Sidede Onyulo (1955–2008) was a Kenyan actor, most famous for his role as Owour in

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-winning movie ''

Nowhere in Africa ''Nowhere in Africa'' () is a 2001 German drama film that was written and directed by Caroline Link. The screenplay is based on the 1995 autobiographical novel of the same name by Stefanie Zweig. It tells the story of the life in Kenya of a Ge ...

''.

Early life

Sidede Onyulo was born Peter Sidede Onyulo in Kajulu (Kenya), attended school at Muthaiga Primary (1965–1968) and at Nairobi School (1969–1976) before enrolling at the

University of Nairobi The University of Nairobi (uonbi or UoN; ) is a college, collegiate research university based in Nairobi and is the largest List of universities and colleges in Kenya, university in Kenya. Although its history as an educational institution dat ...

where he studied law between 1975 and 1978. In 1979, Onyulo quit his law practice and decided to embrace theatre, a decision that was denounced by his friends and his family. Onyulo explained in an interview why acting had such a small number of fans in Kenya: "They think this is a career that should not be taken seriously and look down upon actors. They think we are mad the way the people of Kafira thought Jasper Wendo was in Betrayal of the city."

Theatre and film

He made his acting debut with Jero in

Wole Soyinka Wole Soyinka , (born 13 July 1934) is a Nigerian author, best known as a playwright and poet. He has written three novels, ten collections of short stories, seven poetry collections, twenty five plays and five memoirs. He also wrote two transla ...

's play ''Trials of Brother Jero''. He followed this with various roles in Micere Githae Mugo and

Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o (; born James Ngugi; 5January 193828May 2025) was a Kenyan author and academic, who has been described as East Africa's leading novelist and an important figure in modern African literature. Ngũgĩ wrote primarily in Eng ...

’s ''Trial of Dedan Kimathi'' and Francis Imbuga’s ''Betrayal in the City'' which were also presented at All Africa Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC) in Nigeria in 1977. Onyulo made his film debut in 1987 when he received the role of a house boy in ''Shadow on the Sun''. It is said that Kenyan film experts recommended him at a very early stage for the role of Owour, in ''

'', but he could not be found, having moved away from

Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...

Kisumu Kisumu ( ) is the third-largest city in Kenya located in the Lake Victoria area in the former Nyanza Province. It is the second-largest city after Kampala in the Lake Victoria Basin. The city has a population of slightly over 600,000. The ...

, in the Western part of Kenya. A local casting agent tracked him down to his home village near

Lake Victoria Lake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. With a surface area of approximately , Lake Victoria is Africa's largest lake by area, the world's largest tropics, tropical lake, and the world's second-largest fresh water lake by surface are ...

and offered him the role that brought him fame at an international level. He was said to be a modest man, unaware that he had won the Best Supporting Actor award in the Dublin Film Festival for his role as Owour. Film producer Peter Herrman later presented the award to him. He has been in several major film productions, including '' Ivory Hunters'' (aka "The Last Elephant") (1990), '' Eyes of a Witness'' (1991), ''

'' (2003), ''

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'' (2004), and ''

The Constant Gardener ''The Constant Gardener'' is a 2001 novel by British author John le Carré. The novel tells the story of Justin Quayle, a British diplomat whose activist wife is murdered. Believing there is something behind the murder, he seeks to uncover the t ...

'' (2005).

Other work

Onyulo was actively involved in grass-roots organizing of the film industry in Kenya, working with various performing arts groups. He also worked with non-governmental organizations, lending his talent to the anti-female-genital-mutilation

Swahili Swahili may refer to: * Swahili language, a Bantu language officially used in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda and widely spoken in the African Great Lakes. * Swahili people, an ethnic group in East Africa. * Swahili culture, the culture of the Swahili p ...

documentary ''Price of a Daughter''.

Death

Onyulo fell sick while at his rural home at the foot of Kajulu hills and was rushed to a private hospital and died a week later.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Onyulo, Sidede Kenyan male stage actors 1955 births 2008 deaths Kenyan male film actors 20th-century Kenyan male actors 21st-century Kenyan male actors University of Nairobi alumni Alumni of Nairobi School