Renowned Nigerian playwright, Wole Oguntokun dies at 57

Renowned Nigerian playwright, producer, director and culture advocate, Wole Oguntokun, has died. He was 57.

Oguntokun died in Canada on Wednesday, though details of his death are sketchy.

Before he relocated to Canada, he had created the yearly Season of Soyinka, which is entering its 9th season.

In each season, the plays of the Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, are staged at Terra Kulture in Lagos.

His works, which resonated with audiences globally for their depth and cultural significance, received international recognition.

He was also a fellow of many international theatrical bodies.

Not only was Oguntokun a multiple award-winner, he produced and directed plays by many of Nigeria’s best-known playwrights, including Soyinka’s (Kongi’s Harvest, Madmen & Specialists, The Lion and the Jewel, The Swamp Dwellers, Death and the King’s Horseman, The Strong Breed, Childe Internationale, Camwood on the Leaves, The Jero Plays; Osofisan’s Morountodun, Once Upon Four Robbers, The Engagement, The Inspector and the Hero; Prof. Ola Rotimi’s The Gods Are Not To Blame; Zulu Sofola’s King Emene, Wedlock of the Gods, Wizard of Law, as well as Athol Fugard’s Sizwe Banzi is Dead.

His plays, characterised by their poignant storytelling and sharp wit, have been staged in various countries, bringing Nigerian narratives to a broader audience.

Though trained as a lawyer at the Obafemi Awolowo University and the University of Lagos, Oguntokun was known as a quintessential playwright and director who displayed so much passion for theatre and popularised it.

Not only was he known for his incisive plays that often tackled pressing social issues, he was also famous as a producer and director.