It’s an Honour to Take Care of Olu Jacobs, Says Joke Silva

At the 2022 iREP International Documentary Film Festival, an emotional Joke Silva accepted a Lifetime Achievement Award on behalf of her husband, the veteran actor Olu Jacobs. Jacobs was among the personalities iREP recognised for their consistent excellence in the film industry.

A rousing applause reverberated in the Terra Kulture viewing hall as Jacobs’ face in different reels filled the screen on stage. Overwhelmed by the thunderous reception, Silva who was accompanied by her son Seyi, dabbed her eyes a few times. Any restraint she had fell apart when she began her acceptance speech. Her voice quavered as she spoke.

“Since Olu’s illness, each time we see him recognised and given awards, we burst into tears… It would have been nice for him to be aware of how he is being celebrated.” Silva announced last year that the actor who is recognised as the patriarch of acting had dementia. She told the audience that despite people’s concern about her coping mechanism, she considers it an honour to look after him.

The actress further informed the audience that her husband saw the future of the film industry right before it achieved its lofty status.

She recalled when he returned from London and told her “Joke, I hear a train. This was in 1984. The next film industry is in Nigeria. And we got back home and the industry in Nigeria is comatose and I wondered where the industry is. But is he not right? Is it not here?

“And that’s why sometimes I get really angry when people say Nollywood started in the 90s. I feel like taking their ears and nailing it to the ground, but we’ll just have to keep talking and making people realise that even my husband is going to be 80 this year. We stand on the shoulders of people like Duro Ladipo. We have a rich history.”

Jacobs was honoured alongside veteran filmmaker Deji Adesanya and filmmaker and photographer Tam Fiofori.

In his remarks, co-founder of iREP, Femi Odugbemi said that the festival deliberately does not give awards because of its belief that excellence should be recognised when it is consistent.

The festival which opened on Thursday, March 17, will be closing today, March 20.