Ola Rotimi
Ola Rotimi ( born April 13, 1938 in Sapele, † August 18, 2000 in Ile - Ife ) was a Nigerian writer who wrote in English, and was especially known for his plays. In addition, he also wrote short stories, plays and literary essays. He was born as Emmanuel Gladstone Olawale Rotimi; his mother belonged to the people of the Ijaw, his father among the Yoruba. Rotimi studied 1959-1966 at Boston University and Yale University Theatre Studies. After he returned to Nigeria, where he held professorships at the Universities of Port Harcourt and Ile- Ife. He worked at this time as a theater director and directed some pieces also in Germany and Italy. In 1991 he retired from academic life in Nigeria back. In the nineties, he lived in the Caribbean and in the United States, where he partially held other teaching positions. In 2000, shortly before his death, he moved again to Nigeria.
1963 Rotimis first piece To Stir the God of Iron was premiered in Boston. As his most famous work applies the Gods Are Not to Blame, released in 1971 and was awarded the prize Arts d' Afrique. This is an authored in blank verse drama, which is based on Sophocles' Oedipus the King. Unlike the ancient template Rotimi does not the gods, but the people responsible for their suffering. Some of his other pieces are historical dramas. A recurring motif is the powerlessness of the individual who goes against society. Frequently mentioned problems are nationalism and the need for social reforms. Rotimis roots being seen in the Yoruba culture, in which he strives in his work, to deal with the culture of the entire Nigeria.
Works
- To Stir the God of Iron (1963 )
- Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again ( 1966)
- The Gods Are Not to Blame (1971 )
- Kurunmi: An Historical Tragedy (1971 )
- Initiation Into Madness (1973 )
- Grip On (1973 )
- Ovonramwen Nogbaisi (1974)
- Akassa Youmi (1977 )
- Holding Talks ( 1979)
- If: A Tragedy of the Ruled (1983 )
- Everyone His / Her Own problem ( radio play, 1987)
- Hopes of the Living Dead - (1988 )
- African Dramatic Literature: To Be or To Become? ( Monograph, 1991)