New details surrounding the death of renowned Nigerian novelist, and filmmaker, Biyi Bandele have emerged.
In August 2022, his daughter, Temi Bandele announced his sudden death at the age of 54. The cause of his death was not disclosed at the time
In a report published, The Guardian UK revealed that Bandele committed suicide in August 2022.
The British platform reported that Bándélé took his life a day after he had a conversation with his editor, Hannah Chukwu, about the novel he was working on, Yorùbá Boy Running, after which he sent her a revised version of the manuscript.
“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.” This perspective highlights her father’s intention behind the novel and the weight of his creative vision before his untimely passing in August 2022, UK Guardian reports.
Biyi Bandele’s sudden death shocked the literary and film communities. He was mourned by family, colleagues, and friends worldwide.
Bandele’s impressive body of work includes the critically acclaimed film adaptation of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s “Half of a Yellow Sun”, stage productions of classics like Chinua Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart”, poetry collections and novels, including “Burma Boy,” a powerful narrative based on his father’s experiences as a British soldier during World War II.
Bandele was born in Kafanchan, Kaduna State, to parents from Abeokuta, Ogun State. He pursued his passion for the arts by studying Dramatic Arts at the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) in Ile Ife.
His talent was recognised when he won the BBC Playwriting Competition, after which he relocated to England, where he built a successful career as a writer.
Before his d3ath, he directed and adapted the screenplay for ‘Elesin Oba: The King’s Horseman’ in 2022, a film based on Wole Soyinka’s classic drama, ‘Death and the King’s Horseman.’ This adaptation was produced for EbonyLife Films and released on 28 October 2022.
