Wole Soyinka is a Nigerian playwright, poet, novelist and actor. He is widely regarded as one of Africa's greatest writer and one of the world's most important dramatists.
John Pepper Clark-Bekederemo was a Nigerian poet and playwright. He popularly published as J. P. Clark and John Pepper Clark.
Femi Euba is a Nigerian actor, writer, and dramatist, who has published numerous works of drama, theory, and fiction. His work as a theatre practitioner encompasses acting, playwriting, and directing. Among the topics of his plays is Yoruba culture.
Francis Agu was a Nigerian TV and cinema ("Nollywood") actor. He was best known for his role on the long-running Nigerian television series Checkmate.
Onyeka Nwelue is a Nigerian scholar, filmmaker, publisher and jazz musician signed to Amsterdam-based record label, Walboomers Music. He has published over 35 books, including The Strangers of Braamfontein, described by Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka, as "raunchy".
Wole Oguntokun was a Nigerian playwright, dramaturge, director and was the artistic director of Theatre Planet Studios and Renegade Theatre as well as a member of the board of Theaturtle, a Canadian theatre company. He was also a theatre administrator and newspaper columnist.
Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa is a pan-African writing prize awarded biennially to the best literary work produced by an African. It was established by the Lumina Foundation in 2005 in honour of Africa's first Nobel Laureate in Literature, Wole Soyinka, who presents the prize, which is chosen by an international jury of literary figures. Administered by the Lumina Foundation, the prize has been described as "the African equivalent of the Nobel Prize".
Joseph Mydell is an American screen and stage actor.
The Interpreters is a novel by Wole Soyinka, first published in London by André Deutsch in 1965 and later republished as part of the influential Heinemann African Writers Series. It is the first and one of the only three novels written by Soyinka; he is principally known as a playwright. The novel was written in English and later translated into a number of languages.
The Mbari Club was a centre for cultural activity by African writers, artists and musicians that was founded in Ibadan, Nigeria, in 1961 by Ulli Beier, with the involvement of a group of young writers including Wole Soyinka and Chinua Achebe. Mbari, an Igbo concept related to "creation", was suggested as the name by Achebe. Among other Mbari members were Christopher Okigbo, J. P. Clark and South African writer Ezekiel Mphahlele, Amos Tutuola, Frances Ademola, Demas Nwoko, Mabel Segun, Uche Okeke, Arthur Nortje and Bruce Onobrakpeya.
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.
This is a list of works by Wole Soyinka.
A Play of Giants is a play by Wole Soyinka, Africa's first Nobel Prize winner in 1986. "A Play of Giants" is a satire that takes aim at dictators in Africa, including the notorious Idi Amin. Set at the New York embassy, the play ingeniously portrays a gathering of dictatorial African leaders, highlighting their absurdities and follies as they attempt to navigate cooperation and decision-making. Through sharp wit and clever dialogue, the play offers a scathing commentary on power, politics, and the human condition, inviting audiences to reflect on the nature of tyranny and its impact on society. It was published on January 1, 1984.
Alapata Apata, a satirical play by Wole Soyinka mocking Nigerian politics through the story of Alaba, a retired butcher. As Alaba adjusts to his newfound leisure, the play exposes the absurdities of power dynamics and political manipulation in Nigeria. With humor and wit, Soyinka critiques corruption and hypocrisy, offering a sharp commentary on governance while entertaining readers with its humorous portrayal of characters and situations.
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.
The Beatification of the Area Boy, a play by Wole Soyinka, was first published in Great Britain in 1995 and later in Nigeria in 1999. The play explores the absurdities present in Nigerian society, particularly under military rule, and by extension, in any African nation where regressive systems remain unchallenged due to a lack of checks and balances.
Jero's Metamorphosis is a continuation of The Trials of Brother Jero, written by Wole Soyinka, a Nigerian playwright, poet and author. The play pictures a prophet at the beach side with his disciples.
Ebrohimie Road: A Museum of Memory is a documentary film written, produced, and directed by Kola Tubosun, and shot by Tunde Kelani, about the eponymous location at the University of Ibadan where Nigerian writer/playwright and Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka lived and worked between 1967 and 1972. It was from there that Soyinka was arrested in 1967 after visiting the breakaway Biafra that was engaged in a civil war with Nigeria, and it was there to which he returned in 1969 after his release, before leaving for a voluntary exile a few years later. The film premiered in Nigeria in July 2024 as part of activities to mark Soyinka's 90th birthday, and has continued to screen in venues in the United States, United Kingdom, and elsewhere.
You Must Set Forth at Dawn is an autobiographical work by the Nobel Prize-winning Nigerian playwright, poet and political activist Wole Soyinka. In this compelling memoir, Soyinka provides an intimate glimpse into his life as an adult, detailing his experiences in and out of Nigeria during some of the nation's most tumultuous periods. A sequel to his acclaimed childhood memoir, Ake: The Years of Childhood, this book captures Soyinka's struggles and triumphs as he navigates the complexities of political activism, exile, and his pioneering contributions to theater and literature.
