Creator of popular old TV drama, The
Masquerade, James Iroha, popularly known as ‘Giringori’, passes
on at 70,
After a long battle with glaucoma, veteran actor and creator
of the popular television drama series, The Masquerade, James
Iroha, has passed on.
The artist popularly called Giringori, based on the role he
played in the drama, died in the early hours of Tuesday, according to his son,
Uche.
Although Iroha suffered blindness that kept him at home for
years, Uche said he had high blood pressure.
He, however, noted that the cause of the death had more to
do with old age.
Uche, who noted that the father died in a private
hospital in Onitsha, Anambra State, said Giringori was in high spirits to the
point of his death.
The son, a visual artist, told one of our correspondents on
the phone on Tuesday evening, ‘He talked and joked with everyone yesterday. My
father was always his same comic person.”
Although he conceded that he would miss the man he described
as a source of inspiration and legend, he enjoined Nigerians not to mourn but
celebrate him.
The late Iroha studied Theatre Arts at the University of
Ibadan. Although he was best known as an actor, he actually worked with the
Eastern Nigeria Broadcasting Corporation during the Civil War. After the war
ended, he was transferred to NTA Aba, Channel Six.
Prior to his retirement from the NTA, he started a new
programme called Yesterday People. It involved interviewing old men
who might have gone through thick and thin, and then discussed how they rose
from poverty to riches.
In an interview with SATURDAY PUNCH in
January, he noted that he was inspired to create The Masquerade by
his parent’s way of life. According to him, the lead character played by
Chika Okpala is a replica of his father while Ovularia (Lizy Iboeme) is a
replica of his mother.
On the choice of the title, he said, “I used it because in
the African traditional context of the word, there is respect for masquerades.
You could mask yourself and even talk to a king without fear of being arrested
by his guards. That respect, which Africans give to masquerades, prompted me to
title the drama Masquerade.”
Unknown to many people, the programme originally began
airing on radio and was called The Adventures of Chief Josephat
Okorigwe Nwogwu, before it was adapted for Television and began showing on
NTA Enugu.
Born into a humble background, his parents were poor farmers
but his father had many wives. After secondary education, he worked in Port
Harcourt, Rivers State for a while before he gained admission into the
University of Ibadan. He was also a pioneer student of the Department of
Theatre Arts.
During the early years of Nollywood, Iroha featured in a
couple of movies that include Black Angel, Osuofia, The
Three Wise Men and Nneka the Pretty Serpent. He,
however, quit because of the loopholes and shortcomings he perceived to
be existing in the industry.
In 1981, he was given a national honour of the Office of the
Order of the Niger, by the then President Shehu Shagari.
Although his sight began deteriorating a few years ago, he
could not trace the origin. He recalled, “I thought it was from
television. It happened to Clarus and Ovularia, too. People wanted me to
believe it was a spiritual attack by evil men. How can I start believing that?
I have done what I can do for myself. If my best is not good enough, then it is
okay.”
Iroha sought medical treatment in India where he was told by
the doctors that he had cataract in one eye and glaucoma in the other.
Unfortunately, the doctor’s assessment implicated Nigerian physicians who the
deceased first got into contact with.
He said, “They told me that Nigerian doctors had ruined my
sight. They told me that no doctor alive would ever restore my sight. They told
me I had cataract in one eye and glaucoma in the other eye. They removed the
cataract and planted a lens. That is why I am able to see a little bit. I can’t
read, I can’t write. Is it not worse than death.”
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