Nigeria’s literary and theatre communities will celebrate playwright, poet and scholar Femi Osofisan as he marks his 80th birthday in June with a series of events in Lagos and Ibadan.
The celebrations, tagged FO@80, will hold from June 11 to 18, and feature stage performances, screenings, talks and roundtable discussions in honour of the renowned dramatist whose works have influenced generations of writers, scholars and theatre practitioners.
According to organisers, the programme will begin in Lagos with a three-day stage production of Yungba Yungba and the Dance Contest from June 11 to 13 at the department of theatre arts, Lagos State University of Education, Ijanikin. The production, directed by Bunmi Adedina, will run daily at 2pm, while a command performance is scheduled for 1pm on June 11.
Other productions lined up include No More the Wasted Breed directed by Segun Adefila and The Engagement directed by Shola Adenugba.
Activities will continue on June 14 at J Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History with a talk by dramatist Ben Tomoloju titled “The Femi Osofisan I Know” at 3pm.
The event will also feature the unveiling of 100 Songs of Femi Osofisan, produced by Semoore Badejo for Concrete Studios.
A roundtable discussion themed “Femi Osofisan’s Drama and the Deconstruction of the Nigerian Postcolonial State” will follow at 4pm with speakers including filmmaker Tunde Kelani, Professor Mabel Evwierhoma, Professor Akin Adesokan, Professor Razinat Mohammed, Dr Onyekaba Cornel-Best, Professor Ifure Ufford-Azorbo and Israel Eboh. The session will be moderated by Jahman Anikulapo.
Guests will later watch a screening of Maami, adapted for film by Tunde Kelani from Osofisan’s work.
The Lagos programme will end on June 15 with another roundtable themed “Interpreting Femi Osofisan for the Stage.” Speakers include Professor Grace Adinku, Dr Teju Kareem, Dr Toyin Ogundeji, Professor Rasheedat Liman, actress Joke Silva, Segun Adefila and Makinde Adeniran. Professor Tunji Azeez will moderate the session.
The day will conclude with a screening of Cordelia, adapted from Osofisan’s novella by Tunde Kelani.
Organisers added that the talks and roundtables will also be accessible virtually through Zoom.
The celebrations will move to the Staff Club of the University of Ibadan on June 17 and 18. Audiences will watch recorded performances of Yungba Yungba and the Dance Contest and Farewell to a Cannibal Rage, both directed by Grace Adinku, followed by question and answer sessions, tributes and discussions.
Born in Erunwon, Ogun State on June 16, 1946, Osofisan studied at Government College, Ibadan before earning a degree in French from the University of Ibadan in 1966. He later obtained a PhD from the university in 1974 and joined the institution as a lecturer, becoming professor in 1985 and emeritus professor in 2014.
Osofisan has written more than 40 plays, several novellas and poetry collections. Some of his best known works include Morountodun, Women of Owu, Tegonni: An African Antigone and Once Upon Four Robbers. His novel Maami was adapted into a film by Tunde Kelani in 2011.
A former president of the Association of Nigerian Authors, PEN Nigeria and the Pan African Writers Association, Osofisan has received several honours, including the Nigerian National Order of Merit Award and the Thalia Prize of the International Association of Theatre Critics, making him the first African recipient of the award.
In April 2026, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology honoured Osofisan with its Theatre Arts Award of Excellence in Creative Arts during the university’s convocation activities.
