Akinwunmi Isola (24 December 1939 – 17 February 2018) was a Nigerian playwright, novelist, actor, dramatist, culture activist and scholar. He was known for his writing in, and his work in promoting, the

Yoruba language Yoruba (, ; Yor. '; Ajami: ) is a language spoken in West Africa, primarily in Southwestern and Central Nigeria. It is spoken by the ethnic Yoruba people. The number of Yoruba speakers is roughly 50 million, plus about 2 million second-languag ...

. As an actor, he was known for '' Agogo Eèwò'' (2002), ''Efunsetan Aniwura'' (1981) and ''Efunsetan Aniwura'' (2005).

Early life and career

Isola was born in

Ibadan Ibadan (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Oyo State, in Nigeria. It is the third-largest city by population in Nigeria after Lagos and Kano, with a total population of 3,649,000 as of 2021, and over 6 million people within its ...

in 1939, attended Labode Methodist School and Wesley College. He studied at the

University of Ibadan The University of Ibadan (UI) is a public research university in Ibadan, Nigeria. The university was founded in 1948 as University College Ibadan, one of many colleges within the University of London. It became an independent university in 19 ...

, earning a B.A. in French. He was appointed professor at the same University in 1991. Isola wrote his first play, '' Efunsetan Aniwura'', during 1961-62 while still a student at the University of Ibadan. This was followed by a novel, '' O Le Ku''. In 1986, he wrote and composed the college anthem that is currently being sung in Wesley College Ibadan. He went on to write a number of plays and novels. He broke into broadcasting, creating a production company that has turned a number of his plays into television dramas and films. Though he claimed that "my target audience are Yorubas", Isola also wrote in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

and translated to Yoruba. The award-winning writer spent his lifetime producing works that promoted the Yoruba language. On May 4, 2015, his book ''Herbert Macaulay and the Spirit of Lagos'' was staged at

University of Ilorin University of Ilorin, also known as Unilorin, is a federal government-owned university in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria. It was established by a decree of the federal military government in August, 1975. The establishment aimed to implement one o ...

, Kwara state at the Performing Arts Theatre. It was directed by Adams Abdulfatai Ayomide, for the annual season of plays festival. In 2000, in recognition of his immense contributions, he was awarded the National Merit Award and the Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Letters. He was a visiting professor at the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

. Nigerian playwright, dramatist and actor, Professor Akinwumi Ishola died aged 78.

Personal life

Isola was married and had four children. He died on 17 February 2018 in Ibadan, Oyo State, aged 78.

References

Links

Interview from The Sun newspaperProfile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Isola, Akinwunmi University of Ibadan alumni Yoruba writers 1939 births 2018 deaths Writers from Ibadan Male actors from Ibadan Nigerian dramatists and playwrights Yoruba dramatists and playwrights Yoruba male actors Nigerian male film actors University of Lagos alumni Male actors in Yoruba cinema Yoruba-language writers English-language writers from Nigeria English–Yoruba translators Yoruba academics Obafemi Awolowo University faculty University of Georgia faculty 20th-century Nigerian writers 20th-century Nigerian dramatists and playwrights Nigerian expatriate academics in the United States 20th-century translators