I played soccer to help my mother pay my school fees-Jibola Dabo,

The only colour that agrees with my soul is white   

 Jibola Dabo started acting before Nollywood commenced. He is a teacher of arts and he loves jazz music with a passion. This is one very celebrity that can’t be caught in another colour of outfit except white. He said the only time he could be seen in a different colour is when he is at work. So, in this interview with ADAEZE AMOS, he unveiled his reasons for always wearing white attires.

Apart from being an actor, who else are you?

Well, I'm a political activist, a teacher of the arts. When I'm not acting, I'm doing the teaching. Everyone knows I'm an actor but I'm also a writer, a jazz player, a jazz musician and a total artiste. I studied arts in totality but I think dance is my first love. I started from dancing music, jazz specifically to acting. But lately acting has started taking me away from music. I'm a father, I'm a grandfather and a happy-go-lucky-man.

 Since when have you been acting?

I grew up acting. I'm not one of those that would tell you that something just happened and I found myself acting. I have been acting before I got to primary school. And I have been doing it in this country before Nollywood started. I have been on TV right from the 70s doing shows. Then in the 80s when we were doing political satires, we would be talking about things that were wrong in Nigeria then, you know. So I grew up acting to answer your question correctly and directly.

How about professionally or earning money from it, when did it start?

I started earning money from it in 1980/81.

How do you cope with fame? Your face is everywhere?

I think it is easier for me to cope with it because fame or stardom was never in our vocabulary when we started. There was nothing like being a star then. So, stardom has become natural to me. I cope well.

How would you rate Nollywood industry of today?

We are going fast, as a matter of fact, we are going too fast.  But, there is always room for expansion, for growth. I'm just hoping that we are able to take a break and look back and see how we shall proceed, so we can proceed technically and more correctly.

What are the lapses in Nollywood you think should be improved on?

It is a little wide but I will try to summaries it. We have laxities seriously in technical areas. And in the areas of contents that we do. Those in Nollywood, are supposed to be the image launders of this country. The government has seen us as image launders, however we ask ourselves whether  we are really laundering the image. Because we insult our own culture in the name of religion which is very sad. It is one of the reasons that if I have a political power I will be in a better position to fight such and then my voice would be heard a little better.

 When you are not at work, what do you do to unwind?

I read and I watch movies. Unfortunately when I watch movies I'm like in a classroom. I watch movies to learn. But I do lots of reading, I study and I meditate a lot.

Are you a soccer fan?

I used to play soccer to help my mother pay my school fees. I played football for years before the knees started getting old. I still play when I want to. I'm a football fan but I don't support any club outside this country. I have some footballers that I like, when they play I watch them but I'm in full support of Nigerian teams. I don't have a team in the Europe or in the western world but I have some players maybe in Chelsea that I admire and I watch them play because they are game. They are enjoyable when I watch them.

Let's talk about your style, how would you define your personal style?

Well, my style is quite local because most cases whatever I wear except for my shoes for example, they are Nigeria made, they are made here. Every now and then, I do buy stuff from abroad but mostly I would say my style is local. My style is what you see now.

Who is your designer?

I don’t have a particular designer. For instance, this one I'm wearing was sewn by one local tailor in my street. Don’t forget, my first degree is graphics. If I see something that I like, I would do the drawing and I would say give me this one I like it. Design it for me, as long as the colour is white.

But why white?

Well white is what agrees to my spirituality. A lot has been written about it that I'm a cultist, I'm a ritualistic, I'm this or that. But no, I'm not ritualistic, neither am I into occultism but the point is that the only colour that agrees with my soul and my spirit is white. I don’t sleep right if I don’t sleep in white night clothing, I would have nightmares and all that. And I would feel dirty if I wear some colours unless I'm working. Anything coloured that I buy is for work but my everyday life is white.

When did you start wearing white?

About 20/25 years ago.

And you are not tired?

Now, I'm a lover of colours. In my years in the state for example, I would buy a nice jeans and I might fly like four or five hours to go and look for the belt and the shoes that would match my jacket.

Are you a designer label freak?

Yes, I was. But I might have my own line now but it is still going to be white. They do call me Mr. White in my area and even in the industry, they call me Mr. White. But when God starts speaking to you and you don’t listen, you would actually pay for it. Before I started listening I think I paid for mine dearly too.

How did God tell you to be wearing white? In a dream or in a trance?

Well the thing is that you can’t imagine you are in your church for example, they are praying for you. And then you had this bright wine or red tee shirt on, and your pastor is saying brother so, so and so, do you know you are supposed to be wearing white? Or you are in front of your house and a man and a woman walking by saw you stopped and said to you do you know you should be wearing white. Then I would laugh because I love colours. And this revelations had been going on for years. And by that time I was indeed restless. I felt I was in search of something I really didn't know. I was constantly agitating for something. And then, since I started listening and wearing white, I'm more at peace with myself.

You said you paid dearly for not wearing white initially. How did you pay for it?

You know how hard it can be when you are restless, when you are in search of something you don’t know. And when you had everything around you and it seemed to you as if you don’t have something that you are looking for. And you ask yourself what is it am I looking for. Why am I not happy? You have food on your table, there is money in your pocket, everybody is saying I want to be like you and you are still wondering why they want to be like you. But you can’t see it yourself. Now that is punishment. Where some people have little and they want to be like you and they are comfortable but you are up there, God has lifted you up there, everybody is hoping to be like you, but you are not satisfied. You know and you find out that if I appear rather in this colour, my soul is more at rest. So, that is I came about wearing white.

What is that naughtiest thing you have ever done?

Should I answer this too? Naughtiest thing? It is not what I would like to tell you. Thank you.

There is a phrase that Nigerian men are polygamous in nature, do you believe this?

I don’t have anything against polygamy. Maybe you have not read some of my interviews. I'm an ardent supporter of polygamy but there is something. Do not confuse fornication with polygamy. It is what is going on in the society. They misunderstand having many girlfriends or having girlfriends around as polygamy. That is not polygamy. Polygamy is when you want a woman, you marry her and bring her home and carter for her. That is polygamy. But when you have one wife and then you have a mistress there, a girlfriend the other side and another one had a child for you there and all that, that is not polygamy and God doesn't want that. Polygamy is when you married your wives and bring them home and you provide for them and take care of their children.