FEMI OSOFISAN@80… Lagos leg of 8-day feast wraps with Roundtable, screening of “Cordelia”

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It is Day 5, and guests will be treated to a Roundtable on the body of Osofisan’s dramatic works, with renowned theatre scholars and practitioners discussing Interpreting Femi Osofisan for the Stage. This session, according to the organisers, the Femi Osofisan at 80 Committee is to enable the public have a taste of what it entails to put Osofisan’s pays on the Living stage. 

AFTER four days of bathing Lagos culture scene in feast of theatrical, musical and scholarly conversations around the life, career and literary productions of the eminent culture icon, Emeritus Professor, Babafemi Osofisan, the train of celebration cruises to a close with a double bill of activities holding at the JRandle Centre fo Yoruba Culture and History located at Onikan, Lagos Island.

It is Day 5, and guests will be treated to a Roundtable on the body of Osofisan’s dramatic works, with renowned theatre scholars and practitioners discussing Interpreting Femi Osofisan for the Stage. This session, according to the organisers, the Femi Osofisan at 80 Committee, is to enable the public have a taste of what it entails to put Osofisan’s plays on the Living stage. In particular, it is to arm young theatre practitioners with tools of navigating the sometime deceptively simple, but also complex structures of Osofisan’s dramatic works.

Opening with a special remarks by veteran actress and culture entrepreneur, Joke Silva (Jacobs), who is co-founder of Lufodo Productions and Lufodo Arts Academy, whose company has staged Osofisan’s works in the past, the line up of speakers are:

• Grace Adinku, professor of Performance and Visual Arts Studies, Texas A & M University, USA
• Teju Kareem, theatre designer, scenographer, and CEO Zmirage Multimedia Company
• Toyin Ogundeji, theatre costumier, and teacher at the Obafemi Awolowo University
• Rasheedat Liman, professor of theatre arts at the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria
• Segun Adefila, theatre practitioner, founder of Crown Troupe eof Africa, and President Guild of Nigerian Dancers, GOND;
• Makinde Adeniran, theatre director, President of National Association of Nigerian Theatre Practitioners, NANTAP.
•  Tunji Azeez, theatre teacher, Lagos State University, LASU;  scholar and President of Society of Nigerian Theatre Artists, SONTA, who will moderate the session.

The day will wrap up at 6pm with the screening of Cordelia, an adaptation of Osofisan’s novella of same title directed by Tunde Kelani, and produced by Mainframe Productions. Kelani is renowned for having translated the most of Osofisan’s plays to the cinematic screen. One of such works, MAAMI starring the super actress Funke Akindele and actor, Wole Ojo, was screened on Sunday, June 14. Cordelia, which got multiple nomination at the 12th Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards, AMVCA, stars popular actors, Williams Benson, Yvonne Jegede, Femi Adebayo, Taiwo George, Omowunmi Dada, Jumoke Ajadi, Peter Akande, Kelechi Udegbe, Keppy Ekpenyong-Bassey and others.

Cordelia, which tells how one small act of kindness draws a quiet man into a national crisis. opens by showing both national and personal turmoil: students on a university campus protest against the recent coup declared by Colonel Nwanze Peter. Throughout the protest and beyond, the story depicts a nation in chaos under military rule.

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WITH the wrap of Lagos leg of the celebration, Ibadan will receive the baton on Tuesday, November 16 with an exclusive reception to mark the actual date of birth of the poet, dramatist, novelist, poet (Okinba Launko) , teacher, and public intellectual.

Other events lined up to wrap the celebration are as outlined below:

• June 17: 2pm: Screening of recorded presentation of Yungba Yungba and the Dance Contest, directed by Grace Adinku. and performed at the University of Ghana, Legon.  The screening will be followed by a Q&A.
• June18: 2pm: Screening of recorded performance of Farewell to a Cannibal Rage, directed by Grace Adinku and staged at Texas A&M University. Screening will be, followed by a Roundtable session and Tributes for guests.

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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.