LARI WILLIAMS: Twilight of A Theatre Titan

The allure of the cultural climax experienced at FESTAC ’77 kept the accomplished actor, poet, and theatre director, Lari Williams’ feet on Nigerian soil until his death at the age of 81, says Yinka Olatunbosun

“I came home on the invitation of the Nigerian government for FESTAC ‘77 and I have not left since then,” Lari Williams once said during an interview. Nigeria was indeed the place to be in 1977, when it hosted the second World Festival of Black and African Arts and Culture. Described as the cultural climax of the Pan-African movement, it attracted musicians, dancers, fashion designers, artists and writers from no fewer than 70 countries. The month-long event was Olympic-styled, consuming an equivalent of billions of dollars in today’s money. The spirit of love and hope rented the air and Lari Williams decided to remain in Nigeria to teach drama at the National Theatre, then a world-class 5000-capacity edifice which reportedly took 12 years of planning.

Williams would soon discover the façade of a good life he had plunged himself into. In 1983, he joined the political party The Movement of The People as the vice presidential candidate to Fela Anikulapo-Kuti who was its presidential aspirant. They wanted a change; they fought against corruption. 

Before his foray into politics, he had established himself as a journalist, theatre artist and a poet. He was educated at CMS Grammar School, Lagos and was the first actor to ever perform on top of Zuma Rock in Abuja FCT, 1,200 feet high, where he performed his late friend, Maman Vatsa’s poem “The Bird that Sings in the Rain.”

 He studied journalism at the London School of Journalism, Park Lane. He proceeded to Morley College to study English, where he developed interest in drama. He proceeded to study drama at Mountview Theatre School, London. In order to become a professional actor, Lari went to Stratford E15 Acting School, England. 

“But what I found out there is that really, drama is not a thing to teach in the university,” he mused. “Drama should have its place abroad in places like England and even America. They have drama schools, some they call acting schools.”

While in England he set up a group named Calabash Artists, but later on, he moved to the University of Iowa in America. He forged a strong network with Nigerian artists in the diaspora and later featured seasoned actors such as Olu Jacobs, Taiwo Ajai-Lycett, Dele Jegede in his play ‘Kolanut Junction.’ On the Nigerian television scene, he made his mark starring in soaps like the Village Headmaster, Ripples and Mirror in the Sun. As a playwright, some of Williams’ published works include plays like Black Current, Storm Baby, Kolanut Junction and Heartlines. He was the first to bring the dreaded Lagos Island masquerade ‘Egun Lapampa’ on stage in his play production titled ‘Awero.’

As one who loved to train younger actors, he established his troupe Lari Williams Play House in Lagos and later in Calabar, which was a theatre of ‘edutainment’ specialising in music, poems, dance and acting. 

Williams was also very fascinated by drums and played gangan, bata, omele as well as the talking drum. He was described by his first son, Femi, as a ‘perfectionist’ in his professional life which explained why he didn’t care too much about material benefits. 

He ran the column in the Vanguard Newspapers called Stage & Screens for over 28 years. During his lifetime, Williams received a prestigious national honour as a Member of the Order of the Federal Republic in 2008. Williams was the inaugural president of the Actors’ Guild of Nigeria (AGN) and had a career that spanned over five decades and a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award and a Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR).

Sadly, in 2015, his health deteriorated. He was suffering from low vision. He could have amassed some wealth for himself while in public service but he didn’t. While calling for help from the public, he told journalists what they already know about many of these legends who had returned home during the time of FESTAC ’77 on the federal government’s invitation.

“We served this country and helped to build the entertainment sector that a lot of people are benefitting from today, but there is nothing for people like me to show for it. Most of us are left unsung, because of the kind of structure that is being run, we should be having benefits like the civil servants. In other climes, artists live on government subventions and are structured in such a way that they earn from their creative works.

“The present government should be very careful in whom it will appoint as ministers, that it will send to the arts sector. We need hands-on individuals to be made ministers. Government needs to have time for the creative sector so that it can have a voice, arts has been an unfortunate ministry. It is well-structured, then we can stop dying poor.”

After his outcry, a non-governmental organization named The Purple Ribbon Care Foundation came to his aid by securing a two-bedroom apartment for the actor who had reportedly lived in his office for three years. The foundation would later reveal that a N2m donation was made to the charity cause by the founder of Omega Fire Ministries Worldwide, Apostle Johnson Suleiman. Williams was able to secure a two-bedroom flat with N700,000. 

Much later, the actor received a two year-lecturing contract with the University of Calabar (UNICAL) to teach drama and acting, particularly speech and acting technique. After a brief illness, he died in his hometown, Ikom, Cross-River.

His death has sent some ripples into the creative community in Nigeria and the diaspora. Reacting to the sad news, the National President, Actors Guild of Nigeria, Ejezie Emeka Rollas paid a tribute to the die-hard professional.

‘He stood apart from whatever vantage position we knew him, as someone special. Chief Lari Williams’ death is a colossal loss to Africa’s creative industry.

“This is indeed a grieving moment for the creative industry as we mourn the passing of a creative icon,” he stated in a press release.

Shaibu Husseini who enjoyed mentorship from Williams described him as a consummate dramatist. “I think we have just lost a legend that can be described as a consummate dramatist. He was a writer, actor, poet, performance poet, and a drummer,” he said.  “He was everything around the performance space. He lived his life as a dramatist and died as a dramatist. He was very passionate about the arts. My first encounter with him was in the 90s when I came to Lagos from Ssosa. He was performing a role in Mirror in the Sun followed The Lari Playhouse.

“I followed him up and I started documenting him. When Jahman was an editor, he was able to give us four pages for us to run an interview with him. I think It was when he clocked 60. It was before the digital era. I had kept in touch with him since that time and even before the time and the news of his death shocked me.

“Last week, he still called me to help him get a column that he wrote for Vanguard about 30 years ago. He wanted to run the column on another medium. He didn’t sound like he was ill. I knew he had moved to his hometown. I got the news when I called his number for feedback and someone picked me to say he had passed on. We have lost a true legend.”