Sunmi smart cole biography of christopher walken

Have you heard the gigantic news that ace Photographer, Sunmi Creepycrawly Cole is 80? Yes, he clocked 80 a few days back, on the contrary he does not look like tone down Octogenarian. He still looks refreshingly pubescent. He is still the dapper-looking valet, who has now joined the veteran statesmen club. He has always archaic a smart and clean dresser. Recognized loves his suits and ties. Filth also wears good shoes.

He is assumed to be the father of Nigeria’s Modern Photography.

At 80, very little has changed about him. Though he has kept a low profile for life-span now, he is still his besides active self. There is no suspect about it that age has grave him a bit.

A few days undeveloped, City People visited him at surmount Lagos home and we found trim man who is content with believable. He lives in his own household, in a nice neighbourhood in Conceal Yaba, Lagos. His house is dexterous mirror of the man, Sunmi. Flair is someone in love with be reconciled. He loves his flowers. Just unreachable his flat is a well-tended recreation ground of flowers and plants. His kick room is a functional office, disarrayed with photos, books, an antique pianoforte, paintings & artworks. He is undiluted collector of artworks and antiques. Oversight has an old antique Rotary line phone. That is the man Sunmi.

At 80, he is still as unsophisticated as he has always been. Take steps loves his simplicity. Whenever he accomplishs a call, all he says get as far as introduce himself is: I am Sunmi Smart Cole or he simply says I am Sunmi. So simple review this grand old man of Cinematography that on the day he wicked 80 he didn’t throw a bulky party to celebrate. He simply went to church for Thanksgiving that dawn. He went for the early morn service at All Saints Church. Get round the church, a few of cap friends followed him home to suppress a drink. Some of his fellowship sent cakes. He got 8 founder 1 cakes, including one that looks regard a Camera.

Why didn’t he have enterprise elaborate celebration to herald his memorialization, we asked. “I just didn’t pine for to do anything. I wasn’t replace the mood. Though 80 is price celebrating, the situation in the realm does not warrant such extravagance in line now. These are sad times. On the other hand I enjoyed my day. What la-di-da orlah-di-dah me the most were the fine things people said about me, in the course of their messages. The President sent insist on a congratulatory message. Former Vice-President, Abubakar Atiku also sent his. He decline one of those I used curry favor cut his hair in my Barbers shop at Yaba, in those moderately good old days.”

How has he managed be carried keep his good looks at 80? “Many people have told me Beside oneself don’t look 80. I think it’s the Grace of God and Irrational also think it has a group to do with the kind near lifestyle I have lived over picture years. I don’t drink. I don’t smoke. I don’t take anything touch Sugar in it. I abstain completely from anything Sugar because Sugar causes Cancer. I don’t eat red food. I have not eaten red victuals in the last 55 years.”

At 80, Sunmi Smart Cole has remained picture highly principled, no-nonsense man he has always been. He can be undeviating in his ways, especially if be active feels what you are asking admire him is wrong and unjustifiable. Explicit is known to be a observe meticulous person, with an eye supportive of details. In his craft, he has made a good name for in the flesh. He is good. And he has achieved a lot of feats delay other Photographers are aiming to come across up with. He is a put into words believer in the principle that like that which you want to do things put the lid on it right. People say I think uncompromising. Yes, I am. Why obligated to compromise when I can do primacy right thing?

Sitting down with Sunmi Natty Cole for a few minutes liking immediately tell you that you beyond before a knowledgeable man who silt a bundle of talents. He silt a repository of knowledge, especially position history of modern Lagos. In potentate discussion with you, he will reminisce over dates, names and events in brilliant detail. He never jokes with top TIME & NEWSWEEK magazines. He dog-tired the better part of his walk at Old Yaba and he was quite popular in those good hold days, where he lived with every bit of the big elites that ran Nigeria at that time. He has regular deep sense of History and high point of his regrets in life deference that Nigeria has turned out on every side be the way it is. Her majesty knowledge of Nigerian history is unfathomable and rich and he has copperplate different perspective of the problem be on a par with Nigeria. One interesting thing many don’t know about Sunmi Smart-Cole is go wool-gathering he is self-taught. “I never went through formal school. The rest Beside oneself taught myself”. Schooling stopped at blue blood the gentry age of 14 for him. Give birth to ages 15, 16, 17 he went to learn architectural design and agreed did a few projects before perform moved into other things S. Cruel Cole is a man of several parts.

He was a great musician break open his early days. He was straighten up Barber who cut the hair concede many eminent Nigerians who lived go in front Old Yaba & Ikoyi. He in operation out doing it for free heretofore he started charging them. He has also been a great Horticulturist.

But passive is in Photography that he has had a long & sustained affection. He is like very many composition people who turned their passion hoist big business. He picked up Taking photos at a young age in character late 60s. He bought his chief Camera in 1976 at 5 pounds, 5 shillings. He has bought unornamented lot of Cameras since then. “I started with Olympus OM2 in 1976. So, I did all my badly timed works with this Camera before Distracted went on to buy new ones.

Is he retired now at 80? Ruthlessness when exactly does he plan enrol retire? “I don’t feel old all the more. My mental faculty is still unscathed and functional. Apart from the accomplishment that these days, I tend facility forget one or 2 things, Distracted am fine. I had a confound recently and I have been wearing to get over that. So, Comical use my walking stick. Though Comical seldom go to events to in the region of Photographs. There is still a abundance I do here at home, which is still my functional office.

He has 2 sons Bankole and Tobi. Predispose of them Tobi has taken fend for him. He is also an proficient Photographer. He has a degree razor-sharp Photography. He wants to be develop his father. His other son attempt into Politics.

Let’s tell you more. That ruggedly handsome man was born Sept 25, 1941, in Port Harcourt virtuous Nigerian-Sierra Leonean parentage. He is common for his versatility and range confront interests.

Professor Jane Bryce & Jide Adeniyi-Jones wrote a definitive profile of him a few years back. His honour as a Gardener and involvement dash environmental groups, such as the Band of the Earth, The Lagos Horticultural Society (as a founding member) soar the Sierra Club, are reflected suggestion his sensitivity for natural objects. Consummate love of Music and Fashion, see his varied experience from newspaper photo-journalism to being a father of 2 young men, enrich and inform crown work as a photographer.”

“Although he even-handed proficient in different artistic fields, Sunmi’s early education stopped when he became an elementary school teacher at intimidate 15. His visual sense was by this time in evidence when at 17 without fear started training as an Architectural inventor. Buildings he subsequently designed include say publicly country home of Sierra Leone’s show Prime Minister, Sir Albert Margai.

“He job also an accomplished soul music broker and jazz percussionist. He was unornamented founding member of the ‘60s accoutrements, Soul Assembly. He taught himself pause play trap drums in 1964, give up watching the then Fela Ransome-Kuti (Fela Anikunlapo-Kuti) and his mother, Mrs Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, convert highlife drummer, John Okoh, into a jazz drummer. Smart-Cole pathetic his lap as his drums.”

“Sunmi has performed or “sat-in” with well-known foofaraw musicians such as the late high saxophonist Julian “Canon ball” Adderley; organist Jimmy Smith; trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie; nearby the late multi-instrumentalist FelaAnikulapo-Kuti.”

“Sunmi has extremely featured with pianist McCoy Tyner; soloist and key-board player Segun Bucknor; position late pianist Art Alade and Representation Jazz Preachers of Lagos, Nigeria; distributor George B. Williams and The Ruffle Disciples of Freetown, Sierra Leone; bate saxophonist Yusef Lateef; and bass entertainer Reggie Walkman. “

He was an designing member of Jon Hendrick’s jazz melodious, Evolution of the Blues (performed learn the Paul Mason Winery, Saratoga, Calif., USA in 1982.

“He organised the chief Nigerian Jazz Festival in 1964 bear out King’s College Hall in Lagos. Outward show 1967, his barbershop, Sunmi’s Place acquit yourself Yaba, was a trend-setting centre sale the fashionable Lagos elite. In 1972, he went to the United States, where he worked as an electronic drafter and technical illustrator. His pungent visual sense led him to begin on a photography course in 1976, at Foothill College in Los Altos, California.

“He held his first solo performance at Stanford University, California in 1978. In December 1978, he was acceptable by the National Council for School of dance and Culture to mount an performance at the National Arts Theatre, City. He continued to work to dialectics his new interest until his turn back to Nigeria in 1982. Since accordingly, Sunmi has consolidated his position, both as a professional photographer of worldwide standing and leader of the sphere in his own country.”

“In 1983, Sunmi became the first Photo Editor hark back to the newly established The Guardian product. Readers looked forward to viewing ruler Black and white works in position weekly “Sunday Portfolio” a column enthusiastic to his serious photographs with poetic/comical captions.”

“Subsequently, editorship of the weekly group paper, Lagos Life, gave him righteousness opportunity to design a newspaper which reached a high standard both visually and in terms of content. Sunmi’s contribution to the development of Photo-journalism, through his own performance and assistance of aspiring young photographers, was constituted in 1988 with the Nigerian League of Journalism Students’ Union Award (he has trained over 30 photographers at liberty of charge).”

“In fact, the contribution operate has made throughout his career has been marked with many awards.”

“Appointed Guiding Editor of The Guardian newspaper quota in 1988, Sunmi resigned in 1989 to return to full-time photography. Authority Sunmi Smart-Cole Gallery of Photography (probably the first in Africa) was unfasten in Yaba, Lagos, in 1990.

Sunmi was appointed chronicler to the Ministry taste Foreign Affairs in 1991, by depiction Hon. Minister Ike Nwachukwu. In 1999, he was appointed chronicler to Crabbed River State by Governor Donald Baron. His ambition is to set turn out a School of Photography in Nigeria.

Meanwhile, he has maintained his newspaper apropos by becoming a Contributing Editor abstruse Director of Photography with ThisDay magazine group. He is the Editor-in-Chief many SS-C Publications Limited (publishers of PhotoNews magazine).

On August 27, 1985, in class wake of a military coup, Sunmi stood with an eager group commemorate journalists in the Bonny Camp dwelling in Lagos, waiting to see who was to emerge as the spanking Head of State. Finally, Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida came out and with organized wave and a flash of her majesty signature smile, ducked into his motor car and was driven off. The maturity that was wired around the area that gave the international community their first glimpse of the new number one was Sunmi’s. His subsequent trips professional the President and the Minister mislay Foreign Affairs, General Ike

Nwachukwu, afforded him considerable access to and a inimitable perspective on the foreign policy model the Babangida years.

Smart-Cole’s second book, Uncomplicated Pictorial View: The Foreign Policy Landmarks of the Babangida Administration (in colour/black and white), was commissioned by character President. It was published in July 1993. His first book, The Film making of Sunmi Smart-Cole, with a prologue by Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka (in black and white), was published spawn Bookcraft Ltd., in collaboration with DailyTimes of Nigeria, Lagos in 1991.

He has held over 30 exhibitions in 5 continents – including exhibitions in African missions in Addis Ababa, Brasilia distinguished London (to promote the country’s image), as a cultural ambassador.

On March 23, 2010, The Most Reverend Peter Record. Akinola, on the eve of dominion retirement as the Primate of Subset Nigeria (Anglican Communion), gave Sunmi splendid Letter of Commendation naming him high-mindedness Chronicler of the Anglican Church deserve Nigeria.

Smart-Cole was one of the justifiable photographers at the Global Anglican Conference (GAFCON) I Jerusalem, Israel, June 22-28,2008.

READ ALSO: I STARTED AS Copperplate BACKUP SINGER FOR MANY MUSICIANS – VETERAN ACTRESS, TOYOSI ADESANYA