Kole Omotoso

(1943-) Academic, drama and language lecturer, playwright, director and actor. Internationally known for his academic writing as well as his plays.

Training

Studied at the Universities of Ife and Edinburgh, obtaining a doctorate.

Career

He taught English and Drama in Nigeria at the universities of Ibadan, Ife. Brought out to South Africa by Dr Frederik van Zyl Slabbert, he settled in Cape Town in 1994(?*). He became a lecturer in the Department of English, University of the Western Cape and obtained South African citizenship in 1999 (?*).

In 2001 he joined the University of Stellenbosch's Centre for Theatre and Performance Studies as researcher and was contracted as a professor in the Drama Department for three years. On the expiration of his contract in 2004 he became a freelance writer and businessman.

Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance

Besides lecturing formally, he also gave many talks on literature and drama at festivals and other

He did some advertising work, and since 1996 he has been a familiar and popular icon for South Africans, since he was used in a classic and long term Vodacom television and poster ad for cell phones, a campaign which began and became associated with the 1995 Rugby World Cup. He soon became known to most South Africans as "Yebo GoGo" [= "Hello, Grandma"], after the malappropriate words used by the dumb white character played by Michael de Pinna in the ad, and this public role would continue well beyond 2001.

For the Drama Department at Stellenbosch he developed a play

His written works include ***, *** His published plays are ***, ***. Unpublished are **, **. Also influential as storyteller and promotor of performance. For example in 2005 appeared at the Baxter Storytelling Festival, telling stories.

Sources

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Nigerian born academic, drama and language lecturer, playwright, director and actor. Having studied at the Universities of Ife and Edinburgh, he taught at Ibadan, Ife, **, ***. Internationally known for his academic writing as well as his plays, he settled in South Africa in 1994?* after he had been brought out to the country by Dr Frederik van Zyl Slabbert. After a short stint as lecturer at the .****, he became a lecturer in the Department of English, University of the Western Cape. He obtained South African citizenship in 1999??** and in 2001 he joined the University of Stellenbosch’s Centre for Theatre and Performance Studies as researcher and as professor in the Drama Department for three years. On the expiration of his contract in 2004 he became a freelance writer. Since 1996 he has been a familiar and popular icon for South Africans, since he was used in a classic and long term Vodacom television and poster ad for cell phones, a campaign which began and became associated with the 1995 Rugby World Cup, and continued well past 2001. He quickly became known as “Yebo GoGo” [=Hello, Grandma], after the malapropriate words used by the dumb white character played by Michael de Pinna in the ad - a label which simply stuck. His written works include ***, *** His published plays are ***, ***. Unpublished are **, **. Also influential as storyteller and promotor of performance. For example in 2005 appeared at the Baxter Storytelling Festival, telling stories.

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