Koffi Kwahulé (born 1956) is an Ivorian writer. In 2006 he won the Prix Ahmadou Kourouma for his novel ''Babyface'', published by

Éditions Gallimard Éditions Gallimard (), formerly Éditions de la Nouvelle Revue Française (1911–1919) and Librairie Gallimard (1919–1961), is one of the leading French book publishers. In 2003 it and its subsidiaries published 1,418 titles. Founded by Ga ...

; he also won the ''Grand Prix Ivoirien des Lettres'' for 2006. A native of

Abengourou Abengourou is a city in eastern Côte d'Ivoire. It is the seat of both Comoé District and Indénié-Djuablin Region. It is also a commune and the seat of and a sub-prefecture of Abengourou Department. Abengourou is primarily populated by th ...

, Kwahulé began his artistic studies at the National Arts Institute in

Abidjan Abidjan ( , ; N’ko: ߊߓߌߖߊ߲߬) is the economic capital of the Ivory Coast. As of the 2021 census, Abidjan's population was 6.3 million, which is 21.5 percent of overall population of the country, making it the sixth most populous city p ...

. Upon receiving a state

scholarship A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need. Scholars ...

, he continued his studies in France, working at the ''école Nationale Supérieure des arts et des techniques du Théâtre de Paris''. He received a

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''li ...

in theatrical studies at the

Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...

. Since 1977, he has written close to twenty plays, some of which have been published by Lansman and Théâtrales. His language has been described as musical, influenced by the rhythms of

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

. Today Kwahulé is among the most popular African playwrights in the world; his work has been translated into numerous languages, and his plays have been shown in Europe, the United States, and Canada.

References

1956 births Living people University of Paris alumni Ivorian novelists Ivorian male writers Male novelists Ivorian dramatists and playwrights Male dramatists and playwrights Ivorian writers People from Abengourou 20th-century dramatists and playwrights 21st-century dramatists and playwrights 20th-century novelists 21st-century novelists 20th-century male writers 21st-century male writers {{IvoryCoast-writer-stub