Kole Omotoso, the Nigerian writer, scholar and actor who inspired a continent

Olayinka Oyegbile

Bankole Ajibabi Omotoso, better known as Kole Omotoso, the Nigerian novelist, playwright, journalist, scholar and actor, died on 19 July 2023. His son Akin Omotoso, a filmmaker, announced the death of the writer on Instagram.

It came at a time when Nigeria was celebrating the 89th birthday of Wole Soyinka, Africa’s first Nobel laureate in literature and Omotoso’s colleague at the then University of Ife. Both were so prominent nationwide that everyone wanted to go to Ife and study at their feet, especially those aspiring to a career in the arts or humanities.

Omotoso was an inspiration for me too, as a journalist, communications scholar and writer.

He wrote for various local and international magazines and was among the band of leading writers of his time who published their creative works locally. This was a boost to Nigeria’s publishing industry. Many of his students are today leaders in