Ladipo Solanke
Encyclopedia
Ladipo Solanke was a political activist who campaigned on West Africa
n issues.
Born in Abeokuta
, Nigeria
, as Oladipo Felix Solanke, he studied at the Fourah Bay College
in Sierra Leone
before moving to study law at University College, London in 1922.
In Britain, Solanke joined the Union of Students of African Descent. In 1924, he wrote to West Africa to complain about an article in the Evening News
which had claimed that cannibalism
and black magic
had been common in Nigeria
until recent years. His protest received the support of Amy Ashwood Garvey
, who became a close friend, while Solanke began studying British papers for other derogatory reports.
Finding himself living in poverty, Solanke began teaching Yoruba
and annoyed at the lack of interest in traditional Nigerian culture
among other Nigerian students in London
. In June 1924, he became the first person to broadcast on the radio in Yoruba. The following month, with Garvey's encouragement, Solanke and twelve other students founded the Nigeria Progress Union to promote the welfare of Nigerian students.
In 1925, Solanke and Herbert Bankole-Bright
founded the West African Students' Union
(WASU) as a social, cultural and political focus for West African students in Britain. He became the organisation's Secretary-General and the main contributor to its journal, Wasu. In 1926, he recorded music in Yoruba for Zonophone
, and in 1927, he published United West Africa at the Bar of the Family of Nations, calling for Africans to enjoy universal suffrage
.
Solanke also led WASU's drive for a hostel
for West Africans in London. In 1929, he left for a fundraising tour of West Africa. He spent three years travelling, his mission being supported by the West African and followed by most of the local press. While there, branches of WASU were founded in each country he visited. He also met Opeolu Obisanya, and the couple later married.
Solanke returned to Britain with sufficient funds to open the planned hostel, named "Africa House", and became its first warden. However, he faced serious criticism from some WASU members over alleged extravagant spending while in Africa.
During the 1930s and 40s, Solanke was able to use his friendships with figures including Marcus Garvey
, Paul Robeson
, Reginald Sorensen and Nathaniel Fadipe to further the causes of West African unity and anti-racism, raising the profile of WASU. When cocoa farmers in the Gold Coast
tried to break a cartel
of British companies, they wrote to Solanke personally to gain his assistance, and he was able to organise a large campaign in Britain, including questions in Parliament.
In 1944, Solanke returned to West Africa to raise funds for a new hostel, and did not return to Britain until 1948. The trip again proved a success, but in his absence, WASU had increasingly come under the influence of Kwame Nkrumah
and then Joe Appiah
. Faced with internal dissent, Solanke stepped down as Secretary-General in 1949, to campaign against communist influence in the union. His efforts to organise a slate of anti-communist candidates to contest the elections to the WASU executive in 1951 proved unsuccessful, and in January 1953 he finally split with the union after it decided to close Africa House, due to financial pressures. Solanke maintained the hostel with his own dwindling funds, until his death from lung cancer
in September 1958.
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
n issues.
Born in Abeokuta
Abeokuta
Abeokuta is the largest city and capital of Ogun State in southwest Nigeria and is situated at , on the Ogun River; 64 miles north of Lagos by railway, or 81 miles by water. As of 2005, Abeokuta and the surrounding area had a population of 593,140....
, Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
, as Oladipo Felix Solanke, he studied at the Fourah Bay College
Fourah Bay College
Fourah Bay College is the oldest university college in West Africa. It is located atop Mount Aureol in Freetown, Sierra Leone...
in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
before moving to study law at University College, London in 1922.
In Britain, Solanke joined the Union of Students of African Descent. In 1924, he wrote to West Africa to complain about an article in the Evening News
Evening News (London)
Evening News, formerly known as The Evening News, was an evening newspaper published in London from 1881 to 1980, reappearing briefly in 1987. It became highly popular under the control of the Harmsworth brothers. For a long time it maintained the largest daily sale of any evening newspaper in London...
which had claimed that cannibalism
Cannibalism
Cannibalism is the act or practice of humans eating the flesh of other human beings. It is also called anthropophagy...
and black magic
Black magic
Black magic is the type of magic that draws on assumed malevolent powers or is used with the intention to kill, steal, injure, cause misfortune or destruction, or for personal gain without regard to harmful consequences. As a term, "black magic" is normally used by those that do not approve of its...
had been common in Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
until recent years. His protest received the support of Amy Ashwood Garvey
Amy Ashwood Garvey
Amy Ashwood Garvey was a Jamaican Pan-Africanist activist and the first wife of Marcus Garvey.Garvey was born in Port Antonio, Jamaica, she spent some years living in Panama. As a child, she was told by grandmother that she was of Ashanti descent...
, who became a close friend, while Solanke began studying British papers for other derogatory reports.
Finding himself living in poverty, Solanke began teaching Yoruba
Yoruba language
Yorùbá is a Niger–Congo language spoken in West Africa by approximately 20 million speakers. The native tongue of the Yoruba people, it is spoken, among other languages, in Nigeria, Benin, and Togo and in communities in other parts of Africa, Europe and the Americas...
and annoyed at the lack of interest in traditional Nigerian culture
Culture of Nigeria
The culture of Nigeria is shaped by Nigeria's multiple ethnic groups. The country has over 50 languages and over 250 dialects and ethnic groups...
among other Nigerian students in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. In June 1924, he became the first person to broadcast on the radio in Yoruba. The following month, with Garvey's encouragement, Solanke and twelve other students founded the Nigeria Progress Union to promote the welfare of Nigerian students.
In 1925, Solanke and Herbert Bankole-Bright
Herbert Bankole-Bright
Herbert Christian Bankole-Bright was a well-known politician in Sierra Leone.-Early life:Herbert Bankole-Bright was born in Okrika, Nigeria on August 23rd 1883. Bright was the son of Jacob 'Galba' and Letitia Bright, descendants of Sierra Leone Liberated Africans...
founded the West African Students' Union
West African Students' Union
The West African Students' Union was an association of students from various West African countries who were studying in the United Kingdom.-Origins:...
(WASU) as a social, cultural and political focus for West African students in Britain. He became the organisation's Secretary-General and the main contributor to its journal, Wasu. In 1926, he recorded music in Yoruba for Zonophone
Zonophone
Zonophone, early on also rendered as Zon-O-Phone was a record label founded in 1899 in Camden, New Jersey by Frank Seaman. The Zonophone name was not that of the company, but was applied to the records and machines sold by Seaman from 1899-1900 to 1903...
, and in 1927, he published United West Africa at the Bar of the Family of Nations, calling for Africans to enjoy universal suffrage
Universal suffrage
Universal suffrage consists of the extension of the right to vote to adult citizens as a whole, though it may also mean extending said right to minors and non-citizens...
.
Solanke also led WASU's drive for a hostel
Hostel
Hostels provide budget oriented, sociable accommodation where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed, in a dormitory and share a bathroom, lounge and sometimes a kitchen. Rooms can be mixed or single-sex, although private rooms may also be available...
for West Africans in London. In 1929, he left for a fundraising tour of West Africa. He spent three years travelling, his mission being supported by the West African and followed by most of the local press. While there, branches of WASU were founded in each country he visited. He also met Opeolu Obisanya, and the couple later married.
Solanke returned to Britain with sufficient funds to open the planned hostel, named "Africa House", and became its first warden. However, he faced serious criticism from some WASU members over alleged extravagant spending while in Africa.
During the 1930s and 40s, Solanke was able to use his friendships with figures including Marcus Garvey
Marcus Garvey
Marcus Mosiah Garvey, Jr., ONH was a Jamaican publisher, journalist, entrepreneur, and orator who was a staunch proponent of the Black Nationalism and Pan-Africanism movements, to which end he founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League...
, Paul Robeson
Paul Robeson
Paul Leroy Robeson was an American concert singer , recording artist, actor, athlete, scholar who was an advocate for the Civil Rights Movement in the first half of the twentieth century...
, Reginald Sorensen and Nathaniel Fadipe to further the causes of West African unity and anti-racism, raising the profile of WASU. When cocoa farmers in the Gold Coast
Gold Coast (region)
The Gold Coast was the region of West Africa which is now the nation of Ghana. Early uses of the term refer literally to the coast and not the interior. It was not until the 19th century that the term came to refer to areas that are far from the coast...
tried to break a cartel
Cartel
A cartel is a formal agreement among competing firms. It is a formal organization of producers and manufacturers that agree to fix prices, marketing, and production. Cartels usually occur in an oligopolistic industry, where there is a small number of sellers and usually involve homogeneous products...
of British companies, they wrote to Solanke personally to gain his assistance, and he was able to organise a large campaign in Britain, including questions in Parliament.
In 1944, Solanke returned to West Africa to raise funds for a new hostel, and did not return to Britain until 1948. The trip again proved a success, but in his absence, WASU had increasingly come under the influence of Kwame Nkrumah
Kwame Nkrumah
Kwame Nkrumah was the leader of Ghana and its predecessor state, the Gold Coast, from 1952 to 1966. Overseeing the nation's independence from British colonial rule in 1957, Nkrumah was the first President of Ghana and the first Prime Minister of Ghana...
and then Joe Appiah
Joe Appiah
Nana Joseph Emmanuel "Joe" Appiah, MP was a Ghanaian lawyer, politician and statesman. He was born in Kumasi to Nana James Appiah and Nana Adwoa Akyaa, members of the Ashanti imperial aristocracy...
. Faced with internal dissent, Solanke stepped down as Secretary-General in 1949, to campaign against communist influence in the union. His efforts to organise a slate of anti-communist candidates to contest the elections to the WASU executive in 1951 proved unsuccessful, and in January 1953 he finally split with the union after it decided to close Africa House, due to financial pressures. Solanke maintained the hostel with his own dwindling funds, until his death from lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
in September 1958.