Taiwo Ajai-Lycett , OON (born 3 February 1941) is a Nigerian actress,

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

television presenter A television presenter (or television host, some become a "television personality") is a person who introduces or hosts television show, television programs, often serving as a mediator for the program and the audience. It is common for people ...

, and

cosmetologist Cosmetology (from Greek , ''kosmētikos'', "beautifying"; and , ''-logia'') is the study and application of beauty treatment. Branches of specialty include hairstyling, skin care, cosmetics, manicures/ pedicures, non-permanent hair removal suc ...

. Lycett is a

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...

and was the first editor of ''Africa Woman'' magazine in the 1970s.

Biography

Taiwo Ajai was born as the

first First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

of a set of twin girls on 3 February 1941 in

Lagos Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...

, Western Region of

Colonial Nigeria Colonial Nigeria was ruled by the British Empire from the mid-nineteenth century until 1st of October 1960 when Nigeria achieved independence. Britain Lagos Treaty of Cession, annexed Lagos Colony, Lagos in 1861 and established the Oil River ...

, her father was of

Awori Awori is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Aggrey Awori (1939–2021), Ugandan economist and politician * Grace Awori, sister of Aggrey an Moody and mother of Susan Wakhungu, Susan and Judi Wakhungu *Jeremy Awori (born 1971), Ken ...

heritage. She was educated at Mt Carmel Convent School, Lagos, before proceeding to

Methodist Girls' High School Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christian tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother Charles Wesley were also significa ...

, Lagos. To further her studies, she travelled to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

to study business and administration. In London, she took courses at the Christine Shaw School of Beauty Science in London, where she received a certificate in

cosmetology Cosmetology (from Greek , ''kosmētikos'', "beautifying"; and , ''-logia'') is the study and application of beauty treatment. Branches of specialty include hairstyling, skin care, cosmetics, manicures/ pedicures, non-permanent hair removal suc ...

. She also attended Hendon College of Technology, where she obtained a Higher National Diploma in Business Studies in 1969. While studying, she worked as a waitress at Lyons Tea Shop, then moved to the

Post Office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...

and later advertising. In the Post Office, she started as a personal secretary in 1962 and later worked as a senior secretary in the office of Lord Hall. She moved to advertising and was in the personnel department of advertising firm,

Young and Rubicam VMLY&R was an American marketing and Marketing communications, communications company specializing in advertising, Digital media, digital and social media, sales promotion, direct marketing and brand identity consulting, formed from the 2020 mer ...

. She then worked as a personal assistant to the managing partner of Gresham Broad and Co, an accounting firm. She first became a mother at the age of 15; this caused her parents and family to ignore her, but she then enrolled herself for evening class. In 1959, She had the opportunity of going to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, through her friend David Akinduro, whom she later married. However, the marriage eventually broke down due to domestic violence. After her divorce with Akinduro, she married Thomas Lycett, and their marriage was a long-lasting one. However, in 2006, she was robbed and raped in her house in Egbe at the age of 65. On 3 February 2021, she celebrated her 80th birthday, when she received greetings from family and friends from distinguished locations.

Acting career

Her acting debut was in December 1966 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 '' The Lion and the Jewel'', a two-act comedy directed by

William Gaskill William "Bill" Gaskill (24 June 1930 – 4 February 2016) was a British theatre director who was "instrumental in creating a new sense of realism in the theatre". Described as "a champion of new writing", he was also noted for his productions ...

at the

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a West End theatre#London's non-commercial theatres, non-commercial theatre in Sloane Square, London, England, opene ...

in London. Her acting debut was not planned, she was in the rehearsal hall of the play when she was asked by Gaskill to be a participant. After the encouragement she received following her performance and the invitations from producers that followed, she decided to take a career in acting seriously. She enrolled at the

Guildhall School of Music and Drama The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a music school, music and drama school located in the City of London, England. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and jazz al ...

. In 1972, she left her corporate career and joined the

Traverse Theatre The Traverse Theatre is a theatre in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was founded as The Traverse Theatre Club in 1962 by John Calder, John Malcolm, Jim Haynes, Richard Demarco, Terry Lane, Andrew Muir, John Martin and Sheila Colvin. The Traverse Th ...

Group for the

Edinburgh Festival __NOTOC__ This is a list of Arts festival, arts and cultural festivals regularly taking place in Edinburgh, Scotland. The city has become known for its festivals since the establishment in 1947 of the Edinburgh International Festival and the ...

. She was later in a string of television and stage shows. In 1973, she was in Amadu Maddy's play ''Life Everlasting'' at the

Africa Centre, London The Africa Centre, London was founded in 1964 at 38 King Street, Covent Garden, where over the years it held many art exhibitions, conferences, lectures, and a variety of cultural events, as well as housing a gallery, meeting halls, restaurant, ...

, and later in the year, she was in

Peter Nichols Peter Nichols may refer to: * Peter Nichols (author) (born 1950), American author * Peter Nichols (playwright) (1927–2019), English playwright * Peter Nichols (journalist) (1928–1989), English newspaper journalist and author * Peter Nichols, ...

' '' The National Health'' during the Festival of British Theatre. In 1976, she played the lead role in

Yemi Ajibade Yemi Ajibade (28 July 1929''Africa Who's Who'', London: Africa Journal Ltd, for Africa Books, 1981, p. 82. – 24 January 2013), usually credited as Yemi Goodman Ajibade or Ade-Yemi Ajibade, was a Nigerian playwright, actor and director who, af ...

's ''Parcel Post'' at the Royal Court Theatre. Together with the actor

Louis Mahoney Louis Felix Danner Mahoney (; 8 September 1938 – 28 June 2020) was a Gambian-born United Kingdom, British actor, based in Hampstead in London. He was an anti-racist activist and long-time campaigner for racial equality within the acting profes ...

and the writer Mike Phillips, she was a director with the Black Theatre Workshop in London. She returned to Nigeria in 1971. She has featured in several notable Nigerian films, including ''

Tinsel Tinsel is a type of decorative material that mimics the effect of ice, consisting of thin strips of sparkling material attached to a thread. When in long narrow strips not attached to thread, it is called "lametta", and emulates icicles. It was o ...

'', the award-winning Nigerian soap opera. Ajai-Lycett also featured in other notable works such as the Nigerian movie ''Oloibiri''. A 2016 action thriller film, ''Oloibiri'' was directed by Curtis Graham, produced by

Rogers Ofime Rogers Ofime (born March 10, 1973) is a Nigerian born Canadian based film maker and television producer. He is best known for producing several notable Nigerian television soap operas, including the successful ''Tinsel'', which was the first mult ...

and starred, in addition to Ajai-Lycett,

Olu Jacobs Oludotun Baiyewu Jacobs, (born 11 July 1942), known professionally as Olu Jacobs, is a veteran Nigerian actor and film executive. He began his career starring in several British television series and international films. ''Vanguard'' describ ...

, and

Richard Mofe Damijo Richard Evans Mofe-Damijo (born 6 July 1961), popularly known as RMD, is a foremost Nigerian actor, writer, producer, lawyer, and former journalist. He was also a Commissioner for Culture and Tourism in Delta State in 2009. In 2005, he won the ...

. The film tells the story on how government agencies, along with oil companies, exploited the newly discovered oil in the historic town of

Oloibiri Oloibiri is a small community in Ogbia LGA located in Bayelsa State, in the eastern Niger Delta region of Nigeria. The inhabitants of Oloibiri community are mainly fishermen and farmers. It is the first place that oil was discovered in Nigeria. ...

. Produced by:

Directed by: Curtis Graham TAL Photo

Journalism career

In 1975, Ajai-Lycett was invited to join the staff of ''Africa Magazine'', published by

Raph Uwechue Raphaël Chukwu Uwechue (13 May 1935 – 13 March 2014), often abbreviated as Raph Uwechue, was a Nigerian minister, diplomat and publisher. He is a former president-general of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, an Igbo socio-cultural organization in Nigeria ...

. Later, she became the pioneer editor of ''Africa Woman'' magazine, a women's magazine for Africans in the diaspora. As editor, she was a participant at the United Nations International Women's Year.

Awards and honours

On 1 October 2006, she received a national award of

Officer of the Order of the Niger An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

, decorated by Chief

Olusegun Obasanjo Chief Olusegun Matthew Okikiola Ogunboye Aremu Obasanjo (; ; born 5 March 1937) is a Nigerian former army general, politician and statesman who served as Nigeria's head of state from 1976 to 1979 and later as its president from 1999 to 200 ...

, president of the

Federal Republic of Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

. In February 2008, at an All-Star Gala held at

Theatre Royal Stratford East Stratford East (formerly known as Theatre Royal Stratford East) is a 460 seat Victorian producing theatre in Stratford in the London Borough of Newham. Since 1953, it has been the home of the Theatre Workshop company, famously associated with di ...

on the 10th anniversary of

Tiata Fahodzi Tiata Fahodzi (ti∙a∙ta fa∙hoon∙zi) – meaning "theatre of the emancipated" – is a British African theatre company founded in 1997 by Femi Elufowoju Jr. It receives funding as a National Portfolio Organisation of the Arts Council England ...

, she was honoured as a leader of British-African theatre, alongside

Dotun Adebayo Oludotun Davey Moore "Dotun" Adebayo (born 25 August 1959) is a British radio presenter, writer, and publisher. He is best known for his work on ''Up All Night (radio show), Up All Night'' on BBC Radio 5 Live, as well as the former obituary pr ...

and

. She is a Fellow of the Society of Nigerian Theatre Artists (SONTA). She was honoured with ''The'' ''Industry Merit Award'' at the 2022 Africa Magic Viewer's Choice Awards ''(AMVCA)'' on 14 May 2022. The awards event was held at the Eko Hotel in Lagos.

Work

Stage (selected)

Selected filmography

*''

Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em ''Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em'' is a British sitcom broadcast on BBC1, created and written by Raymond Allen (scriptwriter), Raymond Allen and starring Michael Crawford and Michele Dotrice. It was first broadcast in 1973 and ran for two series, inc ...

(Season 2, Episode 5 - Father's Clinic) as Sally'' *''Angels (1975) as Elaine Fitzgerald'' *''

Crown Court The Crown Court is the criminal trial court, court of first instance in England and Wales responsible for hearing all indictable offences, some Hybrid offence, either way offences and appeals of the decisions of magistrates' courts. It is ...

(1976) as Adah Obi'' *''The Honourable (1992)'' *''

(TV series)'' *''Hostages (1996)'' *''

Dazzling Mirage ''Dazzling Mirage'' is a 2014 Nigerian drama film, produced and directed by Tunde Kelani; it stars Kemi "Lala" Akindoju, Kunle Afolayan, Bimbo Manuel, Yomi Fash Lanso, Taiwo Ajai-Lycett and Seun Akindele. It also features special appearances f ...

(2014) as Mrs. Fadipe'' *''

(2016) as Ibiere'' *''Madam President (2017) as Hajiya Halima Ali'' *'' King of Boys: The Return of the King (2021) as Chief Mrs. Randle'' *''

Elesin Oba, The King's Horseman ''Elesin Oba, The King's Horseman'' is a 2022 Yoruba-language Nigerian historical drama film directed by Biyi Bandele and distributed by Netflix, based on ''Death and the King's Horseman'', a stage play he wrote while in Cambridge, where he was ...

(2022) as Madam Taiwo'' *''

Malaika Malaika Nakupenda Malaika is a Swahili song written by Tanzanian artist, Adam Salim in 1945 and recorded for the first time by Kenyan musician, Fadhili William. This song is possibly the most famous of all Swahili love songs in Tanzania, Kenya a ...

(2023)'' *'' The Black Book (2023) as Editor'' *''Meeting Funmi's Parents (2024) as Grandma''

References

External links

*
"It is silly to say I won’t remarry–TAIWO AJAI-LYCETT"
''The Nation'', 27 April 2014. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ajai-Lycett, Taiwo Living people 1941 births 20th-century Nigerian actresses 21st-century Nigerian actresses Actresses from Lagos Alumni of Middlesex University Alumni of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama AMVCA Industry Merit Award winners Methodist Girls' High School alumni Nigerian expatriates in the United Kingdom Nigerian film actresses Nigerian journalists Nigerian stage actresses Nigerian television actresses Nigerian television presenters Nigerian twins Officers of the Order of the Niger Yoruba actresses