Sam Ukala (1948–2021) was described as a 'great literary icon'. He was a Nigerian playwright, poet, short story writer, actor, theatre director, film producer and academic.

Professional life

Sam Ukala was a Professor of Theatre Arts and Drama at

Delta State University, Abraka The Delta State University, Abraka - popularly known as DELSU - is a State government-owned university in Nigeria with the main campus located at Abraka, Delta State and it's sub campus at Oleh. The Oleh campus was established with the 1995 ...

, Nigeria. Ukala was also Professor of Drama and Theatre Arts at a number of Nigerian universities, including Edo State University. In 1993/94, as a Commonwealth academic staff fellow, he also researched and taught at the School of English Workshop Theatre of 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 , ...

in the United Kingdom. As an academic, he propounded the theory of 'folkism', the tendency to base literary plays on indigenous history and culture and to compose and perform them in accordance with the aesthetics of African folktale composition and performance. He was Chairman of the Delta State Chapter of the

Association of Nigerian Authors The Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) is a non-profit organization that promotes Nigerian literature. It represents Nigerian creative writers at home and abroad. It was founded in 1981 by Nigerian novelist Chinua Achebe as its president. The ...

(ANA) 2021.

Writings

Ukala's published plays include ''The Slave Wife'', ''The Log in Your Eye'',
Akpakaland
' (winner of the 1989 ANA/

British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lan ...

Prize for Drama), ''Break a Boil'' and ''Placenta of Death''. His ''Iredi War'', a 'folk script', won the 2014

Nigeria prize for Literature Nigeria Prize for Literature is a Nigerian literary award given annually since 2004 to honor literary erudition by Nigerian authors. The award rotates among four genres; fiction, poetry, drama and children's literature, repeating the cycle every ...

. It is based on the 1906 uprising of the Owa Kingdom (now part of Delta State) against oppressive

British rule The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was hims ...

. As in previous pieces, he utilizes and brings new life to oral literature and folk-based theatre forms. "A convincing blend of history and fiction..." Kester Echenim. Ukala has also worked with the British theatre

Horse and Bamboo Theatre Horse and Bamboo Theatre or Horse + Bamboo Theatre is a British theatre company founded in 1978 by Bob Frith. The company works using masks and visual, puppet, physical, music-based forms rather than text. It works internationally as well as from ...

in 1998/9 and with Bob Frith wrote the visual theatre piece ''Harvest of Ghosts'', which toured the UK and the Netherlands. This was an experimental piece for Ukala, which relied on dance, music, and powerful visuals rather than the spoken word. Professor Martin Banham, joint editor of African Theatre: Playwrights & Politics, considered it a 'dynamic fusion of inter-cultural skills', and a 'striking, accessible', example of political theatre. He felt the play deserved a production in Africa and, eventually, Sam Ukala did create a version at Edo State University in Ekpoma.

Folkism

Ukala developed an approach to theatre that he pioneered in his own dramatic writings. He called this 'folkism', and explored the concept further in his academic work. 'Folkism' grew from his belief in the necessity of decolonization in theatre, and the desire to explore African traditional standards of beauty and dramatic balance. In the construction of his plays he draws on an African oral tradition. In particular he develops material from the oral tradition of the Ika people (of the northwest region of Delta State in Nigeria). This he works into modern dramatic forms. When in Leeds in 1993/4 he was researching English popular theatre, which led him to discovering the work of

in Lancashire. Their work was actually very far from being traditional theatre, as it used contemporary visual theatre forms, but Ukala was inspired by what he saw as its folk-based inspiration. In 1995 Bob Frith, Horse and Bamboo's founder and director, suggested a collaboration; Sam agreed and this began in November 1998.

Awards and honors

* Nigeria Prizes for Science and Literature (Literature) for ''Iredi War''. The largest African literary prize. * 2000 Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) Pillar of Arts Award for Prose for ''Skeletons: A Collection of Short Stories''. * 1989 ANA/British Council Prize for Drama for ''Akpakaland''.

References

*''African Theatre: Playwrights and Politics''. Editor: Martin Banham, James Gibbs, Femi Osofisan. The second volume in the annual African Theatre series that focuses on playwrights and politics in Africa. *''Iredi War'' Publishers notes pub. kraftgriots

External links