New information has surfaced regarding the passing of celebrated Nigerian novelist and filmmaker Biyi Bandele.
Last August, Biyi Bandele’s daughter, Temi, announced his unexpected passing at 54, without disclosing the cause.
A report by The Guardian UK has now revealed that Biyi Bandele took his own life in August 2022. According to The Guardian UK, Bandele had a conversation with editor Hannah Chukwu about his novel, Yorùbá Boy Running, and sent a revised manuscript before his passing.
“On the following day, the 54-year-old filmmaker, playwright, and novelist took his own life,” the newspaper reported.
It continued, “He left behind an impressive and strikingly varied body of work: the film adaptation of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Half of a Yellow Sun, which took seven years to make; stage versions of Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, Aphra Behn’s Oroonoko and Lorca’s Yerma; poetry, screenplays and several novels including 2007’s Burma Boy, which told the story of his father’s harrowing and brutal experiences as a British army soldier in the second world war.”
Temi Bandele, the daughter of the late Nigerian filmmaker and writer, believes her father was content with his last work, Yorùbá Boy Running.
She expressed that he knew it was going to be the last words that he was writing. “And you can really feel the energy of that,” she said.
“He wanted it to be the beginning of multiple conversations that would happen when he wasn’t here.”
Temi Bandele sheds light on her father’s artistic vision and legacy, which preceded his tragic passing in August 2022, as reported by The UK Guardian.
Biyi Bandele’s sudden demise in August 2022 stunned the literary and film worlds, sparking global outpourings of grief.
Biyi Bandele left an indelible mark with notable works, including the film adaptation of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s “Half of a Yellow Sun” and stage productions of Chinua Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart.”
Born in Kafanchan, Kaduna State, to parents from Abeokuta, Ogun State, Bandele cultivated his artistic passion at the University of Ife.
After winning the BBC Playwriting Competition, Bandele relocated to England, establishing a successful writing career.
Before his passing, Bandele directed and adapted Wole Soyinka’s “Death and the King’s Horseman” into “Elesin Oba: The King’s Horseman” (2022).
Source: https://www.lindaikejisblog.com/
