User:Akeem Lasisi/sandbox

Akeem Lasisi

Performance poet, teacher, and journalist, Akeem Lasisi (born in Makanjuola village, Ibadan, South-West Nigeria, on June 6, 1967) is a leading light in contemporary poetry performance in Nigeria and Africa in general. Having experienced vivid traditional entertainment while growing up in and around Ibadan, he had no problem translating his poetic talent into performance and later audio and video productions that have been widely acclaimed. He is adept at switching from traditional poetry forms such as Ijala and Esa Egungun to the English mode. His poetry videos favorably share the air with videos in other musical genres - on national and international TV stations.

Currently the Art Editor of The PUNCH, Lasisi has produced four poetry albums and some 18 poetry videos. While the albums include Post Mortem (For MKO Abiola) an Udeme, some of the videos are Eleleture (Not a Small World), Udeme (Constituency Project) and Asabi Alakara (Heroine).

In 2000, Lasisi won the Association of Nigerian Authors/CADBURY Poetry Prize with his first collection of poems, Iremoje: Ritual Poetry for Ken Saro-Wiwa. Five years after, his Night of my Flight - The Poetry of a Lady about to Wed - won the prize again. He is also a winner of the National Media Merit Award for Tourism.

He has performed at many programmes, including those organised by the Ford Foundation, the British Council, French Cultural Centre, Goethe Institut, Globacom, MTN, GTBank, the Association of Nigerian Authors, the OYASAF Foundation, National Gallery of Arts, Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilisation, University of Lagos, University of Ibadan, Poetry Africa in South Africa and  Afrivenir, Germany.

AKEEM LASISI’S PROFILE

Composer, comedian, teacher, journalist and award-winning poet, Akeem Lasisi is a leading light in contemporary poetry performance in Nigeria and Africa in general. With a keen interest in oral literature, and having experienced vivid traditional entertainment while growing up in Ibadan, his home town in South-West Nigeria, he had no problem translating his poetic talent into a piercingly entertaining product acceptable locally and internationally.

The training he had in Yoruba, English, and Literature at the Oyo (now Osun) State College of Education, Ila Orangun; Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife; and the University of Lagos aided his growth as a performing poet.

In 2000, he won the Association of Nigerian Authors/CADBURY Poetry Prize with his first collection of poems, Iremoje: Ritual Poetry for Ken Saro-Wiwa. Five years after, his Night of my Flight - the poetry of a lady about to wed - won him the prize again. Lasisi is also the author of several other books that include, Ekun Iyawo, a product of a research sponsored by Ford Foundation in 2001; Born to Teach, a biography of Lagos-based educationist, Chief Christian Olaniyan; Right Option English, a grammar book; and Goodness and Messy, a collection of jokes.

He worked as the Art Editor for The PUNCH, Nigeria’s largest-circulating daily newspaper, Lasisi has produced some five poetry albums and nine poetry videos. These include Post Mortem,; Ori Agbe ( for the Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka); Wonderland, Eleleture, Udeme, Ekun Iyawo (The Bride’s Chant), Promise Kept and Even if the Road to the Cemetery is Closed (for Stella Ameyo Adadevoh, the late doctor that treated Patrick Sawyer, through who Ebola got into Nigeria). He is the publisher of Phenomenal.com.ng, PhenomenalLagos.com.ng, and iroyinowuro.com.ng.

He has performed at many programmes, including those organised by the Ford Foundation, the British Council, French Cultural Centre, Goethe Institut, Globacom, MTN, GTBank, the Association of Nigerian Authors, the National Gallery of Arts, Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilisation, University of Lagos, Poetry Africa in South Africa and  Afrivenir, Germany.

INSTITUTIONS ATTENDED

Lasisi attended Ibadan District Council School, Solalu; Iroko Community Grammar School, Iroko; Oyo State College of Education, Ila Orangun (where he studied English/Yoruba);  Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife (Education/English); and the University of Lagos (M.A., Literature). He has also undergone training in journalism, social media, entrepreneurship, and cultural development within and outside Nigeria.

Before he fully went into journalism, he taught English Language and Literature at Victory Grammar School, Ikeja, and Providence Heights Secondary School, Iju-Agege, both in Lagos. He has variously worked as a proofreader, arts reporter, features writer, sub-editor, desk head and assistant editor at Daily Sketch, The Diet, The Comet, The TEMPO, The NEWS and The PUNCH.

PUBLICATIONS

Born to Teach (Biography, of a veteran teacher, C.F.I. Olaniyan, 1995)

IREMOJE: Ritual Poetry for Ken Saro-Wiwa,  2000

Ekun Iyawo: the Yoruba bride’s poetry, 2001

Wonderland, poetry, 2001

Night of my Flight: The Poetry of a Bride about to Wed, 2005

Right Option English (A grammar textbook, 2009)

Goodness and Messi ( a collection of jokes, 2009)

Phenomenal Lagos: A Celebration of 50 Iconic Places in Lagos, co-authored with Kabir Alabi Garba)

POETRY ALBUMS

Post Mortem: For MKO Abiola, 1999

Ori Agbe: For Wole Soyinka, 2004

Wonderland (Eleleture), 2010

Udeme (Constituency Project), 2014

Comforti, 2017

POETRY VIDEOS

Ekun Iyawo (a documentary on Yoruba’s bride’s poetry),  2001

Eleleture (Not a Small World), 2011

Ekun Iyawo (Performed bridal poetry), 2012

Ori Agbe: For Wole Soyinka, 2014

Udeme: Constituency Project, 2014

Oguro (Sweetheart)

Laye Olugbon (Poetry Is), 2014

Deadlock, 2015

Mo ri e Lookan: Show me your Smiles, 2015

Turning Point: Mu mi Dele, 2015

House of Memory (For Omooba Yemisi Shyllon), 2015

Asabi Alakara (Heroine(2015)

Even if the Road to the Cemetery is Closed (for Stella Adadevoh), 2015

Onarebu, 2016

Jantolo (Copyright), 2016 Temiloluwa Bamgbose (talk) 21:40, 22 May 2019 (UTC)