Femi Osofisan

Playwright, essayist, editor, and poet Femi Osofisan was born in Erunwon, Nigeria. He frequently published poetry under the pen name Okinba Launko, and his collections include Dream-seeker in Divining Chain (1993), Cordelia (1989), and Minted Coins (1987), which won the Association of Nigerian Authors’ Poetry Prize.

Though a well-regarded poet, Osofisan is known primarily as a playwright whose socially engaged work often incorporates elements of traditional African performance. His numerous plays include The Oriki of a Grasshopper and Other Plays (1995) and Women of Owu (2006). He is also the author of the essay collection The Nostalgic Drum: Essays on Literature, Drama, and Culture (2001). With James Gibbs and Martin Banham, Osofisan has edited numerous volumes of the African Theatre series, including African Theatre in Development (1999) and African Theatre: Diasporas (2008). In 2004 Osofisan received the Nigerian National Order of Merit in the Humanities.

Critical writing on Osofisan’s work includes Emerging Perspectives on Femi Osofisan (2009, edited by Tunde Akinyemi and Toyin Falola), Ancient Songs Set Ablaze: The Theatre of Femi Osofisan (1996, by Sandra L. Richards), and The Drama of Femi Osofisan: A Critical Perspective (1995, by Muyiwa P. Awodiya).