Atoka till 1972when he was mandated to start another magazine named Lagos Life. He was in charge o f Lagos Life till 1974 when he resigned from WABP. Mr. Abimbade Olalekan Oladejo popularly called ‘Abim’ was the pioneering photographer o f Atoka. Like Segun Sofowote his boss, he also joined in 1967 and was moved as a pioneering photographer to Lagos Life. So he left Atoka in 1972 along with other crew comprising Mr. Segun Sofowote as editor, Mr. J.O. Onifade as Advert Manager, and Mr. Jide Salisu as Graphic Artist. Mr. Abimbade Olalekan Qladejo, like Sofowote, also quitted WABP in 1974. 602 IBADAN UNIVERSITY LIBRARY A deniyl A kangbe 14. This was the submission o f Mr. Eniola Adeyemi during an interview session the researcher had with him on Monday 30th May, 2011. The interview was conducted in his house at No. 2, Yisa Street, Kudeyibu Estate, Ijegun, Alimoso Local Government Area, Lagos State. 15. This was also confirmed by Mr. Eniola Adeyemi. Some o f the reprinted editions were Oba Koso by Duro Ladipo, (Volume 112); Ikunle Abiamo by Ayinla Oliimegbon, (Volume 113); Omuti by Kola Ogunmola, (Volume 114); Akobi Olddgbe by Oyin Adejobl, (Volume 115); etc. REFERENCES Adeleke, D. A. (1995) “Audience Reception of Yoruba Films”. PhD Thesis, University of Ibadan. Adeoye, A. A. (1984) “The Theatre and Plays ofLere Paimo: An appraisal”. Unpublished M.A. Project, Dept, of Linguistics and Nigerian Languages, University o f Ibadan, Ibadan. Akangbe, C. A. (2005) From the Stage to Motion Pictures: The Changing Phases of Lere Paimo Theatre. M.A. Project, Department of Linguistics and African Languages, University of Ibadan, Ibadan. Akangbe, C. A. (2014) History, Production and Content of Atoka Photoplay Magazine. PhD Thesis, University of Ibadan. Arohunmolase, L. O. (1982) “Jimoh Aliu Cultural Group Travelling Theatre: A critical study”. Unpublished M.A. Project, Department of Linguistics and Nigerian Languages, University of Ibadan. Bolaji, W. A. A. (1985) “Isola Ogunsola’s Travelling Theatre: A critical study. Unpublished M.A. Project, Dept, of Linguistics and Nigerian Languages, University of Ibadan. Ogundeji, P. A. (1981) The Plays of Oyin Adejobi: An Introduction. MA. Project, Department of Linguistics and African Languages, University of Ibadan. 603 IBADAN UNIVERSITY LIBRARY A Historical Treatise o f Atoka Photoplay Magazine Internet Sources Jack Doyle, “Anna Q Nilsson, 1910s - 1920s”, PopHistoryDig.com, March 29, 2008. www.merrian-webster.com/dictionary accessed 21/09/2013. Pierce, David and Hoyt, Eric (2014) in www.mediahistorvproiect.org/fanmagazines. accessed 21/01/2014. www.chimurengalibrary.oo.za/African-film accessed 10/10/2013. Miseler, I. in www.thisdavlive.com/articles/missing-spearman accessed 21/09/2013 604 IBADAN UNIVERSITY LIBRARY