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Whether it was music, drama, acting, writing, journalism, or sports, Babalari ‘Lari’ Williams, who pursued his passions with unwavering dedication, had the skills that made him excel in each discipline. He was a true polymath who excelled in a variety of artistic pursuits.
His son Seun Lari-WIlliams described him as a “well-rounded artist and all-product father.”
Lari Williams was a different personality to a different generation of Nigerians. While the Gen Zs may not be familiar with his artistic excellence and exploits, to the Boomers he was Ezemuo (witch doctor) in the movie ‘Black Powder’. The Millennials would remember him for his role in ‘Village Headmaster’, Nigeria’s first TV drama series that premiered in the early 1980s and ran till the late 80s. He is also famous for his role in ‘Mirror in the sun’ another TV drama series which aired on the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) network service every Sunday from January 1984 to January 1986. He was also cast in the first home video ever made in Nigeria – ‘The Witch Doctor’.
“Ever chasing dexterity and fluidity in performance, Williams has been shuttling effectively around diverse genres of the African performing arts with finesse,” Femi Akintunde-Johnson wrote in his book ‘Reflections’ published in 2021.
A family statement announcing Williams’ death on Monday, February 28, 2022, said he died peacefully on Sunday, February 27, 2022, at his home in Yala Nkum, Ikom local government area of Cross River State.
Born September 8, 1940, Williams was the only son of his parents’ three children. His father Tao Williams was from Lagos Island in Lagos while his mother Elizabeth Williams was from Yala in Cross Rivers State.
Lari Williams was educated at Nigeria’s first secondary school, CMS Grammar School, Lagos, which produced prominent Nigerians like Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Herbert Macaulay, and Akintola Williams, among others.
Before moving to the United Kingdom to study journalism, as a teenager growing up in Lagos Island, Williams started as a sportsman learning boxing from Nigeria’s first world boxing champion, Hogan Bassey.
At age 17, he also had a stint with the West African Pilot as a journalist before delving into drama while studying in the United Kingdom.
Williams said he developed an interest in drama while studying English at Morley College, and the interest prodded him to study drama at Mountview Theatre School, London.
“In order to become a professional actor, I went to Stratford E15 Acting School, also in England. I set up a group named Calabash Artists in England. My academic career was wrapped up at the University of Iowa, USA,” he said in an interview with a Nigerian newspaper, the New Telegraph in April 2016.
His first major artistic project was ‘Kolanut Junction’, a feature-length play produced in 1971 starring Olu Jacobs, Taiwo Ajayi-Lycett and Taiwo Jegede among others. He told the newspaper that he considered his production at the London Commonwealth Hall as one of his biggest achievements.
Williams returned to Nigeria to be part of the Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC ‘77), the 2nd World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture that attracted thousands of artists, writers, musicians, activists and scholars from Africa and the black diaspora to Lagos in 1977.
Since his return to Nigeria in 1977, he remained in the country to build a thriving presence in Nigeria’s performing arts industry and contributed immensely to the development and promotion of arts and culture. He was also one of the lead characters in Nigeria’s iconic drama series ‘Village Headmaster’ which dominated the TV screens in the 1980s.
In a career that spanned over five decades in the creative industry, Lari Williams gave his life to the promotion of arts and ran a weekly column ‘Stage and Screen’ in Nigeria’s Vanguard Newspaper for about 30 years where he discussed issues in the creative and entertainment industry.
“He was absolutely devoted to his art and career,” his son Seun Lari-Williams, a lawyer and poet, told Netng. “He also taught theatre arts in three Nigerian universities – the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Lagos State University (LASU) and the University of Calabar (UNICAL).”
Lari Williams was a leading light and a guide to many young talents in the classroom and on the field of practice.
Aside from being a cultural exponent and promoter of theatre practice, Williams also took part in politics with his friend and Afrobeat legend Fela Anikulapo-Kuti.
In 1983, when Fela decided to run for President for a second time after his political party – Movement of the People was first banned from participating in political activities in 1979, Williams was his running mate in the election where Shehu Shagari was elected as President for a second term. In less than two years in office, Shagari’s government was toppled by a military coup that brought Muhammadu Buhari to office in December 1985.
“He told me about how he was interested in politics and always insisted that the Fela everyone talked about was different from the one he knew. He told me Fela was deeper, more conservative and quiet,” Seun recalled.
Beyond politics and activism through arts, Williams was a major contributor to the development of Nigeria’s art and creative industry, a legacy he bequeathed to some of his children including Seun, who was the youngest Poet to be nominated for the NLNG Prize in Literature in 2017 and winner of the third edition of the ALAI European Authors’ Right Award in 2021.
“I have two publications because of his influence,” Seun told Netng.
Lari William was buried on Thursday, April 14, 2022, at his hometown in Ikom, Cross River State.
“He was extremely creative and imaginative, and his legacy is multi-faceted which is extremely rare for someone to be able to have such influence in different areas,” Seun said while paying tributes to his late father.
Lari Williams was conferred a national honour – Member of the Federal Republic (MFR) by late President Umar Musa Yar’adua in 2008 in recognition of his contributions to the development of Nigeria’s arts and culture.
In his latter years, Lari Williams had health challenges and called for help from Nigerians.
“Veteran actor, Lari Williams reportedly displaced, seeks government’s help,” a news headline on Netng read in June 2015.
A few days later, another news headline says – “Veteran Nollywood actor, Lari Williams is homeless and going blind.”
He told New Telegraph in 2016 “Things have been difficult, because even though we were pioneers of this industry, most of the acting roles did not pay enough. We were just doing arts for arts’ sake. I also practice as a journalist and I have a column in the Vanguard newspaper. I have no option, in spite of health challenges, I need to do so as to be able to keep body and soul together.”
“In other climes, artists live on government subventions and are structured in such a way that they earn from their creative works,” he added.
In 2016, Lari Williams won N1 million to take care of his health on ‘Who Deserves To Be A Millionaire?’ a special edition of ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?’ show sponsored by MTN Nigeria. After the show, he said the gesture of the telecom company “made me to see how good Nigerians and some corporate bodies can be.”
Up till his death, Lari Williams kept details about his marital life away from the public eye, Netng can confirm that he is survived by his children.
In death, Williams will be remembered for his many firsts. He is reputed to be the first actor to ever perform atop the 1,200-foot-high Zuma Rock in Abuja, where he performed his late friend, Maman Vatsa’s poem, ‘The bird that sings in the rain.’ Williams was the first president of the Actors’ Guild of Nigeria in today’s Nollywood.
Before his death, Shaibu Husseini, a journalist, said Williams “wanted to do more writing and he mentioned how he called up an Editor and sent three articles to him just last week that he wanted published. Wish I recorded our convo. Been checking every part of my email to see if he kept his promise of forwarding the articles to me just for my attention. Will still be checking.”
Seun said he will always remember his father as a generous person.
“No matter the little he had, he was always ready to share. We had artists living with us even people he didn’t know very well, he opened his door wide for them.” his son said.
The post Lari Williams – The Well-Rounded Artist Who Was Fela’s Running Mate In 1983 Presidential Election appeared first on Nigerian Entertainment Today.
