Obafemi Lasode

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Wikipedia

Obafemi Lasode
Born(1955-12-04)4 December 1955
Port Harcourt, Nigeria
Died24 July 2025(2025-07-24) (aged 69)
CitizenshipNigerian
Alma materBrooklyn College, City University of New York
Occupations
  • Musician
  • songwriter
  • playwright
  • film producer
  • director
Years active1983–2025
Notable workSango

Obafemi Lasode Listenⓘ (4 December 1955 – 24 July 2025) was a Nigerian musician, film director and producer, songwriter, music producer and playwright.[1] He was the chief executive officer of Even-Ezra Nigeria Limited, the stable that produced an award-winning movie titled Sango in 1997.[2][3]

Early life

Obafemi Bandele Lasode was born on 4 December 1955 in Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers State, Nigeria but hailed from Abeokuta, a city in Ogun State southwestern Nigeria.[4]

He attended St. Gregory's College at Obalende in Lagos State, where he obtained the West African Senior School Certificate.[5] He later obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Business administration from Kogod School of Business, Washington, D.C.[6] Thereafter, he obtained a Master of Science degree in Communication art from Brooklyn College, City University of New York.[7]

Career

Lasode joined the services of Inner City Broadcasting Corporation, New York City, in 1983 as a Promotions Coordinator, where he hosted Sonny Okosuns in 1984 at the world-famous Apollo Theater in Harlem.[8]

He produced the African music programme Afrika in Vogue on Radio Nigeria 2, which ran from the first quarter of 1989 for a year.[9] In 1995, he established Afrika 'n Vogue/Even-Ezra Studios.[9]

In 1997, he produced and directed an award-winning African epic titled Sango, a film that was selected to open the Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Film Festival in 2002.[10] He authored a book titled Television Broadcasting: The Nigerian Experience (1959–1992),[11] currently in use in Nigerian universities.[12]

Death

Lasode died on 24 July 2025, at the age of 69.[13]

Filmography

  • Sango (1997)
  • Mask of Mulumba (1998)
  • Lishabi
  • Tears of Slavery

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Femi Lasode set to raise the bar with Stolen Treasures". The Sun News. 9 March 2014. Archived from the original on 18 January 2015. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  2. ↑ "Lasode Returns to Nollywood, Builds Nigeria's First Film Village with N25million". Starconnect Media. 26 January 2014. Archived from the original on 18 January 2015. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
  3. ↑ Joel E. Tishken; Toyin Falola; Akíntúndé Akínyẹmí, eds. (2009). Ṣàngó in Africa and the African Diaspora. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press. p. 141. ISBN 978-0253220943. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
  4. ↑ Jonathan Haynes, ed. (2000). Nigerian Video Films. Ohio University Center for International Studies. ISBN 9780896802117. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
  5. ↑ "Femi Lasode speaks on SANGO The legendary Afrikan King at 10". The Nigerian Voice. 5 July 2008. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
  6. ↑ Ebere Onwudiwe; Minabere Ibelema, eds. (2003). Afro-optimism: Perspectives on Africa's Advances. Praeger. p. 37. ISBN 9780275975869. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
  7. ↑ "Only advancement of technology can curb piracy -FEMI LASODE". nigeriatell.com. Archived from the original on 18 January 2015. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
  8. ↑ "About the director — Obafemi Bandele Lasode". African Film Festival New York. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
  9. 1 2 "Obafemi Lasode", International Contest 2000 – Artist's Page, A Song For Peace in the World.
  10. ↑ "Femi Lasode: Life after Sango". The Punch – Nigeria's Most Widely Read Newspaper. Archived from the original on 18 January 2015. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
  11. ↑ Obafemi Lasode, Television Broadcasting: The Nigerian Experience (1959–1992), Caltop Publications (Nig.), 1993, ISBN 978-9783165335, at Amazon.
  12. ↑ Mahir Saul; Ralph A. Austen, eds. (2010). Viewing African Cinema in the Twenty-First Century. Ohio University Press. p. 24. Retrieved 18 January 2015. Television broadcasting: The Nigerian Experience (1959–1992).
  13. ↑ BREAKING! Femi Lasode dies at 70