Madam Idowu Phillips popularly known as Iya Rainbow ranks as one of the best to cast in Yoruba movies to play the role, ‘mother’. She turned 70 years recently and had spent the better part of her life acting. With outings in over 500 movies, Iya Rainbow is still a delight to watch. She shares her career, family and romance tales in this interview with DGossip247.
You look too young to be 70, what is the secret?
Well, I don’t eat much of heavy food, I exercise once in a while, I take lots of fruits and vegetables and I rest well.
How does it feel turning 70?
I feel honoured and as well great to have witnessed a day like my 70th birthday on earth because so many people clamoured and wished they could stay long like that, but in all I give God almighty the glory for sparing my life up to that very moment. Attaining 70 is not easy, but I pray to see many more years on earth.
Why did you decide to go into acting?
I started out as a stage actress in my late husband’s Osumare theatre group. Even while I was working as a nurse, I still found time to go on location to shoot films. At 45 in 1986, I retired from nursing on the advice of the late Chief Hubert Ogunde. He (Ogunde) reasoned that since my husband died in 1984, there was the need for me to continue with the family legacy. So, I went into acting full time. It was not easy at first, because I was formerly a salary earner.
In fact, the first set of movies I acted in were: Aje ni Iya mi and Eru. My late husband’s group was called Osumare Theatre Group, meaning Rainbow theatre group. One day, I went to act with some white men and in the course of acting, someone asked for the meaning of Osumare and I replied- “rainbow.” Then he said I should henceforth be called Iya Rainbow and that was it. I have produced lots of movies like; Alamu S’eniyan, Alepo Rebi, Anikulapo, Modupe Oluwa, Orisa rebi, among others, but I have acted in over 500 movies.
Is it true that your father was a prophet?
Yes he was. My father was Prophet Jacob Adebanjo Ifemade. My late mother was also a captain of the Cherubim and Seraphim Church. I hail from Ijebu Ode, Ogun State and I have been a member of the C&S since1969. I attended African Methodist School and Anglican Modern School for my primary and modern schools respectively. Later, I was admitted to a nursing school and upon graduation, I worked for 20 years as a nurse before quitting for acting.
So, you just quit your nursing career for acting?
Like I said earlier, I stopped my professional job where I had worked for 20 years all because I wanted to continue the family legacy which is acting done by my late husband. Prior to my quitting, the late Chief Hubert Ogunde had advised and I have no regrets heeding that counsel.
When was the last time you produced a movie?
It was about five years ago. Marketers no longer patronise people like me: and my son, who used to write those scripts is abroad now. When he is back, we will go back to business.
Do you do any other thing aside acting?
I anchor engagement/wedding ceremonies. It was even one of the people whose engagement I anchored for that paid for the tiling of this floor (pointing to the floor of her room). When he came to thank me, he was surprised to find out that I had not tiled the floor, so he offered to do it at no cost.
What would like to change in your industry if you have a chance?
It is the issue of privacy and marketers. Some marketers are not sincere. Often times, they pay you in bits and pieces, not minding how you sourced the money to produce the film. But when I was still active as a producer, my marketer, Corporate Pictures, was faithful to me.
In fact, he bought my car for me. But since he stopped doing business with me, God has not abandoned me. He never cheated me. But I think since he realised that producers seldom feature me, he seems to have changed. So, now, when I visit him, he may welcome me or instruct his family to tell me that he is not available. Before now, he would make me most welcome in his house, but suddenly, he changed. I don’t even know why and I don’t want to bother myself about that. Though it pains but God knows best.
Since you joined the movie industry,what were the challenges?
There were a lot of challenges that I faced and other people in the industry also face these challenges. Let me tell you some of the challenges. The issue of transportation to location was a difficult one for me. I have had to transport myself going and coming back, at the end of the day, they would give me peanuts as my pay. Most times, they will tell you they would pay later and I would not get to see the money.
For each of the movies, I was paid N25, 000. Imagine a widow with five children surviving on such a meagre fee? It got to a point that I wanted to go back to nursing. A lot of people advised me against it. They thought my husband would be forgotten, but I must keep on struggling.
What’s your experience as a single mother?
When I lost my husband, a long time ago, that was in 1984, I thought the world would come to an end. It was difficult for me to cope as a woman, especially with the financial aspect. I had to continue from where my husband stopped and there was no money in theatre then. I had to meet one of my late husband’s friends, who said that I would have to sleep with him before I could get the money. I was shocked, because this was someone we all called father and a very close ally of my late hubby.
Why didn’t you remarry?
My marriage was a challenge because of my husband’s early death. I did not enjoy my marriage because my husband died a long time ago and since then, I decided not to re-marry. I have five children and they have all made me proud. God has been my pillar of support. My late mother was also a great helper; she took care of my children whenever I went on location.
But I usually made it a point of duty to go to their schools whenever I was around to supervise their education. What I missed most about my mother is that I no longer have a bed partner. Ever since the death of my late husband, we had always slept together and now she is gone. Then whenever I went to locations, she was always there for me. Above all, my mother loved me so much, she had six of us and I was her only female child.
There is the issue of grammatical and spelling errors in the subtitle of most Yoruba movies; what’s your take on that?
We correct them every time, there is nothing we can do than to correct them. I didn’t go to school of language, they did and at least they should be the one to correct these errors. We are Yorubas; we don’t speak English, and we do that for our fans, because we found out that non-Yorubas also watch our movies.
Can you tell us about some of your major achievements?
I must confess that theatre has paid off for me because I have now built my house, bought a car, and three out of my five children are graduates. One of my sons is a very popular writer.
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