Akinwande Oluwole Babatunde Soyinka Hon. FRSL, known as Wole Soyinka, is a Nigerian playwright, novelist, poet, and essayist in the English language. He was awarded the 1986 Nobel Prize in Literature for his "wide cultural perspective and... poetic overtones fashioning the drama of existence", the first sub-Saharan African to be honoured in that category.
Christopher Ifekandu Okigbo was a Nigerian poet, teacher, and librarian, who died fighting for the independence of Biafra. He is today widely acknowledged as an outstanding postcolonial English-language African poet and one of the major modernist writers of the 20th century.
A Dance of the Forests is one of the most recognized of Wole Soyinka's plays. It was "presented at the Nigerian Independence celebrations in 1960, it ... denigrated the glorious African past and warned Nigerians and all Africans that their energies henceforth should be spent trying to avoid repeating the mistakes that have already been made."
Nigerian literature may be roughly defined as the literary writing by citizens of the nation of Nigeria for Nigerian readers, addressing Nigerian issues. This encompasses writers in a number of languages, including not only English but Igbo, Urhobo, Yoruba, and in the northern part of the county Hausa and Nupe. More broadly, it includes British Nigerians, Nigerian Americans and other members of the African diaspora.
Abiku is a Yoruba word that can be translated as "predestined to death". It is from (abi) "that which was born" and (iku) "death".
Francis Abiola Irele was a Nigerian academic best known as the doyen of Africanist literary scholars worldwide. He was Provost at Kwara State University, founded in 2009 in Ilorin, Nigeria. Before moving back to Nigeria, Irele was Visiting Professor of African and African American Studies and of Romance Languages and Literatures at Harvard University.
Michael Joseph Chukwudalu Echeruo is a Nigerian academic, professor and literary critic from Umunumo, Ehime-Mbano LGA, Imo State. He is the William Safire Professor of Modern Letters in the English Department at Syracuse University since 1990.
Kongi's Harvest is a 1970s Nigerian drama film directed by Ossie Davis. The film was adapted from a screenplay by Wole Soyinka adapted from his 1965 play of the same name. Soyinka, a Nigerian playwright, poet, and the first African to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1986, also starred in the leading role as the dictator of an African nation.
Ber Anena born and previously published as Harriet Anena is a Ugandan writer and performer, whose writing includes poetry, nonfiction and fiction. She is the author of a collection of poems, A Nation In Labour, published in 2015, won the 2018 Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa. The Economist described her poetry performance as "an arresting evocation of love and war".
Kopano Matlwa is a South African writer and doctor, known for her novel Spilt Milk, which focuses on the South Africa's "Born Free" generation, and Coconut, her debut novel, which addresses issues of race, class, and colonization in modern Johannesburg. Coconut was awarded the European Union Literary Award in 2006/2007 and also won the Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa in 2010. Spilt Milk was on the longlist for the 2011 Sunday Times Fiction Prize.
A cultureme is any portion of cultural behavior apprehended in signs of symbolic value that can be broken down into smaller units or amalgamated into larger ones. A cultureme is a "cultural information-bearing unit", the contents of which are recognizable by a group of people. Culturemes are the bridge between linguistic units and culture.
Wanda Leopold was a Polish author, medical doctor, and social science activist known for her study of English writings beginning in West Africa, specifically Nigeria. A translator as well as a literary critic, she stressed the artistic qualities of creative writing. She was a scholar of Polish culture, literature, and language. Her book, "O literaturze Czarnej Afryki," was the first Polish introduction to African literature that was written in both English, and French. Some of her first critical essays were on Chinua Achebe, Cyprian Ekwensi, and Wole Soyinka.
Grace Eniola Soyinka was a Nigerian shopkeeper, activist, and member of the aristocratic Ransome-Kuti family.
Oyedapo Oyekunle "Dapo" Olorunyomi, is a Nigerian journalist. He is the publisher and editor-in-chief of Premium Times, an online Nigerian newspaper. He is also the executive director of Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ). He was the policy director and chief of staff to the executive chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The Bacchae of Euripides: A Communion Rite is an adaptation by Wole Soyinka of the ancient Greek tragedy The Bacchae by Euripides.
Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth is a 2021 novel written by Nigerian playwright and novelist Wole Soyinka. It was released on 28 September 2021 by Bookcraft Africa.
The 1986 Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to the Nigerian writer Wole Soyinka "who in a wide cultural perspective and with poetic overtones fashions the drama of existence." He is the first African recipient of the prize.
Mpalive-Hangson Msiska is a Malawian academic resident in London, England. He is a Reader Emeritus in English and Humanities at Birkbeck College, University of London, with research and teaching interests in critical and cultural theory as well as postcolonial literature, including African literature, Wole Soyinka and Chinua Achebe being notable subjects of his writing.
Of Africa is a book written by Wole Soyinka, a Nigerian playwright, novelist, poet, and essayist who is also the author of The Bacchae of Euripides (1969), Season of Anomy amongst others. The book was centered on Africa's culture, religion, history, imagination, and identity, examining how its past intertwines with that of others. He emphasizes Africa's intrinsic values, including its humanity, self-worth, and methods of environmental stewardship, encompassing both physical and intangible aspects. Despite acknowledging Africa's daunting challenges, Soyinka rejects defeatism, eloquently analyzing issues from historical significance to the rise of theocracy. He confronts complex topics like racial biases, inter-ethnic conflicts, and the impact of colonial-imposed borders on nationhood. Soyinka's examination reimagines Africa's place in the reader's mind, charting a path toward a future defined by peace and self-empowerment.
King Baabu is a play by Wole Soyinka amongst his others plays including The Lion and the Jewel,A Dance of the Forests, and[[The Strong Breed]]. Wole Soyinka was the first African to win the Nobel Prize award in 1986. King Baabu is a satirical play that mirrors the rule of General Abacha in Nigeria through absurdity and humor. It follows the transformation of General Basha Bash into King Baabu, portraying his reign with a cast of characters speaking in a childish language. Through comedy and storytelling, the play critiques power, corruption, and the cult of personality, leaving a lasting impression as a poignant commentary on political absurdity.
