Osofisan at 80: Celebrating literary scholar with landmark events

Prof Femi Osofisan.

NIGERIA’s literary and theatrical communities are upbeat this June to honour one of Africa’s venerable culture personality, Professor Femi Osofisan, as he celebrates his 80th birthday. 

The landmark birthday anniversary of the  distinguished playwright, critic, poet and public intellectual, work has shaped generations of artists, scholars and audiences across the world, will be commemorated with a rich programme of activities -- performances, screenings and conversations holding in Lagos on June 11–15,  and Ibadan, June 17–18, 2026.

The Femi Osofisan (FO@80) celebrations bring together theatre practitioners, filmmakers, academics, students and admirers to honour a writer whose work has consistently interrogated power, history, justice and the human condition. The events offer a rare opportunity to revisit Osofisan’s dramatic oeuvre across stage and screen, while engaging in critical dialogue about his enduring impact.

The Lagos celebrations will begin with a three-day stage production of Osofisan’s acclaimed play Yungba Yungba and the Dance Contest (June 11–13). Directed by Bunmi Adedina, the production will run daily at 2:00pm, with a Command Performance at 1.00pm on June 11 June at the Department of Theatre Arts, Lagos State University of Education, Ijanikin, Lagos.

Other productions being planned for the days include No More the Wasted Breed (dir. Segun Adefila) and The Engagement (dir. Shola Adenugba).

On June 14, events move to JRandle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History, Onikan, Lagos with the activities, starting with a Talk by dramatist Ben Omowafola Tomoloju, title “The Femi Osofisan I Know”. Time: 3.00pm Ben Tomoloju’s Talk will be followed by the unveiling of 100 Songs Of Femi Osofisan, produced by Semoore Badejo for Concrete Studios.

Roundtable: “Femi Osofisan’s Drama and the Deconstruction of the Nigerian Postcolonial State” – featuring scholars, practitioners and admirers reflecting on Femi Osofisan’s legacy. Time 4.00pm.

Speakers include: BabaAgba Tunde Kelani, filmmaker, culture advocate; Professor Mabel Evwierhoma, theatre and culture scholar, University of Abuja; Professor Akin Adesokan, culture and media scholar, Indiana University, Bloomington, USA; Professor Razinat Mohammed, writer and literary scholar, University of Abuja; Dr. Onyekaba Cornel-Best, theatre and media scholar, University of Lagos; Professor Ifure Ufford-Azorbo, theatre practitioner and scholar, University of Uyo; Israel Eboh, theatre director and former President of National Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners, NANTAP. It will be moderated by Jahman Anikulapo, culture curator and communicator. 

Guests will enjoy a screening of Maami, adapted for film by Tunde Kelani from Osofisan’s original work. The screening begins at 6:00pm.

The Lagos programme concludes on June 15 with a second Roundtable at 4:00pm, that would treat the theme: Interpreting Femi Osofisan for the Stage. Speakers are: Professor Grace Adinku, Performance and Visual Arts Studies Scholar, Texas A & M University, College Station, TX, USA; Dr Teju Kareem, theatre practitioner, CEO Zmirage Multimedia Company; Dr Toyin Ogundeji, theatre practitioner, teacher, Obafemi Awolowo University; Professor Rasheedat Liman, theatre teacher and culture scholar; Mrs Joke Silva (Jacobs); veteran actress and culture entrepreneur; Segun Adefila, theatre practitioner, Chairman, Guild of Nigerian Dancers, GOND; and Makinde Adeniran, theatre director, President of National Association of Nigerian Theatre Practitioners, NANTAP. It will be moderated by Professor Tunji Azeez, theatre teacher, scholar and President of Society of Nigerian Theatre Artists, SONTA. 

The Roundtable will be followed by screening of Cordelia, an adaptation of Osofisan’s novella of same title by BabaAgba Tunde Kelani  at 6:00pm

Other performances being contemplated in the course of the celebration are: Femi Osofisan’s No More the Wasted Breed as adapted and directed by Segun Adefila for the Crown Troupe of Africa and Osofisan’s The Engagement directed by Shola Adenugba for the Lagos Live Theatre.

The Talk and Roundtables will also be accessible via Zoom. To attend virtually, audiences may register using the link: https://bit.ly/3PLZrN6 

The celebrations continue at the Staff Club, University of Ibadan, Oyo State, beginning on June 17 with a recorded presentation of Yungba Yungba and the Dance Contest as performed at the University of Ghana, Legon, directed by Grace Adinku. The screening starts at 2:00pm, and is followed by a Q&A.

The Ibadan programme concludes on 18 June with a recorded performance of Farewell to a Cannibal Rage, staged at Texas A&M University and directed by Grace Adinku. The screening begins at 2:00pm, followed by a Roundtable session and Tributes.

The celebrations enjoy the partnerships and technical support of JRandle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History Lagos; University of Ibadan; Lagos State University of Education; Texas A & M University, College Station, TX, USA; University of East Anglia, UK; Mainframe Productions; Ibadan Literary Society; Concrete Studios; and Friends of Femi Osofisan.

About Prof  Femi Osofisan: 

Born at Erunwon on the 16th June 1946, Femi Osofisan (aka Okinba Launko) had his secondary education at the Government College, Ibadan and then proceeded to the University of Ibadan where, after a year abroad in Dakar, Senegal, he obtained an Honours degree in French in 1966. 

Eight years later, after aborting his postgraduate studies in Paris, he returned to Ibadan to obtain his PhD in 1974, and then joined the faculty as Assistant Lecturer. He rose to the post of Professor in 1985, and was made Emeritus Professor in 2014 on retirement. 

Osofisan has published over 40 plays, five novellas, six volumes of poetry, as well as the acclaimed biography of J.P. Clark, entitled, J.P. Clark: A Voyage. A former President of the Association of Nigerian Authors [ANA], of PEN-Nigeria and the Pan African Writers Association [PAWA], Osofisan has been the recipient of several Fellowships and Awards, including the French National Order of Merit Award (1991); the University of Ibadan Faculty of Arts Distinguished Alumnus Award (2001); the Nigerian National Order of Merit Award for the Humanities (2004); and the prestigious Fonlon-Nichols Award (2005). 

In 2006, he became a Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Letters. In 2016, he was the first African to be honoured with the Thalia Prize of the International Association of Theatre Critics to highlight his work in helping critics around the globe to understand new ways of seeing and appreciating the performing arts worldwide.