Oral History Interview, Tejumola Olaniyan (1333)

Abstract

In his 2013 interview, Tejumola Olaniyan discusses his intellectual trajectory and academic journey from his student days at the University of Ife to his academic position at UW-Madison. Tejumola details the evolution of his academic interest from drama, to African literature, to Caribbean literature, to English, and to politics of the state. He shares his view on the language debate between the use of African languages for African literature as espoused by Ngugi, and the use of English, as espoused by Achebe. Tejumola also talks about disciplinary boundaries in African literature and how there is the need to emphasize the bigger picture to gain a broader understanding of Africa. This interview was conducted as part of the African Studies Oral History Project for inclusion into the UW-Madison Archives and Records Management Oral History collection.