AFOLABI, John Adebayo
RANK Reader/ Associate Professor
E-MAIL aafolabi@oauife.edu.com & bayoafolabis@yahoo.com
OFFICE ADDRESS Room 406 African Studies Building, OAU, Ile Ife, Nigeria.
ORCID ID 0009-0006-7333-2921
ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS
B.A Hons Dramatic Arts, Ife, 1981
M.A Literature-In English, Ilorin, 1989
M.ED Guidance and Counselling, Ife, 1996
PH.D Literature in English, Ife, 2006.
AREAS OF SPECIALISATION:
Dramatic Literature, Theory and Criticism, Theatre Management, Play Writing/Creative Writing in all literary genres.
TITLE OF THESIS
Language of Revolution in the Song-Poetry Performance of Bob Marley (M.A Thesis)
A Poetics of Historical Drama in Africa. (PH.D Thesis)
ONGOING CURRENT RESEARCH
+ Research in Oral African performances
+ History in Histrionics
+ Supralogocentric Communication in African perfotmances
+ Festschrift on Prof. Ola Rotimi and Prof. Zikky Kofoworola
+Research on Children’s Theatre as educational tool.
LIST OF PUBLICATIONS
- Books and Monographs
AFOLABI, J.A. (2014) To The Stars (A Play) Penthouse Publications: Ibadan
AFOLABI, J.A. (2014) The Misogynist (A Psychological Drama) Penthouse Publications: Ibadan
AFOLABI, J.A. (1996) Tears of A Patriotic Rebel. (Poems for Performance) Mariba Publications: Ibadan
- Contribution to Books
AFOLABI, J.A. (1999) “Olu Obafemi: The Soldier Ant that Falls errant
Mammoths” in Larger than his Frame: Critical Studies on Olu Obafemi (Ed) Duro Oni and Sunday Enessi Ododo. Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilization National Theatre, Lagos, pp. 50-56.
AFOLABI, J.A. (2002) “Of Womb-men, We-men and Woe-men:
Feminist Aesthetics, Theatre practice and the Democratic Process in Nigeria”. Published in Society of Nigerian Theatre Artists Book Theatre and Democracy in Nigeria (Ed) Ahmed Yerima and Ayo Akinwale. Kraft Books, Ibadan, pp. 126-135.
AFOLABI, J.A. (2004) “Harnessing the Potentials of the Performing Arts
for National Development in the Era of Globalisation” in Locating the Local in the Global: Voices on a Globalised Nigeria. (Ed) Sola Akinrinade et al. Faculty of Arts Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria and The International Institute for Education, New York, pp.149-158
AFOLABI, J.A. (2008) “The African Video Film and Images of
Africa” in Africa through the Eye of the Video Camera (Ed) Foluke Ogunleye), Academic Publishers, Manzani Swaziland, pp. 166-175
AFOLABI, J.A. (2013) “Benedict M. Ibitokun: The Cerebral Guardian
of Ethereal Words of Life” in Existentialism Literature and the Humanities in Africa (Eds) Chijioke Uwasomba et al. Gottingen, Germany CUVILLIER VERLAG Publisher. pp. 35 – 43.
AFOLABI, J.A. (2014) “Intimations of Social Dysfunctionality in the
Plays of Ojo Rasaki Bakare” in Abdul Rasheed A.A. et al (Eds) Uncommon Artistry London: SPM Publications. pp. 124 – 137.
AFOLABI, J.A. (2018) Foluke Ogunleye: “The Playwright as Moral Sentinel of
Society” in Theatre, Media Arts and Popular Culture in Nigeria: A Festschrift in Memory of Prof. (Mrs.) Foluke Matilda Ogunleye. (Eds) Awuawer, T.J. and Babafemi Babatope SAP Publishing House Makurdi and Abuja Nigeria, pp. 135-152
AFOLABI, J.A. & Fatoki, O. V. (2020) “Migration, Racism and Human Devaluation in Africa Movies: Ousman Sembene’s Black Girl and Stephen Frear’s Dirty Pretty Things as Exemplifications” in Migration: Identity Construction and Reconstruction (Eds) Daramola, O.M.A. et al. Published for Faculty of Arts Obafemi Awolowo University by Timade Publications Ile-Ife Nigeria. Pp. 16-29
AFOLABI, J.A & LAWAL, J.O (2023) “Ritual Representation in Nollywood: Appraisal of Ritual Enactment in Fola Toro and Asiri Gomina Wa” in Regulating Nollywood I n A Ritual Cultural Space (Eds) Liman, R. and Dugga,V.S. Published by National Film and Video Censors Board with Faculty of Arts ABU and Faculty of Arts Federal University Lafia, Nigeria, pp46-57
- Published Journal Articles
AFOLABI, J.A. (1997) “Protest Culture and the Performing Arts” JEHUS- Journal
of Educational and Humanistic Studies. Department of English Ondo
State University, Vol.1. No 1
AFOLABI, J.A. (1994) “The Performing Arts in Nigeria Today:
Praxis, Mercantile Considerations or Negative Pedagogy?” Nigerian Theatre Journal, Vol. 4, No. 1, University of Abuja, Nigeria. Pp71-80.
AFOLABI, J.A. (1999) “Sexploitation and the Performing Arts in
Nigeria” The Performer: Journal of the Performing Arts, University of Ilorin, Vol. 1, No. 2. pp 8-20.
AFOLABI, J.A. (2002) “Adebayo Faleti’s Magun: Cultural Pedagogy
or Literary Pornography?” Ife Journal of the Institute of Cultural
Studies, Obafemi Awolowo University, pp. 231-245
AFOLABI, J.A. (2004) “By the rivers of Babylon: The Bondage Motif
In Rastafarian Arts, Life and Aesthetics” TINABANTU Journal of African National Affairs, Cape Town, South Africa, Vol. 2 No. 1, pp. 37-49
AFOLABI, J.A. (2004) “The Functional Perspective in African Oral
Performance.” LWATI, A Journal of Contemporary Research, University of Swaziland, Vol. 1, June, pp. 20-30.
AFOLABI, J.A. (2017) “The Performing Arts and Installation of Political
Etiquette in Nigeria”, West African Theatre and Performing Arts Journal, Department of Theatre Studies, University of Cape Coast, Ghana Vol 2 No. 2. June pp 1-15
AFOLABI, J.A. (2017) “Plot as an Invaluable Accoutrement of
Dramaturgy”, West African Theatre and Performing Arts Journal, University of Cape Coast Ghana, Vol.2 No.2 pp. 100-117
AFOLABI, J.A. (2021) “The Creative Arts and Inevitability of Social Commitment”
in American Research Journal of Humanities & Social Science
(ARJHSS). Gillingham Kent, United Kingdom
AFOLABI, J.A. (2021) “The Performing Arts in National Integration and
Development of Human Society” in Global Journal of Arts,
Humanities and Social Sciences (GJAHSS) London United
Kingdom
AFOLABI, J.A (2022) “An Africanist Performance of Epic Tradition in Wale
Ogunyemi’s Langbodo” Decolonizing Dramaturgy. U.K Routledge
Publishers (Taylor and Francis)
AFOLABI, J.A & LAWAL, J.O (2023) “Intimations of Social Dysfunctionality on
Reggae Music” International Journal of Humanities Arts and Social
Sciences (IJHAS) Barcelona, Spain KKG Publications.
AFOLABI, J.A. (2024) Tears of A Patriotic Rebel. New Version (Poems for Performance) Penthouse publications, Ibadan
AFOLABI, J. A. (2024) “An Africanist Performance of Epic Tradition in Wale Ogunyemi’s Langbodo” in Decolonizing Dramaturgy (ed.) Taiwo Afolabi Bloomsbury Publishing, New York
- Edited and Refereed Conference Proceedings
AFOLABI, J.A. (2015) “The Performing Arts and the Task of
Engendering reactions against the iniquity of gender inequity” in Simisola Odeyinka et al (eds.) Gender in the Post -2015 Development Agenda, Centre for Gender and Social Policy Studies, Ile-Ife, Obafemi Awolowo University pp. 423-428.
Staff Profile
‘Bayo Afolabi is a versatile theatre practitioner. He is a professional critic, a playwright, theatre manager and a theatre director who has directed seven University Convocation plays for Obafemi Awolowo University Ile Ife Nigeria. These include Wole Soyinka’s Death and the Kings Horseman (2006); Bayo Afolabi’s To the Stars (2009); Wale Ogunyemi’s Langbodo (2011); Ola Rotimi’s Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again (2015); Wale Ogunyemi’s Ijaye (2016); Bayo Afolabi’s To the Stars (2021).It also includes one convocation play for Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Ogbomosho, Nigeria. – (Bayo Afolabi’s To the Stars Performed by Department of Dramatic Arts, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife. 2010) and two for Adeyemi College (now University) of Education, Ondo (Zulu Sofola’s Wedlock of the gods 1994; Femi Osofisan’s No More the Wasted Breed. 1996). He is a creative writer whose plays are being used in tertiary institutions for teaching and research at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. He headed the Department of Dramatic Arts, Obafemi Awolowo University for seven terms and was Vice- Dean Faculty of Arts in the same University for two terms. He was also a member of OAU Senate for six years. Earlier, he had headed the Department of English Adeyemi College (now University) of Education, Ondo for three terms. He has travelled far and wide, both locally and internationally, and has been a visiting scholar to five Nigerian Universities.