It is the rare documentary that manages to inform, infuriate and entertain in
equal measure. Remi Vaughan-Richards has made one such film. In Faaji Agba,
she follows Kunle Tejuoso who runs Jazzhole Records in Lagos as he marshals a
group of Yoruba musicians between the ages of 68 – 85 into recalling, recapturing
and reclaiming their hey days, while attempting one big hoorah as a collective. Of
the lot, Fatai Rolling Dollar, is better known but the contribution and even
inventions of the other members – SF Olowokere, Alaba Pedro, Sina Ayinde
Bakare, Teju Baby – are just as important.
Faaji Agba has so far won the best documentary at the Africa Magic Viewers
Choice Awards and is one of the major films to be shown at Beyond Nollywood,
the festival of Nigerian cinema, as part of the British Film Institute’s Black Star
season. We spoke to the director Vaughn-Richards shortly before the festival
opened.
How much of Yoruba music did you know of or listen to before you began
working on FA?
I didn’t know as much as I do now, I always had a love of the old music but the
depth of knowledge came from mixing with “the old-boys” and from Kunle
Tejuoso. He is so knowledgeable and passionate on the subject, it is hard not tocatch his bug. Kunle is the person who brought all the guys together to form the
Faaji Agba Collective.
FA is like many bands in that they’re competitive, often petty, but when on
stage and in rhythm, they operate as one. Did you leave out any of their
arguments, quirks, problems, anything that may not reflect well on them or
their legacy?
Haha….Their challenge I think is that they were used to being leaders in their own
individual bands so it took a lot for them to have to give up that role and learn to
work together. They chose Fatai to be the ‘spiritual’ leader – in the sense that he
was the eldest but it was Bakara that was the leader when it came to producing
with Kunle to get the right sound out.
Bakare, to me, appears to be the leader of the group even though Fatai Rolling
Dollar was the eldest because he appears to have no problems checking this
ego and taking Kunle Tejuoso musical directions, calming FRD and maybe
Pedro after their fight and also happy to be a sort of tour-guide. Do you agree
with this?
He often ‘competed for attention alongside Fatai, but Fatai was a master of his
hustle. They were like to naughty schoolboys each trying to out do each other but
great friends. They had great respect for each other.
Did they want anything left out for the same reasons?Yes, but that is equally normal when you put a group of guys together, but also
the film reveals the human side of these guys but also goes into their history and
legacy.
Do you know what the members of FA make of those who have come after
them, and also what they think or would have thought of Yoruba rap?
I have no idea what they would think, but I feel they would love it because what
Kunle was trying to do in his own way was to ‘modernize/contemporise’ their
music…so yeah I think they would have embraced it.
How does the group feel about the success of their once protégées and
contemporaries like Obey, Uwaifo and Sunny Ade?
There is no collective thought on the success of their protegees. All Fatai and
Teju Baby say is that they don’t mind their music being used by other artists, he
refers here to “Easy Motion Tourist” which became associated with Sunny Ade; he
does however say they that they should be acknowledged.
What would be the best way to care for ageing musicians in Nigeria esp those
who are unable to today provide for themselves?
Lagos State, have supported some of the aging artists – Fatai was given a house,
Kokoro’s funeral was partly paid for by Lagos State. That is a tricky question.
How was the entire project funded?
Faaji Agba was done with no funds until towards the end when I had enough
content to get corporate sponsorship from First Hydrocarbon Nigeria, the GoetheInstitut and Tayo Amusan of the Palms, plus individuals who gave me funds to help
me enter festivals etc
Could you tell us about your next film project and at what development stage
it is in, if it isn’t finished?
I am currently directing a documentary series about the first generation of artist
that led the way in the contemporary art scene in Nigeria. Contemporary art in
Nigeria is categorised as those that went through formal art school in Nigeria
introduced by the British. It is a bit like Faaji Agba in that I am recording a group
of master artists who are in their 80’s….legends in the development of the
modern interpretation of contemporary art in Nigeria.
The importance of the archival work that Vaughn-Richards has undertaken
cannot be understated. It is needed and laudable. This is the type of project that
national governments should pour money into, but often takes individual zeal to
achieve. Faaji Agba is a joy to watch and so Vaughan-Richards gets full marks
from us.