Bolanle Awe (

Yoruba The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...

: ''Bọ́láńlé (Fájẹ́m̄bọ́là) Awẹ́'' born 28 January 1933) is a

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...

and

history professor. She became the Pro-Chancellor of the

University of Nigeria The University of Nigeria, commonly referred to as UNN, is a federal university located in Nsukka, Enugu State, Eastern part of Nigeria. Founded by Nnamdi Azikiwe in 1955 and formally opened on 7 October 1960, the University of Nigeria has thr ...

in Nsukka. She has been called a Nigerian "intellectual hero".

Life

Awe was born on January 28, 1933, in the town of

Ilesa Ilesa () is an ancient town located in the Osun State, southwest Nigeria; it is also the name of a historic kingdom (also known as Ijesha) centred on that village. The state is ruled by a monarch bearing the title of the Owa Obokun Adimula of Ij ...

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

to Samuel Akindeji Fajembola and Mosebolatan Abede. Her father was originally from the town of

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 ...

, and also he was a cocoa trader a manager at the John Holt & Co, a shipping and general merchandise company. Her mother was from the town of Ilesa, and was a member of the Abede family, a branch of the Royal House of Bilayirere, one of the 4 royal houses of Ilesa. Her mother was a teacher. Upon her father's transfer to one of the branches of John Holt & Co. in Ilesa, Awe was born. She was born in a community where practitioners of Islam, Christianity, and the Yoruba religion lived harmoniously. She attended Holy Trinity School, Omofe-

Ilesha Ilesa () is an ancient town located in the Osun State, southwest Nigeria; it is also the name of a historic kingdom (also known as Ijesha) centred on that village. The state is ruled by a monarch bearing the title of the Owa Obokun Adimula of Ij ...

, before moving with her family to Ibadan when she was 8 years old, she later continued her education at St James Primary School, Okebola,

and

St Anne's School, Ibadan St Anne's School, Ibadan is a secondary school for girls in Ibadan, Nigeria. The school took its current name in 1950, after a merger between Kudeti Girls School, founded in 1899, and CMS Girls School, Lagos, founded in 1869. It can therefore clai ...

. She took her A-levels at the

Perse School (He who does things for others does them for himself) , established = , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent day school , religion = Nondenominational Christian , president = , head_label = Head , he ...

in Cambridge. She went to

St Andrews University (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...

in Scotland where she obtained a master's degree in history, before taking a doctorate in history at

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

. Awe then returned to Nigeria, where she became a lecturer 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 ...

. She rose to be a professor at the same university.Bolanle Awe - A Quintessential teacher, historian
, 2014, MyNewsWatchTimesNG.com, Retrieved 15 February 2016. She was one of the historians who allowed their evidence to include

oral tradition Oral tradition, or oral lore, is a form of human communication wherein knowledge, art, ideas and cultural material is received, preserved, and transmitted orally from one generation to another. Vansina, Jan: ''Oral Tradition as History'' (1985 ...

s. This meant that she was able to trace back histories before the arrival of Europeans. She was also active in identifying how the role of women in history was being overlooked and she co-founded the Women's Research and Documentation Centre (WORDOC) to promote the coordination of women's studies research and new methodologies to study Nigerian women. In 1982, she was made an Officer of the

Order of the Federal Republic The Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) is one of two orders of merit, established by the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 1963. It is senior to the Order of the Niger. The highest honours where the Grand Commander in the Order of the Federal Re ...

of Nigeria. From 1990 to 1992 she served as the first chairperson of the

National Commission for Women The National Commission for Women (NCW) is the statutory body of the Government of India, generally concerned with advising the government on all policy matters affecting women. It was established on 31 January 1992 under the provisions of the I ...

(NCW) However, she resigned from the her post in 1992 after the government restructured the commission, placing it under the control of the

First Lady of Nigeria The first lady of Nigeria is an informal, but accepted title, held by the wife of the president of Nigeria. The current first lady is Oluremi Tinubu who has held the title since 29 May 2023. The Constitution of Nigeria does not create an office ...

Maryam Babangida Maryam Babangida (1 November 1948 – 27 December 2009) was the wife of General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, who was Nigeria's head of state from 1985 to 1993. Her husband was the target of criticism for rampant corruption during his regime. She ...

. In 1998, she retired and the following year, the department of African studies published a small book about her. After her retirement, she continued to research and in 2005 she became the Pro-Chancellor of the

Nsukka Nsukka is a town and a Local Government Area in Enugu State, Nigeria. Nsukka shares a common border as a town with Edem, Opi (archaeological site), Ede-Oballa, and Obimo. The postal code of the area is 410001 and 410002 respectively referr ...

. When history professor

Toyin Falola Toyin Omoyeni Falola (born January 1, 1953) is a Nigerian historian and professor of African Studies. Falola is a Fellow of the Historical Society of Nigeria and of the Nigerian Academy of Letters, and has served as the president of the African ...

was interviewed he spoke about some Nigerian figures who he believes have been recognised prematurely for their achievements. In his argument he cites several Nigerian academics who are rightly what he calls "intellectual heroes". His list includes

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie ( ; born 15 September 1977) is a Nigerian writer whose works include novels, short stories and nonfiction. She was described in ''The Times Literary Supplement'' as "the most prominent" of a "procession of criticall ...

Chinua Achebe Chinua Achebe (; 16 November 1930 – 21 March 2013) was a Nigerian novelist, poet, and critic who is regarded as the dominant figure of modern African literature. His first novel and ''magnum opus'', ''Things Fall Apart'' (1958), occupies ...

, Teslim Elias, Babatunde Fafunwa,

Simeon Adebo Chief Simeon Olaosebikan Adebo (October 4, 1913 - September 30, 1994) was a Nigerian administrator, lawyer and diplomat who served as a United Nations Under-Secretary General. He was the former head of the civil service in Nigeria's old Weste ...

Bala Usman Yusufu Bala Usman (1945 – 24 September 2005) was a Nigerian historian and politician, who was one of the scholars who shaped Nigerian historiography. He was the founder of the Centre for Democratic Development, Research and Training at Ahm ...

Eni Njoku Eni Njoku (6 November 1917 – 22 December 1974) was a Nigerian botanist and educator. He was vice-chancellor of the University of Lagos (1962–1965) and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (1966–1970). He served in the Nigerian House of Represent ...

Ayodele Awojobi Ayodele Oluwatumininu Awojobi (12 March 1937 – 23 September 1984), also known by the nicknames "Dead Easy", "The Akoka Giant", and "Macbeth", was a Nigerian academic, author, inventor, social crusader and activist. He was considered a scholar ...

and Bolanle Awe.

Private life

On Christmas Day, 1960, she married Olumuyiwa Awe. They had children and grand children. Her husband died in 2015 at the age of 82."Oluwole Awolowo finally laid to rest today at Ikenne-Remo, Ogun state"
, AnchorOnline. Retrieved 15 February 2016.

Works

* Awe, Bolanle ''Praise Poems as Historical Data: The Example of the Yoruba Oríkì''. Africa: Journal of the International African Institute; Vol. 44, No. 4 (Oct., 1974), pp. 331–349 * Bolanle Awe, ed. ''Nigerian Women in Historical Perspective''. Sankore Publishers; Ibadan: Bookcraft, 1992 (). * Ojetunji Aboyade and Bolanle Awe, editors. ''Footprints of the Ancestor: The Secret of Being''. Special edn. Ibadan, Nigeria: Fountain Publications, c.1999 * Awe, Bolanle. OBA (DR), ''Samuel Odulana Odugade I: the 40th Olubadan of Ibadanland: a biography'' / Bolanle Awe, P. Adedtun Ogundeji S, Ademola Ajayi. 2nd edition, Centenary edition, Mapo, Ibadan: Tafak Publications, 014

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Awe, Bolanle 1933 births Living people Nigerian women academics Nigerian women historians Alumni of the University of St Andrews Alumni of the University of Oxford Place of birth missing (living people) Women educators University of Nigeria people St Anne's School, Ibadan alumni University of Ibadan faculty