Biyi Bandele

**Biyi Bandale** (**Biyi Bandale-Thomas** ne ne din ankasa a n'awofoɔ de maa no) yɛ obi a wɔtwerɛ ayɛsɛm, nhomatwerɛfo na afei nso ɔtwa sini. Wɔwoo Biyi Bandale wɔ Ahinime da a ɛtɔ so 13, afe 1967 na owui Osanaa da a ɛtɔ so 7, afe 2022 bere a na w'adi mfe 54. Biyi Bandale twerɛɛ ayɛsɛm beberee, nea edi kan ne *The Man Who Came in From the Back of Beyond* (1991) na afei nso wɔtwerɛɛ agoro a wɔdi no baguam mu nsɛm pii ansa na wo refi ase abɛtwa sini. Sini edi kan a wɔtwae ne *Half of a Yellow Sun* wɔ afe 2013. Woyii emu nsɛm no firii ayɛsɛm a Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie twerɛw no afe 2006 no mu.

## N'Abrabɔ Ahyɛaseɛ
Bandale awofo yɛ Yorubafo. Wɔwoo no wɔ kuro Kafanchan a ɛwɔ Kaduna State, Nigeria, wɔ afe 1967 mu. Na ne Papa a ne din de Solomon Bandele-Thomas ka wɔn a wɔkɔɔ ɔko a wɔfrɛ no *Burma Campaign* wɔ wiase nyinaa ko a ɛtɔ so mmienu no ho. Saa bere no nyinaa na Nigeria da so ara ka British Empire no ho. Bere a koowaa krataa bi a wɔfrɛ no *This Day* reka nsɛm bi a wɔbisabisaa Bandele ho asɛm wɔ afe 2013 mu no, wɔtwerɛɛ Bandele anom asɛm a ɛfa nea enti a wɔbɛyɛɛ  nhomatwerɛfo no sɛ; " Bere a na meyɛ abofra no, mekae nsɛm ahorow a me Papa kɔɔ so kaa  wɔ ne nkɔmmɔdie mu a emu fa kɛseɛ no ara fa ɔko ho...eyi ka nea ɛnti a m'ani gye ho sɛ mɛyɛ nhomatwerɛwfo no ho". Bere a Bandele dii mfeɛ 14 nu, wɔdii nkonim wɔ akansi a wɔyɛ ma wɔn a wɔtumi twerɛw nhoma tiawa no.

Bandele tenaa Nigeria atifi fam mfie 18 ansa na wɔretu akɔ Lagos. Wɔ afe 1987 mu no, wɔfiri nhomasua a ɛfa ayɛsɛm ho wɔ Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, saa berɛ no nyinaa na wafiri ase retwerɛ ne nhoma a edi kan no. Bandele dii nkonim wɔ akansie a wɔfrɛ no International Student Playscript competition a wɔyɛɛ no afe 1989 mu no. Wɔde sini a na wonnya mfa mmaa abɔnten a ne din de *Rain* mu nsɛm na edii nkonim ansa na wɔregye abasobɔ a British Council a ɛwɔ Lagos de maa no afe 1990. Na ɛno nso fa ayɛsɛm dodoɔ bi a wɔaka abɔ mu ho.

Bandele kɔɔ London afe 1990 mu, saa bere no na w'adi mfeɛ 22 na na ayɛsɛm ahoroɔ mmienu. Wɔ afe 1991 mu no, wɔde ne nhoma titiriw a edin a na ɛda so ne *The Man Who Came in From the Back of Beyond* no too dwa. Wɔ saa afe no ara mu no wɔde ne nhoma *The Sympathetic Undertaker*: and *Other Dreams* no nso too dwa a *Royal Court Theatre* na ɛfaa nhoma no ho ka. Wɔ afe 1992 mu no, wɔde abasobɔ a edin a na ɛda so ne *Arts Council of Great Britain* maa no, na eyi yɛ sika dodoɔ bi a na ɛbɛboa no ama wɔatumi atoa ne nhomatwerɛ no so.

## Adwuma

### Nhomatwerɛ
Nhoma ahorow a Bandele twerɛw no fa ayɛsɛm, agodiebea, nsɛm ho ammaneɛbɔ, television so dwumadi, sini ne radio so nsɛm ho.

Bnadele ne *London's Royal Court Theatre* ne *Royal Shakespeare Company* yɛɛ adwuma, na afei nso wɔtwerɛɛ ayɛsɛm ahoroɔ a wɔyɛ wɔ radio ne television so. Ayɛsɛm ahorow a wɔyɛɛ no bi ne; *Rain*; *Marching for Fausa* (1993); *Resurrections in the Season of the Longest Drought* (1994); *Two Horsemen* (1994), a wɔpaw sɛ Agodie a ɛyɛ soronko koraa wɔ afe 1994 mu wɔ *London New Plays Festival* ase; *Death Catches the Hunter* ne *Me and the Boys* (wɔkaa ne nyinaa bɔɔ mu too dwa wɔ afe 1995); ne Oroonoko, wɔhwɛɛ Aphra Behn ayɛsɛm a wɔyɛɛ so na ɛyɛɛ eyi. Wɔ afe 1997 mu no, Bandele tumi hwɛɛ Chinua Achebe ayɛsɛm a wɔfrɛ no *Things Fall Apart* no so yɛɛ bi pɛpɛɛpɛ. Afei nso, ɔhwɛɛ n'ankasa ayɛsɛm a ɛne The Street (1999) yɛɛ ayɛsɛm a ne din de *Brixton Stories* na woyii no afe 2001. Wɔkaa ayɛsɛm yi ne *Happy Birthday Mister Deka* ayɛsɛm a wɔyii no afe 1999 a ɔno ara twerɛɛ no bɔɔ mu de too dwa.Bandele san nso hwɛɛ Lorca ayɛsɛm Yerma so yɛɛ bi pɛpɛɛpɛ wɔ afe 2001.

Na Bandele yɛ ɔtwerɛfo wɔ agodibea a ne din de *Talawa Theatre Company* firi afe 1994 kosi afe 1995, ɔsane tenaa *Royal National Theatre Studio* agodibea twerɛɛ agodie mu nsɛm wɔ afe 1996, wɔne Judith E. Wilson kuw a ɛwɔ *Churchill College, University of Cambridge*, nso yɛɛ adwuma firi afe 2000 kosi 2001. Wɔsan nso twerɛɛ ayɛsɛm a ɛne *Royal Literary Fund* mu nsɛm wɔ Bush Theatre firi afe 2002 kosi afe 2003. 

Bandele twerɛɛ mfasoɔ a Owura John Osborne nhoma a ne din de *Look Back in Anger* a wɔtwerɛɛ no afe 1956 nyaa wɔ ne so. Na ɛyɛ nhoma a wɔtɔn no kɛse paa wɔ television so wɔ Nigeria atifi fam a wɔfrɛ no Railway town. Ɛmu nsɛm no bi ne sɛ:

"Ɛwom na me nkɔɔ beaɛ foforo biara ka Kafanchan ho, ɛwom sɛ minnim hwee fa nea ɛkɔɔ so wɔ ɔko no akyi wɔ British nkurow no mu, anaa Angry Young Men, anaa nsɛm a ɛfa Osborne ho bere a mehyiaa Jimmy Porter wɔ TV so...na ɛho nhia sɛ wɔka Jimmy ho nsɛm kyerɛ me: menim Jimmy me nkwa nna nyinaa".

## Nwuma Afoforɔ
Na ɛka mmeae a wɔde adwinne kyerɛ a ɛwɔ London ne New York no atrimpɔw ho sɛ wobɛda Bandele mfonini a wɔayɛ fa Lagos abrabɔ ho no adi akyerɛ nkurɔfo.

## Ne Wuo Ho Nsɛm
Bandele wui wɔ Lagos wɔ Ɔsannaa da a ɛtɔ so 7, afe 2022 bere a na w'adi mfie 54.Nea ɛyeɛ a ɛmaa owui no deɛ obiara nnim. Wɔyɛɛ n'ayie wɔ Ɛbɔ bosome no da a ɛtɔ so 23, afe 2022.

## Ne Nhoma Atitiriw

* *The Man Who Came in From the Back of Beyond*, Bellew, 1991
* *The Sympathetic Undertaker: and Other Dreams*, Bellew, 1991
* *Marching for Fausa*, Amber Lane Press, 1993
* *Resurrections in the Season of the Longest Drought*, Amber Lane Press, 1994
* *Two Horsemen*, Amber Lane Press, 1994
* *Death Catches the Hunter/Me and the Boys*, Amber Lane Press, 1995
* Chinua Achebe's *Things Fall Apart* (adaptation), 1999
* Aphra Behn's *Oroonoko* (adaptation), Amber Lane Press, 1999
* *The Street*, Picador, 1999
* *Brixton Stories/Happy Birthday, Mister Deka*, Methuen, 2001
* *Burma Boy*, London: Jonathan Cape, 2007. Published as *The King's Rifle* in the US and Canada (Harper, 2009).

## Ayɛsɛm Ne Sini Ahoroɔ

* *Half of a Yellow Sun* – feature film, 2013
* *Fifty* – feature film, 2015
* *Shuga* – television series, Season 3 (*Shuga Naija*), 2013
* *Blood Sisters* – Netflix Nigerian Original series, 2022
* *Elesin Oba, The King's Horseman* – Ebonylife TV / Netflix co-production, feature film, 2022

## Abasobɔ Ahorow

* 1989 – International Student Playscript Competition – *Rain*
* 1994 – London New Play Festival – *Two Horsemen*
* 1995 – Wingate Scholarship Award
* 2000 – EMMA (BT Ethnic and Multicultural Media Award) for Best Play – *Oroonoko*

## Beaɛ a nsɛm no firi
Nkyekyεmu:AfroCuration 2023
Nkyekyεmu:Nigeria