Femi Osofisan @80: A Life In Theatre, Activism & Letters
A National Literary Milestone
IN June 2026, Femi Osofisan, one of Africa’s most prolific dramatists and public intellectuals, will turn 80. To mark the milestone, the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) has unveiled a series of commemorative programmes designed not merely as a birthday celebration, but as a national cultural event recognising his enduring influence on theatre, literature and intellectual life.
Currently Chairman of ANA’s Board of Trustees, Osofisan’s career spans more than five decades of writing, teaching, directing and cultural advocacy. His body of work—comprising over 60 plays, five poetry collections, four novels and numerous essays—has positioned him at the forefront of socially engaged African dramaturgy.
The June 2026 highlight, titled “Literary Celebration Marking the 80th Birthday of Emeritus Prof. Femi Osofisan,” will take place in Ibadan, a city closely tied to his academic and artistic legacy.
Scholar, Playwright, Cultural Activist
Osofisan’s academic career at the University of Ibadan shaped generations of dramatists and scholars. As a lecturer in Drama, he combined rigorous scholarship with practical theatre-making, mentoring students who would go on to define contemporary Nigerian theatre.
Beyond academia, his work has consistently interrogated power structures and social injustice. Many of his plays reinterpret classical works through African lenses. Women of Owu, for instance, reimagines Euripides’ The Trojan Women, while Tegonni: An African Antigone adapts Sophoclean tragedy to colonial West Africa.
His early critical acclaim came in 1983, when he won the first ANA Literature Award for Morountodun and Other Plays. A decade later, Yungba-Yungba and the Dance Contest earned him another ANA award for drama. Under the pseudonym Okinba Launko, his poetry collection Minted Coins (1987) secured both the Regional Commonwealth Poetry Prize for First Collection and the ANA Poetry Prize.
These recognitions were followed by major honours, including France’s Officier de l’Ordre Nationale de Mérite (1999), the Nigerian National Order of Merit in Humanities (2004), and the Fonlon-Nichols Prize for Literature and Human Rights (2006). He was also a finalist for the Neustadt International Prize for Literature in 2000.
Leadership in Cultural Institutions
Osofisan’s contributions extend beyond authorship. He served as General Manager and Chief Executive of the National Theatre, Lagos, between 1988 and 1990, steering the institution during a pivotal era for Nigeria’s cultural infrastructure. As President of PEN Nigeria (2004–2010), he advocated for writers’ rights and freedom of expression.
He also played advisory roles in national and international initiatives, including MAMSER and the Cultural Olympiad connected to the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. His global academic engagements across Africa, Asia, Europe and North America underscore his international reach.
A founding literary editor at The Guardian newspaper, he later established CentreSTAGE–Africa, further cementing his commitment to nurturing performance culture.
The Commemorative Programmes
ANA’s celebration of Osofisan at 80 reflects the breadth of his impact. The Ibadan event in June 2026 will convene writers, scholars, theatre practitioners and students for readings, staged excerpts, performances and critical reflections on his dramaturgy.
In September, the Mbari Lecture Series in Abuja will be dedicated entirely to examining Osofisan’s ideological commitments, adaptation strategies and innovations in politically conscious theatre.
ANA, in partnership with the Orpheus Foundation, plans to publish a Festschrift—a scholarly collection of essays and reflections assessing his interdisciplinary influence. A separate Tributes Book will gather memoirs and messages from former students, collaborators and admirers worldwide.
To ensure continuity of his artistic philosophy, ANA will organise a playwriting workshop for emerging dramatists. A national competition will invite new works inspired by themes central to Osofisan’s oeuvre: justice, resistance, community and cultural memory.
Art as Social Intervention
Throughout his career, Osofisan has framed theatre not merely as entertainment, but as a tool of civic engagement. His plays frequently challenge authoritarianism, patriarchy and historical amnesia, positioning art as a vehicle for dialogue and reform.
ANA describes the Osofisan @80 programme as “a national literary milestone,” emphasising that the celebration honours a writer who consistently amplified marginalised voices and redefined African dramatic form.
As preparations intensify, the commemorative year promises to gather Nigeria’s literary and theatrical communities in reflection on a legacy that has shaped modern African drama.
