Few African writers have shaped the imaginative and intellectual landscape of modern Nigerian literature as profoundly as Femi Osofisan. A distinguished scholar, poet, dramatist, essayist, novelist, and public intellectual, Osofisan has spent more than five decades interrogating power, injustice, history, and the human condition through an extraordinary body of creative and critical work. Born in Erunwon, Ogun State, and educated at the Universities of Ibadan, Dakar, and Paris, he became Professor of Drama at the University of Ibadan. His outstanding contributions to literature and scholarship have earned him numerous honors, including the Association of Nigerian Authors’ prizes for drama and poetry, as well as the prestigious Nigerian National Order of Merit (NNOM), Nigeria’s highest academic distinction.

Although much has been written about Osofisan’s dramaturgy, Marxian aesthetics, Brechtian influences, and innovative engagement with African performance traditions, far less attention has been given to another important dimension of his legacy: the adaptation of his plays for the screen. As Nollywood increasingly draws on literary texts, Osofisan’s works have found renewed life through film adaptations that extend their reach beyond the theatre to broader and more diverse audiences. Among these are Tunde Kelani’s Maami (2011) and Cordelia (2021), alongside other screen adaptations of his works.

Recorded at Professor Osofisan’s residence in Ibadan as part of the celebrations marking his 80th birthday, this conversation with Kolawole Olaiya and Sola Adeyemi explores the rich intersection of page, stage, and screen. Beyond discussing the adaptation of his dramatic works into Nollywood films, Osofisan reflects on the creative possibilities and inevitable compromises involved in translating theatre into cinema. He speaks about authorship, collaboration, fidelity, performance, and the evolving relationship between literature and Nigeria’s vibrant film industry. Interwoven with these reflections are personal recollections, moments of humor, and revealing anecdotes that illuminate the man behind the celebrated playwright. Together, they provide rare insight into the experiences, convictions, and artistic philosophy that continue to shape one of Africa’s most influential literary voices while offering a valuable perspective on the enduring dialogue between Nigerian literature and Nollywood.

#TosinAmire #NollywoodInReview #Nollywood #AfricanCinema