On July 4, 2025, at Osun State University, Professor Adebooye, the Vice-Chancellor, presented the 2025 Leopold Sedar Senghor Award to Mr. Bolaji Amusan. The award was a joint decision by the Osun State University, the University of Texas at Austin, UNESCO partners, and the Board of TOFAC. This marked a glorious moment in the career of Mr. Latin, as popularly known. For the record, the Léopold Sédar Senghor Prize for African Cultural Creativity and Impact is conferred upon African artists whose oeuvres are dedicated to innovatively utilizing African cultural heritages for societal awareness and influence.
The Bible says, “A man’s gift opens doors for him.” This is the story of Mr. Latin, whose formal name is Bolaji Amusan. There is no doubt that Nollywood has produced numerous stars and generational talents who have brought smiles to people’s faces despite the nation’s political anomalies. Mr. Latin is indisputably one of the greatest personas who have graced the stage and left their footprints stamped on the soil of the Nigerian movie industry. Mr. Amusan, whose career commenced as a utility actor before transitioning to full-time comedy in the early 1990s, easily garnered fame and recognition for his innate comic charisma, which triggers the audience to laugh, even at the slightest provocation. Little wonder that he got his stage name, Mr. Latin, from one of his comedic routines, where he incorporated some elements of external culture in his performance as a Nigerian act.
He is renowned for his highly comic and satirical movies, where he addresses political issues and critiques societal ills. In his film, “Baba Gomiona,” loosely translatable as “The Governor’s Father,” Mr. Latin critiques the deficiencies of a nation plagued by selfishness and egotism, where the governor’s father demands to live like the governor. This notion should be strictly unacceptable in a sane society. He also produced “Mr. President,” a film where he impersonated the former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo.
In addition to his profession as a comedian and an actor, Mr. Latin has also made a significant impact in boosting the survival, growth, and development of Nollywood, particularly the Yoruba sub-sector in the Nigerian movie industry. The versatile thespian, who has produced and co-produced several blockbuster movies and directed several films, has opened an excellent opportunity for many young actors who would like to follow in his footsteps. It should be reemphasized that Mr. Latin, apart from excelling in his comedy career and inspiring many through it, has also shown his leadership skills when he became a member of the Association of Nigerian Theatre Practitioners (ANTP) in Ogun State, Nigeria where he served meritoriously for over twelve years, moving from the Assistant Secretary, Secretary, to eventually becoming the Chairman of the Association. This was also facilitated by the leadership qualities he has shown over the years, as well as his willingness to serve, which made it easier for him to be nominated as the Association’s leader.
Born in October 1966 in Gbongan, Osun State, Nigeria, he once stated in an interview with Punch that he never aspired to become an actor, but instead desired to be a footballer. He considered himself skillful on the pitch and dedicated greater effort to his gameplay until 1988, when a friend introduced him to acting. Perhaps fate or providence prompted him to pursue acting. Still, the takeaway is that the Gbongan-born boy with a bag of dreams has become an achiever who lives a fulfilled life and positively impacts his society.
In addition to his acting career, Mr. Latin is a family-oriented person who believes that the family must always come first. He once articulated that he possesses distinct personalities and identities, which revolve around his acting profession and his personal life. Hence, Mr. Latin is the comedian while Bolaji Amusan assumes the role of a disciplinarian at home.
