AFRICAN PLAUDITS FOR ROGER MOORE

Roger Moore, the suave, debonair actor who breathed life into James Bond in a series of films mainly in the 80s died this week at almost 90 years old. Since his demise, countless stars etc have been coming out to pay tribute to this magnificent actor. And the same has been happening in Africa too.

Whilst Sean Connery had played Bond as a tough, wry, wise-cracking agent, Moore took over and emphasized playing the part as a sort of "spoof" - wise cracking, quipping, with lots of tongue-in-cheek nuances. In Africa, many actors including from the famed Nollywood stable have been praising Roger Moore the actor; with many of them stating how much he influenced them, and how they admired him since their youth. Some insisted that Moore should be immortalised, which in essence he has been, or already is anyway. Interestingly, some African writers have also insisted that they patently admired the late Roger Moore too.

For example, Chief O Bolaji, who started the famous "Tebogo Mystery series" which now has eight published volumes, said: "I loved the way Moore played Bond on screen, when I was young. A superb actor indeed. Always amusing and charming and a gentleman with women. I found myself incorporating many elements of the Moore persona into my own books on the Tebogo detective…”

Bolaji added: “As many pundits have pointed out over the years, (my) fictional Tebogo is a rather fine gentleman too, with a sense of humour, he actually hates violence and evil... Tebogo is so nice, actually weak with women - even if such women are killers! One critic pointed out that Tebogo is so weak and foolish with ladies that he is almost killed at the end of one of the adventures...(Tebogo's spot of bother)"

Another African writer and critic, Raphael Mokoena, said: "I think we can all learn from a sublime actor like Roger Moore. Even his quips have a lot of literary merit...well, sometimes. There is the sense of something positive and fair in Moore's character which I try to put into my own reviews and writings, my critical ‘scribblings’...being fair in whatever one critiques... I rather think African critics Mr Mzwandile Soqaga and Tiisetso Thiba are like that too...presenting positive images in their work…I mean, it's good to be good, eh? That sort of thing...may Roger Moore’s soul rest in peace"

Photos: 1. (top) Roger Moore
2. (centre) Bolaji's Tebogo and the Bacchae, part of the Tebogo Myster series
3. (above) Roger Moore, with co-stars Tanya Roberts and Grace Jones (A View to A Kill)