Olufemi Obafemi (born 4 April 1950) is a Nigerian poet, playwright, author and Professor of English and Dramatic Literature at the

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 ...

since October 1990. He is the 76th recipient of the Nigerian National Order of Merit (NMOM) award (2018). He was the President of the Nigerian Academy of Letters between 2016 and 2018, when he was succeeded by Francis Egbokhare.

Education and works

Olu Obafemi (as he is popularly called) was born in Akutupa-Kiri, Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area of

Kogi State Kogi State is a state in the North Central region of Nigeria, bordered to the west by the states of Ekiti and Kwara, to the north by the Federal Capital Territory, to the northeast by Nasarawa State, to the northwest by Niger State, to the s ...

, Nigeria. He had his elementary education in

Kabba Kabba is a city in Kogi State in mid west Nigeria. It lies near the Osse River, at the intersection of roads from Lokoja, Okene, Ogidi, Ado-Ekiti, and Egbe. The town is about 295 kilometers away from Abuja. It is 511 kilometers from Lagos. ...

before moving to Government Secondary School, Dekina and later Titcombe College, Egbe for his secondary education. In 1975, he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in English at the

Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria Ahmadu can refer to: Several leaders of the West African Massina Empire: * Seku Amadu (1773–1845), Islamic sheikh and founder of the Massina Empire * Amadu II of Masina (r. 1845–1852), his son * Amadu III of Masina (1852–1862), his grandson ...

and later proceeded to England, where he obtained an MA in English (1975) at the

University of Sheffield , mottoeng = To discover the causes of things , established = – University of SheffieldPredecessor institutions: – Sheffield Medical School – Firth College – Sheffield Technical School – University College of Sheffield , type = Pu ...

, and a PhD (1981) also in English at the

University of Leeds , mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased , established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds , ...

. His first play ''Pestle on the Mortar'', which was written while he was still an undergraduate, was produced in 1974 and broadcast by the Kaduna Broadcasting Corporation. He has published a number of other plays like ''Nights of a Mystical Beasts (1986)'', ''The New Dawn'' (1986), ''Suicide Syndrome'' (1993), ''Naira Has No Gender (1993)'',''The Love Twirls of Adiitu-Olodumare (2016),'' and ''Iyunade'' (2016). Obafemi is believed to have pioneered an experimental tool for revolutionary aesthetics in Africa, typifying the plays of second generation Nigerian and African dramatist. His work has also influenced the interpretation of radical drama among theatre scholars in West Africa in the 1980s and 90s. He has also contributed to advancing the discourse on post-feminist aesthetics in Nigeria drama to the engagement in material perception of society. He is an editorial consultant and columnist in several of Nigeria's national newspaper.

Positions held

Olufemi Obafemi was the chairman of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) Kwara State, and in 2004, he became the National President of the Association. He was also a Director of Research at the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), a former President of the Association of Nigerian Authors and chairman of the board of directors of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments. He is currently the National Chairman of the Nigerian Reproduction Rights Society of Nigeria (REPRONIG) une 2019

Awards

# Nigerian National Order Merit (NNOM), 2018

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Obafemi, Olufemi Nigerian writers 1950 births Living people Nigerian poets Academic staff of the University of Ilorin Alumni of the University of Sheffield Alumni of the University of Leeds