PRESS RELEASE 2
Participants in Talk and Roundtables will also be accessible via Zoom. To attend virtually, audiences may register using the link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/8q1R0ZdaQrGNBrbDEY4YRA
CELEBRATIONS of the 80th birthday anniversary of one of Africa’s venerable culture personality, playwright, poet, novelist, and essayist, Professor Femi Osofisan, kicked off on Monday, June 8 with a presentation of one of his satires, Love’s Unlike Lading, at the Wole Soyinka Arts Theatre of the University of Ibadan. Featuring students and staff of the Department of Theatre Arts, UI, the presentation ran for three days, concluding with a Command Performance on Wednesday, June 10.
Scene from LOVE’S UNLIKE LADING staged in Ibadan, Monday, June 8
First published in 2012, Love’s Unlike Lading: A Comedy from Shakespeare, is a striking Nigerian re-reading of Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice. The is, however, only a taste of the feast of theatrical productions that have been earmarked to feature in the scheduled 8-day celebration of the multi-skilled culture icon, who is also known for his pen name, Okinba Launko.
Other productions are Yungba Yungba and the Dance Contests, directed by Bunmi Adedina and featuring theatre students and faculty of the Lagos State University of Education, LASUED, Ijanikin; No More the Wasted Breed, directed by Segun ‘Oriade’ Adefila for the Crown Troupe of Africa; Medaaye, directed by Tunde Awosanmi, featuring students and staff of University of Ibadan; and The Engagement, directed by Adedapo Treasure for Fadaka.
Programme Outline
The landmark birthday anniversary of the distinguished playwright, critic, poet and public intellectual, whose work has shaped generations of artists, scholars and audiences across the world, continues in three venues in Lagos later in the week, with a rich programme of activities including performances, screenings and conversations as outlined below:
- Lagos (June 11–15, 2026)
- Ibadan (June 17–18, 2026).
June 11–15 2026
The Department of Theatre Arts, Lagos State University of Education, Ijanikin, Lagos, will stage a three‑day stage production of Osofisan’s acclaimed play Yungba Yungba and the Dance Contest (June 11–13). Directed by Bunmi Adedina, the production will run daily at 2:00pm, with a Command Performance at 1.00pm on June 11. The Command Performance will be hosted by the pioneer Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Bidemi Bilkis Lafiaji-Okuneye.
On June 13 and 14, events move to Freedom Park, Broad Street, Lagos, with the performance by Crown Troupe of Africa of Osofisan’s No More the Wasted Breed, directed by Segun Adefila.
On June 14, dramatist and culture communicator, Ben Omowafola Tomoloju with deliver a Talk titled The Femi Osofisan I Know at JRandle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History, Onikan, Lagos at 3.00pm. This will be followed by the unveiling of 100 SONGS OF FEMI OSOFISAN, produced by Semoore Badejo for Concrete Studios.
Roundtable: “Femi Osofisan’s Drama and the Deconstruction of the Nigerian Postcolonial State” – featuring scholars, practitioners and admirers reflecting on Femi Osofisan’s legacy. Time 4.00pm
Speakers include: BabaAgba Tunde Kelani, filmmaker, culture advocate; Professor Mabel Evwierhoma, theatre and culture scholar, University of Abuja; Professor Akin Adesokan, culture and media scholar, Indiana University, Bloomington, USA; Professor Razinat Mohammed, writer and literary scholar, University of Abuja; Dr. Onyekaba Cornel-Best, theatre and media scholar, University of Lagos; Professor Ifure Ufford-Azorbo, theatre practitioner and scholar, University of Uyo; Israel Eboh, theatre director and former President of National Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners, NANTAP. It will moderated by Jahman Anikulapo, culture curator and communicator.
Guests will enjoy a screening of Maami, adapted for film by Tunde Kelani from Osofisan’s original work. The screening begins at 6:00pm.
The Lagos programme concludes on 15 June with a second Roundtable at 4:00pm, that would feature treat the theme: Interpreting Femi Osofisan for the Stage. Speakers are: Professor Grace Adinku, Performance and Visual Arts Studies Scholar, Texas A & M University, USA; Dr Teju Kareem, theatre practitioner, CEO Zmirage Multimedia Company; Dr Toyin Ogundeji, theatre practitioner, teacher, Obafemi Awolowo University; Professor Rasheedat Liman, theatre teacher and culture scholar; Mrs Joke Silva (Jacobs); veteran actress and culture entrepreneur; Segun Adefila, theatre practitioner and President Guild of Nigerian Dancers, GOND; and Makinde Adeniran, theatre director, President of National Association of Nigerian Theatre Practitioners, NANTAP. It will be moderated by Professor Tunji Azeez, theatre teacher, scholar and President of Society of Nigerian Theatre Artists, SONTA.
The Roundtable will be followed by screening of Cordelia, an adaptation of Osofisan’s novella of same title at 6:00pm
The Talk and Roundtables will also be accessible via Zoom. To attend virtually, audiences may register using the link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/8q1R0ZdaQrGNBrbDEY4YRA
On June 17–18 2026, the celebrations continue at the Staff Club, University of Ibadan, beginning on June 17 with a recorded presentation of Yungba Yungba and the Dance Contest as performed at the University of Ghana, Legon, directed by Grace Adinku. The screening starts at 2:00pm, and is followed by a Q&A.
The Ibadan programme concludes on 18 June with a recorded performance of Farewell to a Cannibal Rage, staged at Texas A&M University and directed by Grace Adinku. The screening begins at 2:00pm, followed by a Roundtable session and Tributes
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More about Love is Unlike Lading…
DIRECTED by Yinka Smart Babalola, Segun Michael Olabode, and Atilola Omotehinse, Love… featured an ensemble of 102 cast members, supported by the entire student body of the department as crew. This scale gave the performance a communal energy that reflected the collective spirit of Nigerian theatre.
According to the directors, Osofisan’s work is firmly rooted in social critique. His adaptation does not simply retell Shakespeare’s narrative but refracts it through the realities of contemporary Nigeria. The play confronts urgent issues such as kidnapping and insecurity, which Osofisan once warned would become “another weapon in the hands of common thugs … interested … in their own pockets.” That warning has sadly come true, with kidnapping now a multi-billion naira enterprise.
The directors described the staging as “like watching present-day Nigeria in 3D,” a performance that mirrors the unsafe streets and societal fractures of the nation. More than a comedy, it is a wake-up call, an attempt to “hold us by the scruff of our necks and shake us awake to our reality.”
The production embraced intertextuality and intermediality, borrowing from Shakespeare while embedding Nigerian realities. The directors noted that “virtually every action in the play has a replica in the reality of our society,” making the performance both familiar and unsettling.
This staging was not only a theatrical event but also a heartfelt tribute to Osofisan’s creative genius. With its vast ensemble, bold direction, and urgent themes, Love’s Unlike Lading succeeds as both homage and critique, reminding us that while comedy may entertain, insecurity cannot be laughed away.
About Femi Osofisan:
BORN at Erunwon on the 16th June 1946, Femi Osofisan (aka Okinba Launko) had his secondary education at the Government College, Ibadan and then proceeded to the University of Ibadan where, after a year abroad in Dakar, Senegal, he obtained an Honours degree in French in 1966. Eight years later, after aborting his postgraduate studies in Paris, he returned to Ibadan to obtain his PhD in 1974, and then joined the faculty as Assistant Lecturer. He rose to the post of Professor in 1985, and was made Emeritus Professor in 2014 on retirement. Osofisan has published over 40 plays, five novellas, six volumes of poetry, as well as the acclaimed biography of J.P. Clark, entitled, J.P. Clark: A Voyage. A former President of the Association of Nigerian Authors [ANA], of PEN-Nigeria and the Pan African Writers Association [PAWA], Osofisan has been the recipient of several Fellowships and Awards, including the French National Order of Merit Award (1991); the University of Ibadan Faculty of Arts Distinguished Alumnus Award (2001); the Nigerian National Order of Merit Award for the Humanities (2004); and the prestigious Fonlon-Nichols Award (2005). In 2006, he became a Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Letters. He is married to the first female Professor of Computer Science in Africa, Professor Adenike Osofisan. They are blessed with children and grandchildren.
Contact / RSVP
For further information or to confirm attendance, contact Sola Adeyemi or Jahman Anikulapo:
WhatsApp: +2349026137169 | Email: [email protected]
