Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa
1 appearances
-
Edition 6 (2018) Winner
Tanure Ojaide
タヌレ・オジャイデ
Tanure Ojaide
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- Okpara Inland, Agbon Kingdom, Delta State, Nigeria
- Nationality
- Nigeria
- Languages
- English, Urhobo
- Residence History
- Delta State, Nigeria → Charlotte, North Carolina, USA → Maiduguri, Nigeria
Career
- Occupations
- Poet, Academic, Writer
- Active Years
- 1973-
- Affiliations
- University of Maiduguri (faculty), University of North Carolina at Charlotte (Professor), Delta State University (visiting), Kwara State University (visiting)
- Nominations
- Shortlisted for the 2018 Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Ibadan | — | English | Bachelor's (英語) | — | Nigeria |
| Syracuse University | — | Creative Writing / English | M.A., Ph.D. | — | United States |
University of Ibadan
English
Degree:
Bachelor's (英語)
Country:
Nigeria
Studied English at undergraduate level
Syracuse University
Creative Writing / English
Degree:
M.A., Ph.D.
Country:
United States
MA in Creative Writing and PhD in English
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Commonwealth Poetry Prize (Africa region) | — | — | Commonwealth-related organization | Winner |
| 1988 | BBC Arts and Africa Poetry Award | — | — | BBC | Winner |
| 1988 | All-Africa Okigbo Prize for Poetry | — | — | Okigbo Prize organizers | Winner |
| 1997 | All-Africa Okigbo Prize for Poetry | — | — | Okigbo Prize organizers | Winner |
| 1988 | Association of Nigerian Authors Poetry Prize | — | — | Association of Nigerian Authors | Winner |
| 1994 | Association of Nigerian Authors Poetry Prize | — | — | Association of Nigerian Authors | Winner |
| 2003 | Association of Nigerian Authors Poetry Prize | — | — | Association of Nigerian Authors | Winner |
| 2011 | Association of Nigerian Authors Poetry Prize | — | — | Association of Nigerian Authors | Winner |
| — | Fonlon-Nichols Award | — | — | Fonlon-Nichols-related organization | Winner |
| 2016 | Nigerian National Order of Merit (NNOM) | — | — | Government of Nigeria | Winner |
| 2017 | NLNG Prize for Literature | Songs of Myself: A Quartet | — | NLNG | Second runner-up |
| 2018 | Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa | Songs of Myself: A Quartet | — | Wole Soyinka Prize organizers | Joint winner |
Commonwealth Poetry Prize (Africa region)
1987
Organization:
Commonwealth-related organization
Result:
Winner
BBC Arts and Africa Poetry Award
1988
Organization:
BBC
Result:
Winner
All-Africa Okigbo Prize for Poetry
1988
Organization:
Okigbo Prize organizers
Result:
Winner
All-Africa Okigbo Prize for Poetry
1997
Organization:
Okigbo Prize organizers
Result:
Winner
Association of Nigerian Authors Poetry Prize
1988
Organization:
Association of Nigerian Authors
Result:
Winner
Association of Nigerian Authors Poetry Prize
1994
Organization:
Association of Nigerian Authors
Result:
Winner
Association of Nigerian Authors Poetry Prize
2003
Organization:
Association of Nigerian Authors
Result:
Winner
Association of Nigerian Authors Poetry Prize
2011
Organization:
Association of Nigerian Authors
Result:
Winner
Fonlon-Nichols Award
Organization:
Fonlon-Nichols-related organization
Result:
Winner
Nigerian National Order of Merit (NNOM)
2016
Organization:
Government of Nigeria
Result:
Winner
NLNG Prize for Literature
2017
Work:
Songs of Myself: A Quartet
Organization:
NLNG
Result:
Second runner-up
Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa
2018
Work:
Songs of Myself: A Quartet
Organization:
Wole Soyinka Prize organizers
Result:
Joint winner
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Songs of Myself: A Quartet
2015 PoetryA collection blending personal and socio-political poems infused with Urhobo folklore and eco-critical perspectives; noted for its critique of imperialism and religion.
socio-political issuesecocentrismUrhobo folkloreidentity
The Tale of the Harmattan
2007 PoetryA collection of poems reflecting Nigerian landscapes, culture and social conditions.
naturelocal culturesocial critique
Invoking the Warrior Spirit: New and Selected Poems
2000 PoetryA selected and new poems volume addressing homeland and struggles.
strugglebelongingtradition
Bibliography
- To Those Who Love Me (2022)
- Narrow Escapes: A Poetic Diary of the Coronavirus Pandemic (2021)
- The Questioner (2018)
- Songs of Myself: A Quartet (2015)
- Love Gifts (2013)
- The Beauty I Have Seen (2010)
- Waiting for the Hatching of a Cockerel (2008)
- The Tale of the Harmattan (2007)
- In the House of Words (2005)
- I Want to Dance and Other Poems (2003)
- In the Kingdom of Songs (2002)
- Invoking the Warrior Spirit: New and Selected Poems (2000)
- When It No Longer Matters Where You Live (1999)
- Invoking the Warrior Spirit (1999)
- Delta Blues and Home Songs (1998)
- Daydream of Ants (1997)
- The Blood of Peace (1991)
- The Fate of Vultures (1990)
- Poems (1988)
- The Endless Song (1988)
- The Eagle's Vision (1987)
- Labyrinths of the Delta (1986)
- Children of Iroko & Other Poems (1973)
- God's Naked Children (2018)
- Stars of the Long Night (2012)
- The Old Man in a State House & Other Stories (2012)
- Matters of the Moment (2009)
- The Debt-Collector and Other Stories (2009)
- The Activist (2006)
- Sovereign Body (2004)
- God’s Medicine Men and Other Stories (2004)
- Drawing the Map of Heaven: An African Writer in America (2012)
- Great Boys: An African Childhood (1998)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- socio-political and critical poetic styleecocentric perspectiveintegration of Urhobo oral forms and Udje aesthetics
- Recurring Motifs
- critique of imperialismquestioning of religionnature and culture of the Delta homelandsymbols of heroism/warrior spirit
Legacy
Tanure Ojaide is a Nigerian poet celebrated for incorporating Urhobo folklore into his poetry and for his socio-political and eco-critical perspectives. He has received numerous national and international awards and is academically respected.
Academic Societies
- Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA)
In Popular Culture
- Several academic conferences have been convened in his honor (most recently in May 2018 at the University of Port Harcourt).
Trivia
- He credits his grandmother with inspiring his writing.
- He was awarded the Nigerian National Order of Merit (NNOM) in 2016.
- He incorporates Urhobo folklore and Udje aesthetics into his poetry.