10 Jan 2008 |
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| Remembering The Nollywood Actor Joseph Terhemba
Adekwagh
Some few weeks ago, I got a call from a friend, Makinde Adeniran, announcing to me that Joe dear Joseph Terhemba Adekwagh, had passed away. He had slumped during an event in Lagos. I promptly switched off my phone in total disbelieve. I did not want to believe what I heard was true. But alas, whether I ran away from the truth or stayed to accept it, the truth remains that Joseph Terhemba Adekwagh, known to me simply as “Joe Adekwa” fell, like the fathers before him, and like the fathers before the father of his fore-fathers, he fell down in graceful slump on his beloved stage; laid asleep doing what he loved doing most and on the platform that bequeathed an elegant sevareature of the art but he did not intend to come back and smile at us in his usual characteristics smiles again. Newspaper announcements, internet publications, public circles, all gather to remind me that I could run, but I could not hide from accepting to hear the fate of Joseph Terhemba Adekwagh. Okay, Joe, this is how you want to do things. I accept, I cannot challenge you, I must accept your fate and move on. Joe, one thing should be clear, I am not a praise singer. No. And I don’t keep my mouth shut to run down the dead folks who visited us with mystery before they depart. Ask some of the living people to tell you of my opinion of Honorable Safana (“What is the Befitting Epitaph for Hon. Safana?”). I will not tell anyone how wonderful you are if you are not. Get that clear. I remember you today because it is one of the noblest things to do to a noble person like you; a man that I admired and cherished so very much. If you will remember very well Joe, the first time we met was “Under the Tree” at the National theatre. I had been a connoisseur of the open theater and you had been an master actor, dancer and communicator on the stage. I patronized your art a lot. I saw loads of them and I never failed to tell you what I found wonderful about your skills and art. I remember that each time I criticize you, you always smiled and said thank you. Even when I noticed that some of your “blockings” were better in previous performance than the current one, you never failed to accept, remarked at my detailed observation and then explained why what was what! Since then you grew to have some strange respect for me which I still owe you for till date. You have thus made it impossible for me to repay you what I owe you. Whenever we met, you had these nice smiles for me; you always got up to shake my hands very warmly as though I was “one big boy” worthy of such recognition. You were NEVER a movie star or obscured personality to me… you were a friend who happened to feature on the screen, on the stage and “under the tree”. I never actually told you that I grew very fond of you because I knew you were a star- a super star actually- and I was drawn to the strange respects you gave me and the fact that you soughted my opinion and cherished it like it was something remarkable and special. Perhaps your respect was because you were created by God to come and show respects to people inspite of yourself. If this was your mission, good lord Joe you played it very well. You played it really well. You were humble, kind, sincere, nice, generous, friendly and remarkably people-oriented. These are some of the values God seek for in the lives of His “righteous”. And you had it “plenty plenty” Joe, it was actually after watching you on the stage several times that I suddenly started to notice you on TV. We both agreed that your heart was ever on the stage not on the tube. The tube was to make money; the stage was to make love. You needed to see me when I told some of your other admirers that …”oh that guy… he is my friend… we drink together at the national theatre.” And people often looked at me as though I was lying… but I was really showing off my knowing you. Now you make it difficult for me to show off. Nevertheless, I will show off with memories of you that are and will always be forever evergreen in my heart. I have to tell you this Joe… since a couple of hours now, I had been discussing some terrible things happening in Nigeria with a friend. You needed to hear these horrible stories about armed robbery attacks on the roads night and day. And yet people are afraid to fly because of the so many air related accidents. So, armed robbers continue to enjoy free human targets on our killer roads. NEPA is not helping either, Lagos State roads and horrifying “go- slows”… so many terrible things are happening and they are sad. They make one to regret being a Nigerian in Nigeria at the moment. I heard that the elections in Kenya were trying to surpass the one we did in April 2007. But you know the nice thing about these developments; they are not your bother any more. Last night I was taking a walk in front of the Nigerian Army Pension Board and saw some people lying down all over the park sleeping. They were not beggars, they were Nigerians who had served the army and the army does not care about them; they were to sleep on the concrete floor in the park while some generals ride in the latest Peugeot car and get the biggest bedroom from our taxes! You have gone beyond all these. You are in a different pedestal and a higher one at that too. You don’t have to run to “oyinboland” to run away from the wahala here; you don’t have to get scared of medical provisions anymore… they have done their worse to you anyway. The pity is not that you are no more; the pity is for us, the living, to remain here trying to sort out our world and our lives. It is you to feel sorry for us and not us you! Joseph Terhemba Adekwagh, it is not the length of time one spends on earth, it is not about the quality of life-(vanity is vanity)- nor the noise about the demise of such life. The importance of life, my dear friend ("bros...as we call ourselves) is when such life ends, to gage the number of people who keep that life alive in their hearts and minds and who hold such departed soul in high esteem. I know, since I never had any bad experience with you, that I will keep the thoughts of you alive in my heart. I will miss you. I will come to the National theater… sit where you sat the last time I saw you, and when I do such, I will miss you more and say nice prayers for you. And you will remain alive in my heart and nice thoughts. I will always think as though I am far away from Lagos, you are in Lagos, so each moment, I don’t get to see you. I know whenever I am back, I will see you. And we shall laugh again. I am not bothered… I will see you again-here or there…. for sure Wherever you are....forget everything else and enjoy a wonderful and unimaginable rest. “BrotherMine” dele4you2@yahoo.com
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