Akinwunmi Isola (24 December 1939 – 17 February 2018) was a Nigerian playwright, novelist, actor, dramatist, culture activist and scholar. He was known for his writing in, and his work in promoting, the
Yoruba language
Yoruba (, ; Yor. '; Ajami script, Ajami: ) is a language spoken in West Africa, primarily in South West (Nigeria), Southwestern Middle Belt, and Central Nigeria. It is spoken by the Ethnic group, ethnic Yoruba people. The number of Yoruba speake ...
.
As an actor, he was known for ''
Agogo Eèwò'' (2002), ''Efunsetan Aniwura'' (1981) and ''Efunsetan Aniwura'' (2005).
Early life and career
Isola was born in
Ibadan
Ibadan (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Oyo State, in Nigeria. It is the third-largest city by population in Nigeria after Lagos and Kano, with a total population of 3,649,000 as of 2021, and over 6 million people within its me ...
in 1939, attended Labode Methodist School and
Wesley College. He studied at the
University of Ibadan
The University of Ibadan (UI) is a public research university in Ibadan, Nigeria. The university was founded in 1948 as University College Ibadan, one of many colleges within the University of London. It became an independent university in 196 ...
, earning a B.A. in French.
He was appointed professor at the same University in 1991. Isola wrote his first play, ''
Efunsetan Aniwura
Chief Ẹfúnṣetán Aníwúrà (c. 1820s – June 30, 1874) was the second Iyalode of Ibadan and one of the pre-eminent slave traders in the 19th century Ibadan. Revered as a successful merchant and trader, her impact encompassed the politica ...
'', during 1961-62 while still a student at the University of Ibadan. This was followed by a novel, ''
O Le Ku''. In 1986, he wrote and composed the
college anthem that is currently being sung in
Wesley College Ibadan.
He went on to write a number of plays and novels. He broke into broadcasting, creating a production company that has turned a number of his plays into television dramas and films. Though he claimed that "my target audience are Yorubas", Isola also wrote in
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
and translated to Yoruba.
[ The award-winning writer spent his lifetime producing works that promoted the Yoruba language.]
On May 4, 2015, his book ''Herbert Macaulay and the Spirit of Lagos'' was staged at University of Ilorin
University of Ilorin, also known as Unilorin, is a federal government-owned university in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria. It was established by a decree of the federal military government in August, 1975. The establishment aimed to implement one o ...
, Kwara state at the Performing Arts Theatre. It was directed by Adams Abdulfatai Ayomide, for the annual season of plays festival.
In 2000, in recognition of his immense contributions, he was awarded the National Merit Award and the Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Letters. He was a visiting professor at the University of Georgia
, mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things."
, establ ...
. Nigerian playwright, dramatist and actor, Professor Akinwumi Ishola died aged 78.
Personal life
Isola was married and had four children. He died on 17 February 2018 in Ibadan, Oyo State, aged 78.
References
Links
Interview from The Sun newspaper
Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Isola, Akinwunmi
University of Ibadan alumni
Yoruba writers
1939 births
2018 deaths
Writers from Ibadan
Male actors from Ibadan
Nigerian dramatists and playwrights
Yoruba dramatists and playwrights
Yoruba male actors
Nigerian male film actors
University of Lagos alumni
Male actors in Yoruba cinema
Yoruba-language writers
English-language writers from Nigeria
English–Yoruba translators
Yoruba academics
Obafemi Awolowo University faculty
University of Georgia faculty
20th-century Nigerian writers
20th-century Nigerian dramatists and playwrights
Nigerian expatriate academics in the United States
20th-century translators