''Sango: The Legendary African King'' is a 1997

epic Epic commonly refers to: * Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation * Epic film, a genre of film defined by the spectacular presentation of human drama on a grandiose scale Epic(s) ...

Nigerian film, written by Wale Ogunyemi, produced and directed by

Obafemi Lasode Obafemi Lasode (born 4 December 1955) is a Nigerian veteran musician, film director and producer, songwriter, music producer, and playwright. He is the chief executive officer of Even-Ezra Nigeria Limited, the stable that produced an award-winn ...

. The film depicts the life and reign of the legendary fifteenth-century African king Sango, who ruled as the

Alaafin of Oyo Oyo, Oyo State, is the seat of the line of the rulers of Oyo. Their territory, a constituent rump state, is located in what is now Nigeria. Since the 1900 political absorption into Southern Nigeria of the kingdom that it once served as a metro ...

and became an important deity of the

Yoruba people The Yoruba people ( ; , , ) are a West African ethnic group who inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo, which are collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute more than 50 million people in Africa, are over a million outsid ...

Cast

*Wale Adebayo as Sango * Peter Fatomilola as Babalawo Oyo (Oyo herbalist) * Racheal Oniga as Obba *Joe Layode as Elempe *Bukky Ogunnote as Osun (often pronounced Oshun) *Gbenga Richards as Samu *Laide Adewale as Agbaakin *Professor Ayo Akinwale as Bashorun * Antar Laniyan as Olowu *Ola Tehinse as Balogun *

Jimi Solanke Jimi Solanke (4 July 1942 – 5 February 2024) was a Nigerian film actor, dramatist, folk singer, poet and playwright. Early life Solanke graduated from the University of Ibadan, where he obtained a diploma certificate in drama. Career After ...

as Ghost *Albert Aka-eze as Eliri *

Toyin Oshinaike Toyin Oshinaike is a renowned Nigerian thespian and director, notable for his work in stage, film, and television. Early life and career Oshinaike started his professional acting career in the early 1990s after initially working in the banking s ...

as Oluode * Peter Fatomilola as Babalawo Oyo *Wale Ogunyemi as Lagunan * Kola Oyewo as High Chief * Kayode Odumosu as Tamodu *Doyin Hassan as Omiran *Mufu Hamzat as Biri *Jumoke Oke-eze as Chantress *Florence Richards as Otun Iyalode and *Remi Abiola as Iyalode

Screening

In 1998, the film was screened by the

Film Society of Lincoln Center Film at Lincoln Center (FLC), previously known as the Film Society of Lincoln Center (FSLC) until 2019,Aridi, Sara (April 28, 2019).. ''The New York Times''. nytimes.com. Retrieved April 29, 2019. is a nonprofit organization based in New York Cit ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, U.S.A. as part of the 4th New York African Film Festival. In February 1999, the film was screened at the 7th

Pan African Film Festival Pan African Film Festival (PAFF) is a non-profit corporation in Los Angeles, California, United States, that states its goal is to promote "cultural understanding among peoples of African descent" through exhibiting art and film. It hosts a film ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. In April 2002, the film was selected to open the

Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Film Festival The Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival (MSPIFF) is an annual springtime film festival in the U.S. state of Minnesota that has been held since 1981. It began as the Rivertown Film Festival of Pine City and eventually grew to become ...

Awards

*Best Feature Film at the 1st Abuja International Film Festival, held in Abuja, Nigeria, in October, 2004 *Best First Film of a Director at the Nigerian Film Festival held in Lagos, November, 2003.

References

{{Reflist 1997 films Nigerian epic films Epic films based on actual events Nigerian drama films Films about religion Nigerian films based on actual events Yoruba-language films English-language Nigerian films