Delsu celebrates Sam Ukala

Delta State University (DELSU), Abraka, will, on Friday, December 17, celebrate the life and times of the late playwright, poet and theorist, Emeritus Professor Samuel Chinedum Ukala, who passed away on September 14, 2021, at the age of 73.

According to a statement issued by the organising committee, the event tagged “Day of Tributes and Performances” is intended to celebrate the legacies of Sam Ukala as a teacher, theorist, theatre director, writer and actor.

Ukala made his mark as a playwright, who exploited folklore in the dramatic apprehension of post-colonial experience. Some of his very famous plays include Akpakaland and Iredi War, which won the prestigious LNG Prize for Literature in 2014. Born in 1948, Ukala was educated at the universities of Nsukka and Ibadan before settling down to a life of scholarship and creative writing.

He was also a winner of the BBC/ANA Drama Prize, ANA Prize for Fiction and poetry.