✍🏿 *African Writers* Ola Rotimi: Nigeria’s Foremost Playwright and Dramatist 🔗 https://www.literaturepadi.com.ng/2025/06/17/ola-rotimi-nigerias-foremost-playwright-and-dramatist/ Ola Rotimi (1940–2001) was one of Africa’s most influential playwrights, renowned for fusing classical theatrical traditions with Nigerian history, language, and culture. As one of the leading figures in post-independence African drama, Rotimi’s plays continue to shape the landscape of Nigerian theatre and literature. His ability to blend Yoruba oral traditions, Ijaw and Igbo influences, historical events, and Western drama set him apart as a literary genius whose relevance continues today. Ola Rotimi was born in Sapele, Nigeria in 1940. He came from a richly diverse background. His father was a Yoruba man and his mother was of Ijaw descent. Growing up in Nigeria’s Mid-Western Region, an area marked by cultural plurality, Rotimi became fluent in Yoruba, Igbo, and Ijaw. This multicultural background would influence his writing.