Part one, scene one
@ OAU Staff Club House

The purpose of venturing into Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile–Ife, Osun State, on that Friday, January 27, was to have an exclusive interview with one of the most prodigious and consistent artists of diverse talents who God almighty has blessed this country with, the ebullient and effervescent Jimi Solanke, a wonderful musician, enigmatic playwright and artist, nationalist par excellence, human rights activist, consummate actor, author, poet, songs writer and a story teller.

Uncle Jimi possesses all the hallmarks of the Child of Edumare, which those in his category are popularly referred to as abami (enigmatic).
Any person who Olodumare has given the talents to distinguish the chosen children of Orisa from the others made by Obatala would easily pick those features from the physical contraption of the man called Jimi Solanke.

The guttural voice, the gait (as if some unseen forces are pushing him to deflect here and there)  and, most poignantly, the generic eye balls  which dilate unusually  menacingly in their sockets would all make a keen observer of the face to tell you that this is a strange man.
Indeed, Uncle Solanke is really strange, an Abami personified.

The reporter got to the agreed venue where the interview was to take place, the Obafemi Awolowo University Staff Club, located, off Road 7, at 6.30 pm, two hours late, due to traffic congestion on the Ibadan–Lagos expressway.

Uncle Jimi had been waiting at the bar decked in a  well polished and cut designer suit, with an Omega wrist watch on his left hand.

“I am sorry, Uncle, we were held back by the monstrous traffic on the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway,” I explained.

“No problem at all. I have been waiting for you all day. But the issue is that we have to shift the interview to something around 9 p.m, because  I am billed to perform for an association of pediatricians  holding its conference party at Chris Ogunbadejo Hall, just a walking distance to this place. If you don’t mind, I will  appreciate  if you can acquiesce with my suggestion.”

And I quickly agreed to his proposal. “Yes, Sir 9:00pm is okay by me.”

He then ordered for a bottle of wine, which was served for all.

As the last pint out of the bottle was emptied, Uncle Jimi strolled out of the bar and walked steadily to the hall, where the seasoned physicians gathered for their annual conference.

As soon as he left, we quickly ordered for another bottle of wine, gulped it,  and ventured into the world of Great Ife, the most beautiful university campus in Africa.

Act one, Scene two
After having rollicking moments at the new bukateria in the campus, we returned to the OAU Staff Club by 9:00pm, only to be told that Uncle Jimi was still entertaining the physicians.

We took a trip of some metres into the Chris Ogunbadejo Hall and behold, Uncle Jimi was at his best, dishing out melodious songs and dancing to the rhythm  of the beat as dictated by his boys.

His performance was so electrifying and eclectic that the physicians had no choice than to rise up from their seats and dance to good music dished out by the master himself.

The pediatricians proved that they were not only good inside the labour room but they too know how to wriggle their waist, tap the floor with their toes and gyrate to the scintillating beat of  good music.

They were thrilled so well that time flew away and knocked the door of 11am when, the beat was finally stopped.

Act one: scene three
Back to OAU Staff Club
We came back to the Staff Club after at 11:30pm.  By this time, the two gates of the campus had already closed. We decided to conduct the interview there  but Uncle Jimi had a meeting with his band boys in preparation for another engagement next day.

After the meeting, the hands of nature gripped everyone.

However, by 4:00 am, the television was switched on and it was that morning that Channels TV was celebrating the tragic death of Enencha, who was murdered by the Boko Harem’s zealots.

As the picture of the slain journalist was spread on the screen, Uncle Jimi  burst into tears!

“See how they wasted this young, promising and resourcefully daring talent?”

He sobbed, then cried and later stood up and observed a minutes silence for the late journalist.

The callousness of Boko Haram  was the discussion on the floor that morning, until 6:00am, when the  campus gates were opened and Uncle Jimi re–scheduled the interview for 10:00 am in his house.

Act Two : Scene One
As  Uncle Jimi departed homeward in expectation of our visit, we also took a quick tour of the campus.

And by 9:45 am, we were at Uncle Jimi’s House , located at  off Hezekiah Oluwasanmi Road, Ile–Ife.

Sitting behind a table were works of arts, which he referred to as Surrealism,while there were many others were hung on the wall, as many carved and sculptured images and effigies littered the room.

“Welcome to my house of tourism, he said warmly.

So How do you see the artist as tourism buff?
Thanks. The artist is a paragon of tourism. All he does is touristic. The way he paints, the way  he sings and how he carves wood to form various images  are all tourism-driven  ingridients.Tourism and art are Siamese twins which are inseparable.”

“The basis of a man who leaves his country or his place of domicle to visit another country is to experience a different situation and environment . He will be interested to see how the people dress, what they eat, what are the pattern of behavior. The  language, the art society and the natural wonders. Artists are those people the tourists are more likely to see. Art is the soul of tourism. It lubricates the sector and keeps it alive. A major percentage of tourists are driven by their passion for works of art, the works of dead artists, their left overs and so many others.

Even when the physical tourism structures are to be planted, it is the artists that are always involved in conceptualising the plan,  the design, the shape and the décor.

So are you saying that the relationship between the art community in Nigeria and tourism authority is smooth?
I must confess that there is no relationship between these two bodies. Tourism handlers in this country have no clear vision of what tourism is. They don’t recognise artists as partners in progress of tourism development. It is just of late that Chief Olusegun Runsewe, the Director–General, Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation, Chief Olusegun Runsewe, started involving the Nollywood artists in some tourism events. Unfortunately, these Nollywood artistes are not it. They are striving hard to copy Hollywood. They could not observe how Bollywood has maintained its dignity and respect. But, you  know, the artists will always strive to maintain his uniqueness and niche, which is the point of attraction to others. Every artist is unique and always strives for excellence because without that, there is no recognition and fame. It is these various uniqueness that tourism handlers should explore and exploit to sell the nation and attract tourists.

What are the major things you wish tourism authorities should do to make the artists relevant?
Let me tell you, most of the tourism sites are bereft of the art works that could sell the places. When you are going through our airports, how much Nigerian work of arts do you see? In most of these tourism handler’s offices, what you see there are exotic foreign art works which have no relevance to nature.  These public places must be decked with authentic Nigerian art works capable of selling these tourism sites.

But what you see are Toronto and fake art works selling other countries. I have travelled all over the world. I have been to Rome, Paris, Senegal and Kenya. These countries utilise their artists and arts very well to sell their country and create interest in the visitor, right from the airport.

What is your take on tourism now?
For me, I have acquired a 8–hectare of land in Ipara Remo where I have started constructing my own cultural–tourism village. This is going to be one of the best touris sites in Nigeria. I have over eight thousands items made up of art works, artifacts, sculptures  and historical materials which any visitor to the country will love to see. I am just taking my time. But very soon, Ipara will occupy a place in the tourism chart of the world.

Are Nigerians ready to embrace tourism?
Nigerians are not ready. And the reason is that there has never been a conscientious attempt at creating the awareness and making people understand the import of tourism. I have been to the major tourism sites in Nigeria and I realised most people around these sites are in oblivion of the essence of what they have. Most of these people do not have the tourism culture of hospitality, smile and enthusiasm.

They don’t care about the economic relevance of these sites. This is what our tourism administrators should embarked upon. Tourism is about the common people. Tourism is not over there but on the ground. Let the various tourism authorities buck up and fine-tune their goals and vision to enable Nigeria and Nigerians tap the benefits of tourism. They should stop propagating tourism on the air as tourism is on ground.