Bill Okyere Marshall

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Bill Okyere Marshall was a Ghanaian writer of plays and novels. [1] He died June 2, 2021. [2]

Contents

Biography

Bill Okyere Marshall was born in 1933 into a wealthy family in Ghana. [3] After attending Odogonor Secondary School, in the 1960s he attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London to further his studies in playwriting and film. This was followed by further studies in film and literature; He studied film at the Television Production School. [4]

After an extended period in England, which included experience writing for the BBC and some time working, he went to Peterborough, New Hampshire. While he was there he wrote Song of Umbele. On his return to Ghana, he wrote a newspaper column under the nom de plume "Tuli Blanko." It was through this column that he became known to a wide readership. [4]

He joined the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation-Television as a producer. From GBC-TV he joined Lintas Ghana for four years before establishing Studio Africain, of which he was the managing director. [5] Between 1973 and 2003 Marshall produced four plays and two novels, wrote regularly for the press and worked in the Ghana Television drama department. [3]

He was appointed Director of the National Film and Television Institute (NAFTI), a post he held for twelve years before retiring. [5]

Bill Marshall was a fellow of the Ghana Association of Writers (GAW) and served as Deputy General Secretary, General Secretary and Vice President of the Association under the late Professor Atukwei Okai. [6] He was a Fellow of the Pan African Writers Association (PAWA) [5]

Over the decades, his writings were wide and diverse spanning film and television, radio, the press and books. [5]

Plays and themes

In 1973, Marshall produced his first play, The Son of Umbele, about a cursed fisherman. He also wrote a number of novels, including Bukom (1979) and Permit for Survival (1981), and published a collection of plays, The Crows and Other Plays. [3] In 2003, he produced the play The Shadow of an Eagle, engaging mythology and symbolism to explore ideas of personal ambition and fulfillment. His most recent play Stranger to Innocence was also produced in 2003. [3]

Works

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The Son of Umbele is a play written in 1973 by Ghanaian writer Bill Okyere Marshall.

Ghanaian literature is literature produced by authors from Ghana or in the Ghanaian diaspora. The tradition of literature starts with a long oral tradition, was influence heavily by western literature during colonial rule, and became prominent with a post-colonial nationalist tradition in the mid 20th century. The current literary community continues with a diverse network of voices both within and outside the country today, including film, theatre, and modern digital formats such as blogging.

References

  1. ↑ Killam, G. D.; Rowe, Ruth, eds. (2000). The Companion to African Literatures. Indiana UP. pp. 157–58. ISBN   9780253336330.
  2. ↑ Ghana, R. I. P. (2021-06-23). "The late Mr. Bill Gordon Okyere Marshall a.k.a Uncle Bill or Paa Willie (1933 - 2021)". R.I.P Ghana. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Killam, Douglas; Kerfoot, Alicia L., eds. (2008). "Marshall, Bill Okyere (1936-)". Student Encyclopedia of African Literature. Westport: Greenwood. p. 191. ISBN   9780313335808.
  4. 1 2 › journals › mata › article-p69_8 "On His Life and The Crows - Brill". From: Contemporary Ghanaian Literature, Theatre and Film, ed. Kofi Anyidoho & James Gibbs (Matatu 21-22; Amsterdam & Atlanta GA: Editions Rodopi, 2000).{{cite journal}}: Check |url= value (help)
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Brother Man – Booknook.store" . Retrieved 2021-07-05.
  6. ↑ emmakd (2021-06-19). "Ghana Association of Writers mourns Bill Okyere Marshall". Ghana Business News. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
  7. ↑ "265. Permit for Survival by Bill Marshall". 265. Permit for Survival by Bill Marshall. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
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