Olatubosun Oladapo

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Olatubosun Oladapo, also called Tubosun Oladapo, and Odidere Aiyekooto (after the loquacious parrot) is a folk poet who writes, and chants on record plates, in Yoruba to reach his audiences mainly the South-Western people of Nigeria.

Born in September 1943, he was educated variously in Ibadan and Lagos, and worked as producer in the country's Western Nigeria Broadcasting Service before retiring in 1977 to start a recording company (Olatubosun Records) which would go on to promote and expose dozens of indigenous artists and folk poets from the region to fame and wealth. Among them were Odolaye Aremu, Ogundare Foyanmu, Ayanyemi Ayinla, Lakin Ladeebo etc.

He lives in Ibadan and is the author of several collection of poetry including Aroye Akewi(1 and 2) and Arofo Awon Omode. His plays Ogun Lakaaye and Egbade Falade, were joint prize winners of the Oxford University Press drama competition in 1970. He has many Yoruba poetry (ewi) albums to his credit.