Cheta Igbokwe

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Cheta Igbokwe (born Sixtus Chetachi Igbokwe; 1996) is a Nigerian playwright, poet, and author. His play Homecoming won the 2021 Association of Nigerian Authors' (ANA) Prize for Drama and was nominated for the 2023 Nigeria Prize for Literature.

Early life and education[edit]

Cheta Igbokwe was born in 1996 in Owerri, Nigeria.[1] In 2021, Igbokwe graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English and Literary Studies from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN). As a student of UNN, Igbokwe served as the editor of The Muse, a journal established by Chinua Achebe in 1963.[1] In 2022, Igbokwe earned a full scholarship to pursue a Master of Fine Arts degree in Playwriting at the University of Iowa, where he is a graduate student and teaches two playwriting courses.[2][1]

Writing[edit]

Agwaetiti Obiuto (Island of Happiness), a screenplay written by Igbokwe was nominated for the Africa Movie Academy Awards for Best First Feature Film by a Director and the Ousmane Sembene Award for Best Film in an African Language in 2018 and was praised as a "magnificent work of art" by Wole Soyinka.[1][3]

Igbokwe is a 2019 alumnus of The Purple Hibiscus Trust Creative Writing Workshop organised by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.[1]

Igbokwe's play Homecoming won the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) Prize in 2021 and was longlisted for the 2023 Nigeria Prize for Literature where the judges described it as "philosophical and gravely entertaining".[4][5][6]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e "Cheta Igbokwe enriches Nigerian Literature and Theatre with innovative stories". Nigerian Tribune. 2 January 2024. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  2. ^ Igbokwe, Cheta (15 June 2023). "Memory and the Mimesis of Loss: In Conversation with Cheta Igbokwe". Hopkins Review (Interview). Interviewed by Darlington Chibueze Anuonye. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  3. ^ Obi-Young, Otosirieze (4 September 2018). "Photos | Wole Soyinka Hosts Private Screening of Onyeka Nwelue's AMAAs-Nominated Film, Agwaetiti Obiụtọ". Brittle Paper. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  4. ^ Chikelu, Chinelo. "Nigeria Prize For Literature Has Improved Writing, Publishing In Nigeria". Leadership. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  5. ^ "Cheta Igbokwe Brings Nigeria's Rich Literary Culture to Iowa Playwright's Workshop". Theatre Arts. University of Iowa. 15 November 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  6. ^ "CORA-NPL Book Party: Nigeria Prize for Literature longlisted writers set to engage the public on August 6". The Lagos Review. Retrieved 31 January 2024.