Veteran actress Taiwo Akinwande, widely recognized as Yetunde Wunmi, recently shared her deeply personal journey, highlighting how her dedication to acting led to the loss of both her marriage and her newborn child. In an emotional interview with BBC Yorùbá, the 64-year-old actress reflected on her commitment to theatre, which began in 1982 with Sunday Akinola’s (Feyi Kogbon) theatre group, and its impact on her personal life.

Wunmi traced her passion for acting back to a pivotal encounter with the legendary filmmaker Adeyemi Afolayan. Recalling a poignant memory, she described a time when she took her one-month-old baby to a performance in Ilorin, Kwara State, despite the child’s illness. Tragically, the baby passed away at just one year and ten days old.

Despite these heart-wrenching experiences, Wunmi expressed no regrets about her choice to pursue a career in theatre. She fondly remembered the moment she first encountered the influential figure, Adelove, who inspired her love for acting. “He wore all white that day, including a white shoe, and came out of a white car. Everybody ran towards him, and I also went closer to touch his clothes. I was overjoyed, feeling as if I touched gold. That sparked my interest in theatre,” she shared.

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Reflecting on her experiences, Wunmi recounted a specific memory from when she was part of her boss’s theatre group. She had a young baby at home but couldn’t resist the allure of a rehearsal. Without telling her husband the truth, she ventured out, claiming she was visiting her mother. While performing, she would wrap her baby in her costume and hand the child to a crew member, only to take the baby back after her performance. Unfortunately, her child developed a high fever, but Wunmi chose to stay for the show despite her boss’s concerns.

Ultimately, she received a payment of just N16, which matched her expenses for the child’s treatment. “I was more focused on the joy of participating in the performance than the money,” she recalled. The grief of losing her child remains an indelible part of her life, as she lamented that her baby did not get to experience her success in theatre. “It’s something I will never forget,” she concluded.