Ososa.

It is Day 2 for me at the filming of Ayinla.
For Tunde Kelani, TK, it is Day 8.
That is because I have not been in Abeokuta since last Saturday when actual filming began.

On Friday night a very bright star streaked across the dark night, dimmed and disappeared in the distance.

Eraly on Saturday morning, we woke up to the very sad news that one of the great influences in TK’s life, one of his mentors, the renowned Yoruba scholar, polyglot, foremost historian, collaborator with TK on several Yoruba projects, socio-cultural crusader, and former Ambassador at UNESCO, Professor Olabiyi Yai, died the night before in his home in Benin Republic. TK had been with him in Cavali, his home in Benin Republic, exactly a week before. He had met with him for about an hour on his sick bed. There was no inkling that would be their last meeting. The news was a devastating blow, but somehow, realising the high stakes already involved in this movie, and respecting what he believed would have been the Professor’s wish about what he should do under the circumstance, TK decided to go on with the filming for the day, the man’s encouraging words when he last saw him, reverberating in his mind. Somewhere, some time, along the film circuit, TK would dedicate something in Professor Yai’s memory.