The long-anticipated 50th anniversary of ‘Village Headmaster’ by the Village Headmaster Family (VHMF) comprising the crew and cast of the rested TV series in partnership with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), has finally commenced.
The ‘Village Headmaster’ documentary was broadcast last Wednesday while the command performance of a stage play titled ‘Double Speak’ holds today, October 28 by 6 pm at Terra Kulture Arena, Victoria Island, Lagos. Veteran cast members and Nollywood stars are featuring in the production directed by Tunji Bamisigbin.
The celebration continues on Tuesday, October 29 with a roundtable themed ‘Drama- a tool for National Development’ at Wole Soyinka Hall, Freedom Park, Broad Street, Lagos Island by 10 am.
Acclaimed as Nigeria’s first and longest-running TV drama series, ‘Village Headmaster’ started as a radio programme in Ibadan, Western Nigeria in 1958 with the late Chief Segun Olusola as creator and producer.
It debuted on TV in 1968 under the direction of Sanya Dosunmu, now the Olowu of Owu Kingdom, Ogun State. Dosunmu and other producers and scriptwriters including Dejumo Lewis, the inimitable Uncle Ted Mukoro, Demola James, Fela Davies, Nelson Olawaye and Alex Akinyele, turned it into a toast of Nigerians. But sadly, most of the original works have been reported lost over the years because of poor archiving practices.