Why I chose acting over marriage — Actress Yetunde Wunmi

Veteran actress Taiwo Akinwande, better known by her stage name Yetunde Wunmi, has disclosed how her intense love for performing caused her to lose both her husband and her baby.

The 64-year-old actress said in an interview with BBC Yorùbá on Tuesday that her marriage ended because of her dedication to theater, which started in 1982 under Sunday Akinola’s (Feyi Kogbon) theater group.

Wunmi explained that her love for acting was sparked after meeting the legendary filmmaker Adeyemi Afolayan.

Wunmi recounted a heartbreaking moment when she took her one-month-old baby to a performance in Ilorin, Kwara State, despite the child’s illness.

Sadly, the baby passed away at the age of one year and ten days.

Despite this, the actress said she didn’t regret venturing into theatre.

She explained, “Adelove brought the stage drama to Danjuma Film, close to where I lived then. I cannot forget the man. He wore all white that day, including a white shoe, and came out of a white car.

“Everybody ran towards the man, and I also went closer to make sure I touched his clothes. I was very happy at the time. It felt like I touched gold. That was when my interest in theatre started to grow. I lost my marriage due to my love for this theatre.

“I have never regretted doing theatre since then because God has been gracious to me.”

Regarding an experience she would never forget, she said, “One experience I cannot forget was when I joined my boss’s group. I was nursing a baby who was still under 41 days old. One day, I thought I would take a stroll, but I saw my group having rehearsals. I asked if there was an outing. My boss’s wife then told me the troupe was travelling. I did not tell my husband the truth; I only told him I was going to visit my mother in another town. I followed the troupe to Ilorin, where we started the stage performances.

“Anytime I was called to the stage to dance, I would wrap the baby in my costume, give the child to someone, and take the child back whenever I was done. The next day, the child had a high temperature, and I went to the pharmacy to get medicine for the baby.

“Two days later, my boss told me to return home due to the baby’s health, but I refused and told him I was staying back.

I was eventually paid N16 — which was the exact amount I spent on treating the child. I was not concerned because I was just happy to have been a part of the show.

“The most painful part of it was that the baby died after just one year and ten days. So, the child did not enjoy the success of theatre with me. It is something I will never forget.”

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