Popular Nollywood actor Wole Ojo, known for his gripping performances, has been chosen to embody the iconic Wole Soyinka in the highly anticipated film adaptation of The Man Died.
The Man Died (1972) is a prose account of Soyinka’s arrest and 22-month imprisonment as a political prisoner. It is also a poignant reflection on the Nigerian Civil War (1967-1970), also known as the Biafran War.
Published just two years after the war ended, the book is significant in Nigeria’s history.
Awam Amkpa, the film’s director, a respected playwright and professor of drama, film, and social and cultural analysis at New York University in Abu Dhabi, has been tasked with bringing this iconic piece to life.
Other actors in the film are Chidi Mokeme, Sam Dede, Segilola Ogidan, Norbert Young, Edmund Enabe, Francis Onwochei, Christiana Oshunniyi, Simileoluwa Hassan and Abraham Amkpa.
The film was written by Bode Asiyanbu and produced by Femi Odugbemi and is set for release on Soyinka’s 90th birthday in July.
