CHIEF OBAFEMI AWOLOWO & CHIEF HUBERT OGUNNDE

A Historic Handshake: Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Chief Hubert Ogunde After the “Yoruba Ronu” Command Performance (1966)

This historic photograph captures two towering figures in Nigerian history — Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Chief Hubert Ogunde — shaking hands on September 28, 1966, after a command performance of Ogunde’s politically charged play “Yoruba Ronu” at the British Council Hall in Ibadan. The moment symbolizes a meeting of intellect, art, and leadership at a time of deep political and cultural transformation in Nigeria.

Chief Obafemi Awolowo, standing on the left, was one of Nigeria’s foremost nationalists and political thinkers. Born in 1909 in Ikenne, Ogun State, Awolowo emerged as a visionary leader who shaped modern governance in Western Nigeria. As the first Premier of the Western Region (1954–1960), he introduced revolutionary policies in education, healthcare, and rural development, most notably launching the Free Primary Education program — the first of its kind in Africa. Later, during the Nigerian Civil War (1967–1970), he served as Federal Commissioner for Finance and Vice President of the Federal Executive Council, guiding national fiscal policies during a critical era.

On the right stands Chief Hubert Ogunde (1916–1990), widely celebrated as the Father of Nigerian Theatre. Ogunde was a dramatist, actor, composer, and cultural reformer whose plays blended music, dance, and dialogue to address colonial oppression, corruption, and social justice. In 1945, he founded the Ogunde Theatre, Nigeria’s first professional theatrical company, which toured extensively across West Africa. His 1964 play “Yoruba Ronu” (“Yoruba Think”) was both a cultural masterpiece and a political statement — urging unity and self-reflection among the Yoruba people amid postcolonial political rivalries.

The handshake between Awolowo and Ogunde carried deep symbolic meaning. Yoruba Ronu had been banned by the Western Region government two years earlier due to its perceived political undertones, but by 1966, the performance was reinstated. Awolowo’s congratulatory handshake represented reconciliation and mutual respect between political leadership and artistic expression.

This encounter remains an iconic moment in Nigeria’s cultural and political history — a reminder of how art and politics intertwined to shape national consciousness during the post-independence years.

Sources:

National Archives of Nigeria, Ibadan Photo Collection (1966)

Obafemi Awolowo: The Political Moses by Wale Adebanwi (2014)

Hubert Ogunde: The Making of the Nigerian Theatre by Ebun Clark (1979)

The Guardian Nigeria Archives (1966 Reprint Feature on “Yoruba Ronu”)