Bolanle Awe

Bolanle Awe
Born (1933-01-26) 26 January 1933
Nigeria
Residence Ibadan
Nationality Nigerian
Known for Nigerian Women's history, Oral history
Spouse(s) Olumuyiwa Awe

Bolanle Awe (born 26 January 1933) is a Nigerian history professor.

Life

Awe was born in Nigeria in 1933. She attended Holy Trinity School, Imofe-Ilesha, St James Primary School, Okebola, Ibadan, and St Anne's School, Ibadan.[1] She took her A-levels at the Perse School in Cambridge. She went to St Andrews University in Scotland where she obtained a masters in history, before taking a doctorate in history at Oxford University. Awe then returned to Nigeria, where she became a lecturer at the University of Ibadan.

She rose to be a professor at the same university.[2] She was one of the historians who allowed their evidence to include oral traditions. This meant that she was able to trace back histories before the arrival of Europeans. She was also active in idetifying how the role of women in history was being overlooked and she co-founded the Women's Research and Documentation Centre (WORDOC) to promote the coordination of women's studies research and new methodologies to study Nigerian women.[3] In 1982 she was made an Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.[4]

On Christmas Day 1960 she married Olumuyiwa Awe. He would also become a professor and they would have children. Her husband died in 2013 at the age of 82.[2][5] She was one of six people who assisted Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka in founding the popular Nigerian confraternity National Association of Seadogs in 1952.[6] There is some debate as to whether it was her or her future husband who were involved.[5]

In 1998 she retired[4] and the following year the department of African studies published a small book about her.[7] After her retirement she continued to research and in 2005 she became the Pro-Chancellor of the University of Nigeria in Nsukka.[4]

Works

References

  1. Olujimi, Toluwanimi (2006-05-01). "Nigeria: Founding Fathers Laid Foundation for Under-Development". Vanguard. Allfrica.com. Retrieved 2016-03-19.
  2. 1 2 Bolanle Awe - A Quintessential teacher, historian, 2014, MyNewsWatchTimesNG.com, Retrieved 15 February 2016.
  3. Awe, B., & Mba, N. (1991). [http://www.jstor.org.pitt.idm.oclc.org/stable/3174578 "Women's Research and Documentation Center (Nigeria)". Signs, 16(4), 859–864. Retrieved from
  4. 1 2 3 Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr.; Professor Emmanuel Akyeampong; Mr. Steven J. Niven (2 February 2012). Dictionary of African Biography. OUP USA. pp. 301–. ISBN 978-0-19-538207-5.
  5. 1 2 "Oluwole Awolowo finally laid to rest today at Ikenne-Remo, Ogun state", AnchorOnline. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
  6. "'How Soyinka & I set up Pyrates Confraternity' – 82 year old Prof. Awe reveals". Information Nigeria. 17 November 2014. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
  7. Bolanle Awe: Portrait of an Academic and Activist. Women's Research and Documentation Centre (WORDOC), Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan. 1 January 1999. ISBN 978-978-2213-24-2.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/10/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.