Nollywood filmmaker, Foluke Daramola-Salako has said most veteran actors in the industry suffer depression due to neglect.
Daramola-Saloko who recently celebrated the birthdays of some actors including 97-year-old Charles Olumo, aka Baba Agbako, and Tajudeen Oyewole, aka Abija, however, said due to the neglect they suffer, she had to shoulder herself with the responsibility of attracting publicity for them.
Her words: “My main purpose is to attract publicity for elderly actors. I decided to celebrate their birthdays pending when I have my major event. I have always said that a lot of these aged actors are facing depression. Some don’t die just because they are old but being once active and suddenly not being active anymore could be a painful experience for them. Sometimes, it is not about the money that I or any other person gives them. It is a matter of showcasing them, so that their talent is still appreciated. I can tell you as a movie director that there is a place for these aged veterans in the movies we make.
“Some people think that someone is sponsoring me but I am stressing that no philanthropist is sponsoring me. Everything I am spending is from my pocket. If anyone decides to sponsor me, I would announce it and appreciate the person. I have been true to this course because it is a project I love. In fact, the reason I opened a restaurant and bar is that I might run out of funds to host these veterans at event centres and I would gladly use my space. Any politician or anyone that has bankrolled me over these projects is free to speak out.”