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Sam Ukala

サム・ウカーラ

Samu Ukāra

Aliases: Samuel Chinedum Ukala

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1948 （Nigeria）
Died
2021 （Nigeria） age 73
Nationality
Nigeria
Languages
English
Religion
Unknown
Residence History
Abraka, Delta State, Nigeria → Ekpoma, Edo State, Nigeria → Leeds, United Kingdom

Career

Occupations
playwright, poet, short story writer, actor, theatre director, film producer, academic
Active Years
1948-2021
Affiliations
Delta State University, Abraka, Edo State University, Association of Nigerian Authors (Delta State Chapter Chairman)
Memberships
Association of Nigerian Authors

Awards

Nigeria Prize for Literature
2014
Work: Iredi War
Category: Drama
Organization: Nigeria LNG
Result: Winner
ANA/British Council Prize for Drama
1989
Work: Akpakaland
Organization: Association of Nigerian Authors / British Council
Result: Winner
ANA Pillar of Arts Award for Prose
2000
Work: Skeletons: A Collection of Short Stories
Organization: Association of Nigerian Authors
Result: Winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Iredi War

2014 Drama

A folk script based on the 1906 uprising of the Owa Kingdom (now part of Delta State) against British rule. Utilizes oral literature and folk-based theatre forms.

ColonialismHistoryFolkismAfrican oral tradition

Akpakaland

1989 Drama

Winner of the 1989 ANA/British Council Prize for Drama.

Indigenous cultureHistory

The Slave Wife

Drama

One of his published plays.

Slavery

Harvest of Ghosts

1999 Visual theatre

Collaborated with Bob Frith for Horse and Bamboo Theatre, toured UK and Netherlands. Experimental piece relying on dance, music, and visuals.

Political theatreInter-cultural fusion

Bibliography

  • The Slave Wife
  • The Log in Your Eye
  • Akpakaland
  • Break a Boil
  • Placenta of Death
  • Iredi War
  • Skeletons
  • Harvest of Ghosts

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Folkism: tendency to base literary plays on indigenous history and culture, composed and performed per African folktale aesthetics.Incorporates African oral tradition into modern dramatic forms.
Recurring Motifs
African folktalesIka oral traditionDecolonizationIndigenous aesthetics

Legacy

Described as a 'great literary icon'. Nigerian playwright, poet, academic who propounded the theory of 'folkism'.

Trivia

  • Pioneered the theory of 'folkism'.
  • Collaborated with UK's Horse and Bamboo Theatre on Harvest of Ghosts.
  • Won the Nigeria Prize for Literature, the largest African literary prize.