ZULU SOFOLA
BIOGRAPHY
Onuekwuke Nwazulu Sofola was born on
June 22, 1935, in Issele-Uku, Delta State, Nigeria to Nwaugbade Okwumabua and
Chief Ogana Okwumabua of Ogbeutu quarters, Issele-Uku. Professor ‘Zulu Sofola
or “Mama” as she was known, enjoys the enviable distinction of being the
Matriarch ofthe Nigerian theatre and the first published female author in
Nigeria. A true pioneer in every respect, ‘Zulu Sofola was Africa’s first
female Professor of Theatre arts and a true embodiment of the essence of
African womanhood in their traditional position of power and respect.
‘Zulu Sofola obtained her primary
education at The Federal Government Primary School, Asaba, Nigeria. She then
attended the American Baptist Girls’ High School, Agbor, Nigeria, where her
talents were quickly recognized thereby receiving a scholarship to complete her
high school education in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. This happened at a time
when most parents forbade their female children from getting a formal
education; fearing that female children who received formal education risked
not findinga husband in the future. ‘Zulu’s parents broke with tradition and
took a leap in the dark, eventually sending her several miles away from home to
“fetch the golden fleece”. She continued her higher education at the Virginia
Union University, Richmond, Virginia, receiving a B.A. (Cum Laude) degree in
English in 1959. She went on to complete her post-graduate studies, obtaining
an M.A. degree in Drama (Playwriting & Production) from the Catholic
University of America, Washington D.C. in 1966. She completed her Ph.D. in
Theatre Arts (Tragic Theory) from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria’s Premier
Ivy League University, in 1977.
Academically, Professor ‘Zulu Sofola
was a well known scholar internationally, and one of the most prolific writers
on the African continent. Record has it that she was also a very accomplished
musician and theater director. She was a producer of plays for stage and
television. Her academic prowess heralded her inevitable rise to become the
first woman to hold the Chair and Headship of a Theatre Department as the Head
of the Department of the Performing Arts, University of lIorin, Nigeria.’Zulu
Sofola received many scholarly awards and distinctions both nationally and
internationally. She was the recipient of the prestigious Fulbright Scholarship
at the State University of New York at Buffalo, New York, 1988. In that same
year, she represented Nigeria in the first International Women Playwrights
conference sponsored by the University of Buffalo, in New York. After the end
of the first conference, the International Center for Women playwrights was
established. Sofola was also a former Ford Foundation Fellow; a recipient of
the prestigious Literary Award of the International book fair of the University
of Ife, Nigeria. She was listed in the World Who’s Who of Women in Education;
Professor ‘Zulu Sofola held many positions of leadership and was actively
involved in educational reform for Nigeria and Africa as a whole. She
spearheaded the movement for educational reform to reflect the African
perspective even in the arts and sciences. She was also a former President of
the Nigerian Association of University Women, the National treasurer of the Association
of Nigerian Authors as well as numerous committees and panels conferred for the
advancement of education in Nigeria and Africa.
In addition to numerous critical
works and presentations, ‘Zulu Sofola had about fifteen published plays to her
credit. Among them are; l)The Celebration of Life, 2) The Deer and The Hunters
Pearl, 3) Eclipso and the Fantasia, 4) Ivory Tower, 5)King Emene, 6) Lost
Dreams, 7) The Love of Life, 8,) Memories In the Moonlight, 9) Old Wines Are
Tasty, 10) The Operators, 11) The Showers, 12)Song of A Maiden, 13) Sweet Trap,
14) Wedlock of the Gods, 15) and The Wizard of the Law. Prof. Sofola used some
of her plays to criticize the mistreatment of females in our society within the
contest of social injustice. Some of her social critics portrayed her as “a
liberal feminist” but credited her as a writer who sought justice for all. In
her play, “Wedlock of the Gods”, Sofola questions the outstanding tradition
that reduces women to chattels, the view that “a man’s daughter is his source
of wealth”. Other social ills that Sofola addressed through satire includes the
political savagery of military dictatorship that tries to clean up corruption
among the population without first, cleaning up itself. Although Sofola spent
most of her life writing against social injustice, she was not the hard core
“feminist” who preached women’s independence from men or the bra burning
approach to demonstrate women’s freedom from men’s oppression in society,
rather, she was paradoxical in her beliefs in the “conceptual approach that a
person be treated not on the basis of gender but purely as a human being worthy
of respect”. Above all, Sofola espoused some of the African and Christian
family values like humility, and wives honoring their husbands.
‘Zulu Sofola’s writing style is
simplistic and her knowledge of self and pride in her heritage is demonstrated
in her plays, some of which portrayed Issele-Uku culture and names. In her
plays, she shared her extraordinary knowledge of her country’s history and traditions
and present circumstances, particularly as they related to women. For example,
Sofola used her native icon like “mother Mkpitime”, and several indigenous
Issele-Uku names like, Adigwu, Akuagwu, Diokpa, Jigide, Odu, Olinzele, Odibei,
Ogoli, Onowu, Ogbelani, Okeibunor, Omu, Ojei etc. This is not to suggest that
the social ills Sofola criticized in her plays is peculiar to her native town,
but rather, it is her style of bringing the images of her characters closer to
her audience. ‘Zulu Sofola’s plays are read worldwide and her message of fair
treatment to all human beings is the battle cry for human rights advocates and
for human dignity everywhere. She left an indelible mark in contemporary
playwrights and social justice. Professor ‘Zulu Sofola was married to Professor
Adeyemi Sofola, whom she met and married while she was a student in Washington,
DC, USA. Most people who knew this couple would describe their marriage as one
of legendary love. Their union produced 5 children and many admirers worldwide.
Professor ‘Zulu Sofola was called to glory on September 5th, 1995, barely 6
months after the passing of her husband and soul mate. Indeed, they were “like
thunder and lightning: inseparable”. Theirs was truly the “Wedlock of the
Gods”.
#nationalweekofremembrancefordepartedwriters
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