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 G ...

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

Abengourou Abengourou is a city in eastern Ivory Coast. 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 the A ...

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

Abidjan Abidjan ( , ; N'Ko script, N'ko: ߊߓߌߖߊ߲߬) is the largest city and the former capital of Ivory Coast. As of the Demographics of Ivory Coast, 2021 census, Abidjan's population was 6.3 million, which is 21.5 percent of the overall population ...

. Upon receiving a state

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

, 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 ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

in theatrical studies at the Sorbonne. 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. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

. 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 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 Ivorian novelists 21st-century novelists 20th-century male writers 21st-century male writers {{IvoryCoast-writer-stub