Samuel Chinedum Ukala; playwright, poet and writer. Born 1949 in Delta State, Ukala is a professor of Drama and Theatre Arts at the Edo state University, Ekpoma. He is a theoretician in “Folkism”, a dramatic theory for which he is credited as the originator, floklorism being performance apparatus of traditional ‘theatre which aims at recreating the ambience and delicate balance between ritual and inspiration. Folkism permeates every thought of Ukala in his works, even his poems. Often he made profound statements on contemporary issues falling back on oral tradition as a means of getting his message across. One of his poems in Voices from the Fringe, published in 1998 was edited by Harry Garuba.
Ukala is a recipient of Rev. JB Landy Prize for best Short Story, British Council Prize for Best- all-round Student, BBC Prize-winning Poetry and Association of Nigerian Authors/The British Council Prize for Drama[i]. Ukala won the 2015 Nigeria Prize for Literature with a cash prize of $100,000 from the NNLG[ii].
[i] Insider February 3, 2003
[ii] Punch October 13, 2016