African-American filmmaker and author, Lloyd Weaver has died aged 83.
TV producer, Aderemi Ogunpitan, announced Weaver’s demise in a Facebook post on Monday.
The post read in part: “Olalekan Babalola just sent the information that Baba Lloyd Weaver has passed on to return his ancestors. The news was a sad one. I learnt so much from this creative, loving and gentle soul who gave so much to the Nigerian creative Industry… I learnt so much from him, and he remained a mentor until his death…He was a great educator and will be missed.”
Weaver, who grew up in Harlem, United States and read journalism and theatre at Kent State University from 1963 till 1966, spent 15 years working in the country before coming to Nigeria, where he spent 32 years.
He was an active player in the civil rights/Black empowerment movement before becoming Managing Editor of The New York Voice and Contributing Editor to New York Magazine.
He joined CBS News in 1968 to produce news and documentaries, including a 105-part series on African and African American history for WCBS-TV. The late author then worked on The CBS Evening News, 60 Minutes, Sunday Morning, The Morning News, and CBS News Special Events.
Around 1984, he travelled to Nigeria to train the staff at the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and later established Swift Studios in 1987. He was a mentor to several producers and actors including Ogunpitan and Funke Akindele,
He was also the Managing Director of The Serengeti Network Limited, a full-service film and television production company in Lagos.
His work includes ‘I Need to Know’, MNET sponsored dramatic films, ‘Twins of The Rain Forest’ and ‘A Place Called Home.’ He returned to the US in 2015 aged 77 and continued working until his demise.
Two of Weaver’s published works are ‘Iwa Rere: Morality in Yoruba Traditional Religion’ and ‘Yemonja: Tranquil Seas, Turbulent Tides.”
