Nobel Laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka will flag off activities marking the 50th anniversary of the Department of Dramatic Arts at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State.
Soyinka, the department’s pioneer Head of Department, will unveil the anniversary logo at the flag-off ceremony, scheduled for November 12 at the university’s Pit Theatre.
The current Head of the Department, Dr Toyin Bifarin, disclosed this at a press conference in Lagos.
Dr Bifarin said the Golden Jubilee would provide an opportunity to reflect on the department’s founding philosophy of using drama to promote human rights, civic awareness, and social transformation.
She described the department as a major centre for developing influential figures in African literature and the performing arts, adding that the anniversary would also provide an opportunity to consider the future of theatre education and performance in the digital age
The anniversary lecture, scheduled for January 12, 2027, will be delivered by renowned theatre practitioner Prof. Bode Sowande, while a panel session will be moderated by Prof. Ahmed Yerima and Paulyn Ugbodaga.
A four-day celebration, including a major homecoming gala, will also be held in the first quarter of 2027. Activities will include a variety of nights, an academic session, a Juma’at service, campus excursions, Veterans Day, a grand 50th-anniversary gala dinner, fundraising, and an interdenominational service.
Bifarin explained that the department shifted its anniversary programme to avoid a clash with celebrations by other departments established around the same period.
“We shared the same birthday with the departments of Music, Fine Arts and Linguistics. Because we did not want divided attention when some of those departments started marking their anniversaries, we shifted our own. It is the alumni that are powering the programme,” she said.
She added that the anniversary was also an opportunity to mobilise support for the department and address its infrastructure challenges.
Bifarin said the department, which currently has a capacity of about 900 students, urgently needed interventions in its facilities and equipment to sustain quality teaching and practical training.
Identified needs include renovating the Pit Theatre, installing modern lighting and sound equipment, upgrading the departmental library, improving toilet and changing-room facilities, and providing a radio, podcast, and film production studio.
The department also requires a bus to support students’ theatrical performances and other academic activities outside the university.
“We want a turnaround for the department, and we want it to be celebrated too. Prof. Wole Soyinka will come over next week to flag off the celebration. There will also be a three-day homecoming event. Already, we are contacting former students and well-wishers to come to our aid,” she said.
She appealed to government, corporate organisations, alumni and well-meaning individuals to support the proposed interventions.
At the briefing, some prominent alumni, including Yerima, one of the department’s pioneer students, said they were ready to mobilise former students and other stakeholders to support its development.
Others present included Yemi Sodimu, Yemi Solade, Segun Arinze and Dr Adeboye Ola.
The alumni recounted their experiences as students and thanked their former lecturers for shaping their lives and careers.
The celebration, which will extend into the first quarter of next year, is expected to bring together alumni, theatre practitioners, scholars and cultural icons to celebrate the department’s contributions to African literature and the performing arts over the past five decades.
