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Mabel Segun
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Mabel Segun ⓘ, NNOM (13 February 1930 – 6 March 2025) was a Nigerian poet, playwright and writer of short stories and children's books who was also a teacher, broadcaster, and a sportswoman.[1]
Key Information
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Biography
[edit]Born in Ondo City, Nigeria, she had her secondary-school education at CMS Girls' School Lagos. She attended the University of Ibadan, graduating in 1953 with a BA degree in English, Latin and History. She taught these subjects in Nigerian schools, and later became Head of the Department of English and Social Studies and Vice-Principal at the National Technical Teachers' College, Yaba (now Yaba College of Technology).
Her first book, My Father's Daughter, published in 1965, was widely used as a literature text in schools all over the world, and her books have been translated into German, Danish, Norwegian and Greek.[1] Her work is included in the anthology Daughters of Africa (1992).[2]
Segun championed children's literature in Nigeria through the Children's Literature Association of Nigeria, which she founded in 1978, and the Children's Documentation and Research Centre, which she set up in 1990 in Ibadan. She was also a fellow of the International Youth Library in Munich, Germany.[3]
She was a founding member of the Association of Nigerian Authors, established by Chinua Achebe in 1981.[4][5][6][7]
Segun died on 6 March 2025, at the age of 95.[8]
Awards and honours
[edit]As a broadcaster, Segun won the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation 1977 Artiste of the Year award.[2]
In 2009, she received the Nigerian National Order of Merit Award (NNOM) for lifetime achievements.[9]
In 2015, the Society of Young Nigerian Writers under the leadership of Wole Adedoyin founded the Mabel Segun Literary Society, aimed at promoting and reading the works of Mabel Segun.[10]
In 2007, Segun was awarded the LNG Nigeria Prize for Literature.[1]
Selected bibliography
[edit]
- My Father's Daughter (1965)
- Under the Mango Tree (co-edited) (1979)
- Youth Day Parade (1984)
- Olu and the Broken Statue (1985)
- Sorry, No Vacancy (1985)
- Conflict and Other Poems (1986)
- My Mother's Daughter (1986)
- Ping-Pong: Twenty-Five Years of Table Tennis (1989)
- The First Corn (1989)
- The Twins and the Tree Spirits (1990)
- The Surrender and Other Stories (1995)
- Readers' Theatre: Twelve Plays for Young People (2006)
- Rhapsody: A Celebration of Nigerian Cooking and Food Culture (2007)
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Taiwo, Jide (1 February 2017). "At 87 yrs old, Mabel Segun is truly the last of her kind". Nigerian Entertainment Today. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
- ^ a b Busby, Margaret (ed.), Daughters of Africa: An International Anthology of Words and Writings by Women of African Descent (1992), London: Vintage, 1993; p. 372.
- ^ Mabel Segun's Citation and Summary of Achievements. Nigerian National Merit Awards, Government of Nigeria.
- ^ Edoro, Ainehi (5 November 2013). "Are You A Nigerian Writer? Why Join The Association of Nigerian Authors?--- Brittle Paper Q&A with Richard Ali". Brittle Paper. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
- ^ "History of ANA". ananigeria.org. Association of Nigerian Authors. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
- ^ Diala (2020). "A Writers' Body and the Nigerian Literary Tradition". Research in African Literatures. 50 (4): 121–141. doi:10.2979/reseafrilite.50.4.08. JSTOR 10.2979/reseafrilite.50.4.08. S2CID 226487570.
- ^ "'At 40, we are poised to celebrate our founding fathers'". Thenationonlineng.net. 21 February 2021. Archived from the original on 25 August 2021. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
- ^ Mabel Segun, writer, broadcaster dies at 95
- ^ "NNOM Laureates - Humanities" Archived 5 November 2016 at the Wayback Machine, 2009.
- ^ "Mabel Segun Literary Society". mabelsegunliterarysociety.blogspot.com. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
External links
[edit]
Wikiquote has quotations related to Mabel Segun.
- Mabel Segun at IMDb
- "Mabel Segun 1930 to the Present", Facebook, 20 August 2012.
Mabel Segun
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Early life and education
Birth and family background
Mabel Segun was born Mabel Dorothy Okanima Aig-Imoukhuede on February 18, 1930, in Ondo town, in what is now Ondo State, Nigeria, during the colonial period. [1] [4] Her parents, Reverend Isaiah Aigbovbioise Imoukhuede and Eunice Aig-Imoukhuede, originated from Sabongida Ora in Edo State, belonging to the Ora people. [2] [1] Her father was a clergyman in the Anglican Church, renowned for his scholarly and creative contributions, including translating Yoruba hymn books into the Ora language, authoring the first Ora primer, and writing a short history of the Ora people. [2] He died at age 39 when Mabel was eight years old, yet his strong personality, close bond with her, and role as a model profoundly shaped her industry, creativity, and humanity. [1] Segun grew up in a scholarly home in colonial-era Ondo town, describing her early childhood as very happy with memories that remained vivid throughout her life. [2] This nurturing environment, combined with her father's influence as a writer and educator, fostered her lifelong interest in education and storytelling. [2] [5]Education and early influences
Mabel Segun received her secondary education at C.M.S. Girls' School in Lagos from 1942 to 1948, where she passed the West African School Certificate Examination with Grade One. [6] She then enrolled at University College, Ibadan (now the University of Ibadan) in 1949, studying English, Latin, and History. [6] She graduated in 1953 with a Second Class B.A. degree. [6] At university, Segun showed early promise as a writer while serving as advertisement manager of the student magazine The University Herald, with Chinua Achebe as editor. [7] She later took on an unofficial assistant editor role due to Achebe's heavy workload, collaborating closely with him on the publication, an experience that offered formative exposure to literary editing and production. [7] This period marked her initial engagement with creative and editorial work amid her formal studies in literature and classics. [7]Professional career
Teaching career
Mabel Segun began her teaching career after graduating from University College, Ibadan in 1953 with a BA degree in English, Latin, and History.[8] She taught English, Latin, and History in various Nigerian schools.[8][9] From 1953 to 1958, she taught in secondary and tertiary institutions.[10] Between 1954 and 1957, she held short teaching positions in several secondary schools and teacher training colleges in the old Western Region of Nigeria.[6] Later in her career, Segun served as Head of the Department of English and Social Studies and Vice-Principal at the National Technical Teachers' College, Yaba.[10][8] Her dedication to students and commitment to excellence earned her a reputation as a distinguished educator.[10] Segun advocated for the vital role of teachers, stating, “I have always advocated that the role of the teachers in education cannot be overemphasised. They are influencers.”[2]Broadcasting and journalism career
Mabel Segun joined the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) as a producer, embarking on a career that made her a pioneer in children's radio programming in Nigeria. [11] She focused on creating educational and entertaining radio content for young audiences, producing shows that combined storytelling with learning to engage children across the country. [12] Her efforts helped establish radio as an accessible medium for youth education and cultural development during Nigeria's early post-independence years. Segun produced various radio features, stories, and programs tailored for children, contributing significantly to the medium's role in shaping young minds. [12] In addition to her broadcasting roles, Segun engaged in journalism through contributions to print media and media-related writing. Her extensive experience in broadcasting, particularly in children's programming, later informed her approach to writing literature for young readers. [11]Literary career
Early writings and entry into literature
Mabel Segun's entry into literature began during her studies at University College, Ibadan, where she contributed short stories, poems, and essays to the student magazine University Herald between 1950 and 1954. [13] [14] In 1954, her short story "The Surrender" won the maiden edition of the Nigerian Festival of the Arts Literature Prize, marking an early recognition of her creative work. [7] [14] That same year, three of her poems were translated into German and published in the anthology Schwarzer Orpheus, an achievement she described as making her the second Nigerian female writer to be published abroad. [13] [15] Her early publications continued in international anthologies, with one poem and one short story appearing in the German collection Christ erscheint am Kongo in 1958, and she was the only female writer included in the 1962 anthology Reflections. [13] [15] These anthology appearances reflected the common publication pattern for poetry and short stories in that era, when single-author collections remained rare. [13] Segun's first full-length work, the autobiographical children's novel My Father's Daughter, was published in 1965 by African Universities Press and drew on her childhood experiences in colonial Nigeria. [16] [7] [13] Segun's interest in writing was shaped by her literary family background, including her father, a clergyman and translator who wrote primers and histories, and her brothers who were also writers. [14] She credited inspiring teachers, particularly one at C.M.S. Girls' School who vividly read poems like "Sea Fever" and brought poetry to life, for sparking her lifelong passion. [14] Her detailed memories of a happy early childhood, especially her close bond with her father, later informed her autobiographical writing. [15] Over time, she shifted toward children's literature, motivated by a desire to elevate the neglected genre and provide culturally relevant stories for young African readers. [17] [16]Children's literature
Mabel Segun emerged as a pioneering figure in African children's literature, authoring, co-authoring, and editing approximately eleven books for young readers while emphasizing authentic representations of Nigerian culture, values, and socio-cultural environments. [16] Her works often deconstructed colonial-era narratives in children's books, incorporating African folklore, folktales, and moral lessons to foster cultural identity and provide subtle education through engaging stories. [16] [5] To advance the field, she founded the Children's Literature Association of Nigeria (CLAN) in 1978 and established the Children's Documentation and Research Centre (CLIDORC) in Ibadan in 1990, initiatives that supported aspiring writers, illustrators, and research into children's literature. [16] [5] Her debut work, My Father's Daughter (1965), a semi-autobiographical episodic account of childhood in colonial southwestern Nigeria, explores themes of identity, resilience, patriarchal affection, gender roles, obedience, and aspiration, becoming widely used as a school literature text in Nigeria and internationally. [5] [18] Its sequel, My Mother's Daughter (1986), serves as a companion piece focusing on family ties and self-discovery. [5] Other key titles include Olu and the Broken Statue (1985), which follows a boy's actions impacting his community to teach respect for cultural heritage and accountability, and The First Corn (1989), drawn from traditional tales to highlight generosity and the origins of food. [5] Segun further explored supernatural folklore and environmental themes in The Twins and the Tree Spirits (1991, revised 2004), employing magical realism to underscore tree conservation. [16] [5] She co-edited Under the Mango Tree (1979), an anthology of songs and poems for primary school students that blended classic English pieces with African-relevant content. [16] Her collection Readers’ Theatre: Twelve Plays for Young People (2006) draws from folktales and Nigerian heroes to promote reading fluency, acting skills, and social development, earning joint winner status for the NLNG Nigeria Prize for Literature in 2007. [16] Several of Segun's children's works have been translated into languages including German, Danish, Norwegian, Greek, Swahili, and Arabic, reflecting their broader reach and impact. [5] Through these contributions, she helped establish children's literature as an essential component of the African literary tradition, prioritizing entertainment infused with cultural authenticity and educational value. [16] [5]Poetry, short stories, and other works
Mabel Segun contributed to adult literature through poetry and short stories, displaying a range of themes drawn from Nigerian life and personal experiences. [8] Her first short story, "The Surrender," written in the year of her graduation from University College Ibadan, won the maiden edition of the Nigerian Festival of the Arts literature competition. [8] She later published Sorry, No Vacancy (1985), a collection of her radio talks that explores social and cultural issues in Nigeria. [19] [5] Her short story collection The Surrender and Other Stories (1995) includes her early prize-winning work and further explores themes from Nigerian life. [19] [5] In poetry, Segun authored the collection Conflict and Other Poems (1986), which includes works reflecting on conflict, identity, and society. [19] Her poems have also appeared in various anthologies, contributing to the broader canon of modern African poetry. [19]Awards and recognition
Mabel Segun received several awards and honors for her contributions to literature, broadcasting, and children's writing.- In 1954, she won the maiden Nigerian Festival of the Arts Literature Prize for her short story "The Surrender".[1]
- In 1977, she was named Artiste of the Year by the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation.
- In 2007, she was a joint winner of the Nigeria Prize for Literature (also known as the LNG Nigeria Prize for Literature) for her co-edited work Readers’ Theatre: Twelve Plays for Young People.[20]
- In 2009, she received the Nigerian National Order of Merit (NNOM) for lifetime achievement in literature.[21]