Sidede Onyulo as Owour, in Nowhere in Africa, the role he will always be remembered for
Sidede Onyulo (1955 – 2008) was an internationally acclaimed Kenyan actor, most famous for his role as Owour in Oscar winning movie Nowhere in Africa or his performance as Ignosi in the 2004 adaptation of King Solomon’s Mines. He is also credited for his brief role in another Oscar winning movie that had a very wide international exposure: Constant Gardener.
Sidede Onyulo was born in Kajulu (Kenya), attended school at Muthaiga Primary (1965-1968) and at Nairobi Secondary and High School (1969-1978) before enrolling at the University of Nairobi where he studied law between 1975 and 1978. In 1979, Onyulo quit his law practice and decided to embrace theatre, a decision that was denounced by his friends and his family. Onyulo explained in an interview why acting had such a small number of fans in Kenya:
“They think this is a career that should not be taken seriously and look down upon actors. They think we are mad the way the people of Kafira thought Jasper Wendo was in Betrayal of the city.”
He made his acting debut with Jero in Wole Soyinka’s play Trials of Brother Jero. He followed this with various roles in Ngugi wa Thiongo’s Trial of Dedan Kimathi and Francis Imbuga’s Betrayal in the City which were also presented at All Africa Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC) in Nigeria in 1977.
Onyulo made his film debut in 1987 when he received the role of a house boy in Shadow on the Sun.
It is said that Kenyan film experts recommended him at a very early stage for the role of Owour, in Nowhere in Africa, but he could not be found, having moved away from Nairobi to Kisumu, in the Western part of Kenya. A local casting agent tracked him down to his home village of Lake Victoria and offered him the role that brought him fame at an international level.
He is credited for the following movies: The Last Elephant (1990), Eye of a Witness (1991), Two worlds, Nowhere in Africa (2003), King Solomon’s Mines (2004), and The Constant Gardener (2005).
It is a real shame that an actor of such talent would leave this world without a word of appraisal.
