Prof Femi Osofisan has been named the winner of the coveted Thalia Prize for the year 2016. This is the first time an African and a black man is winning the Thalia Prize. This feat of his was announced by the Executive Committee of the International Association of Theatre Critics (IATC/AICT).
Prof Femi Osofisan won the award for his extraordinary career as critic, scholar, playwright and spokesman for artistic freedom in his native Nigeria and for his outspoken criticism of artistic repression across the African continent.
The Thalia Prize was created to shine the light on the work of those who have helped critics around the globe to understand new ways of seeing and appreciating the performing arts worldwide.
Femi Osofisan is an influential artist and activist who has written several epoch making works and has spoken up against repressive governments. This act of his has led him to suffer attacks just like Wole Soyinka did.
The 2016 Thalia Prize will be presented to the awardee during the IATC Congress in Belgrade
