Moses Adeyemo, popularly known as Bala Sala, died on Sunday, October 7, 2018 at the age of 81. He was an entertainer and legend that dedicated his life to comedy and music. For many Nigerians, Baba Sala was the epitome of comedy, and he was largely regarded as the grandfather of Nigeria’s modern comedians.
Interestingly, Baba Sala started his career in the entertainment industry as a Highlife musician and credited for tutoring many musicians including Prince Sunday Adegeye, popularly known as Sunny Ade. Baba Sala later was left music for acting and performing a brand of comedy that fused singing with clownish antics.
In his time, Baba Sala produced and played lead roles in various movies for cinema and television including Orun Mooru, Aare Agbaye, Mosebolatan, Obee Gbona, Diamond, Agba Man, Return Match, and Ana Gomina. But one of his best works was Orun Mooru – a big budget movie -which was filmed in 1980 on celluloid, one of the best technologies for shooting movies at the time. Sadly, the movie was pirated and then found its way into many homes through the Video Home System. The piracy caused Baba Sala many problems and almost ruined his career.
One of Baba Sala’s children, Emmanuel Adejumo, tells FEMI MAKINDE about the iconic Orun Mooru and how the pirated movie affected his father and his career.
What will you miss most about Baba Sala?
