By Prisca Sam-Duru

What many do not know about Nollywood A-list actor and filmmaker, Chief Femi Branch, is that he was first a theatre veteran before the screen overshadowed that passion. He is also a poet with published poetry collection to his credit as well as a prolific dramatist trained by one of Africa’s legendary classical authors, Professor Ola Rotimi.

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Chief Branch turns golden in May 2020 and this, according to him, calls for a huge celebration. Interestingly, he is not partying but is using this golden opportunity to give back to society through mentorship. The occasion of his 50th  birthday celebration has been planned to, beginning from 3rd  April through 21st  June, hold five plays- ‘Po’, ‘Shalanga’, ‘Jungle Justice’, ‘Ankara committee’ and ‘Kunme The Musical’; in ten cities vis a vis; Ife, Akure, Ado Ekiti, Ibadan, Abeokuta, Ijebu Ode, Ikorodu, Badagry, Benin and Abuja; featuring one hundred actors. This according to the actor, also holds as the maiden edition of the annual Femi Branch Playfest, a celebration of his theatrical writings.

“When I turned 40 in 2010, I celebrated by publishing my first anthology and so, this is 50 years and it is going to be the biggest show I’ve done so far. The festival tour begins with ‘Kunme the Musical’, it will take a week break in Lagos from Monday 25, till Sunday 31st  May, for the festival proper which shall feature performances by different selected troupes of other plays- ‘Po’, ‘Shalanga’ and the others. The tour resumes on Friday 12 and ends on Sunday 21st  June in the city of Abuja. In addition, Masterclasses will hold for the different troupes and young acting talents as well as writers, selected from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife.” He hinted.

Considering how much theatre has suffered since the advent of home videos, and the need to fully revive the theatre-going culture of the people, Chief Branch noted that, “The Playfest is also in the continuation of my drive to promote live theatre through seasonal commercial performances of plays. You will agree with me that there has been a rebirth of live theatre from high profile productions such as ‘Kakadu’, ‘Queen Moremi’, ‘Fela And The Kalakuta Queen’, etc. The problem in Nigeria is always about who will start something and others will follow. Most of us started when there was no money in the profession. So, what we are doing now, is a continuation of what we have been doing.”

Wondering what Kunme is all about and why it was chosen as the Festival play, he explained that “’ Kunme the musical’ is the story of Queen Esther retold. I saw some things in the story that got me interested in it. Aside from the gallant efforts of the young queen towards the liberation of his people, there are lots of humour especially with the King who was power drunk. But then, this play is set in Badagry with Egun names as cast. It was chosen as the Festival play to celebrate my mother whose name is Kunme and she’s from Badagry. The play is also looking at women/girls empowerment. I mean, look at Queen Esther, a young girl who laid down her life for her people. Her story celebrates our women folks and lets me say this, we are deceiving ourselves if we still regard women as the weaker sex.”

For Branch, all this is a way of giving back to society and building a legacy. “We will witness a rebranding. As you know, actor never grows old. So, I will never stop acting. The stage is my passion and background, and I strong know that that passion will never die. At the moment, I’m looking back at where I am coming from and I’m being more conscious of legacy. You know when one is young, you could be carried away by distractions but at this point in my life, I’m concerned about the legacy I’ll leave behind. I’m grateful to God for how far he has brought me so, I want to be remembered for impacting the young ones. It’s like a gift. It’s not always about money but training and this is the best one can give to aspiring individuals in the creative industry. You hear me talk about Ola Rotimi all the time it’s because he developed time for me, that’s why every opportunity I get, I celebrate him. So I’ll like to be remembered by these mentees in like manner.”

On why the ten cities chosen to be toured are in the South West region of the country, except Abuja, the actor explained that the cities chosen “Are significant in my life. Experiences that shaped my life and career, took place in those cities. However, there are plans to take the annual tour around the country as long as the fund is made available.”

Vanguard