Efo Kodjo Mawugbe passes

Peacefmonline can confirm that Award winning Playwright and Director of the National Theatre, Efo Kodjo Mawugbe, is dead.

The renowned playwright passed away in the wee hours of Wednesday September 14, 2011 at the Korle-bu Teaching Hospital after being on admission at the health facility for some weeks.

He was said to be fighting to cure a chronic Prostate Cancer which had been his major health challenge for some time now.

A niece of the deceased, Beauty Amoah, confirmed the tragic news in an interview with Kwami Sefa Kayi on PeaceFM's flagship programme, "Kokrokoo", a short while ago.

Colleague actor and playwright, David Dontoh, who has worked with the deceased both on screen and on stage, expressed shock at the news in an interview with peacefmonline.com.

Efo was renowned for his writing prowess in drama. He was winner of the BBC's International Radio Playwriting Competition 2009 with his play, The Prison Graduates. His play was selected out of 12,000 entries across the world.

A judge on TV3s "Ghana's Most Beautiful" Reality Show, Efo Kodjo Mawugbe's interest and talent in theatre drama begun at Mawuli School, Ho, where there was a traditional inter-house drama competition.

Efo Kodjo Mawugbe happened to have begun very well at the inter-house level and therefore joined the school drama group. Right from secondary school Form One, he played the role of Senchi in Efua Sutherland’s Edufa and by Form Three, he, through his sterling performance, succeeded in writing a play for his house (TROST House) in the school.

He did not rest and through determination, and hardwork, became a role model in the profession.

He was the substantive Director of the National Theatre of Ghana until his untimely death, a position conferred on him barely a month ago.

Efo Kodjo was born on 21st April 1954 in Kumasi to Madam Comfort Tulasi, then a cook at Africa Hall of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), and the late Michael Ayivi Mawugbe who worked with the laundry department of the University.

Married and blessed with six children (three males and three females), he schooled at Mawuli School, where he obtained his General Certificate of Education (GCE) Ordinary and Advance Levels.

Efo Kodjo then gained admission into the University of Ghana where he studied Theatre Arts, majoring in playwriting from 1975 to 1978.

Later in 1991, he did a certificate course in senior management development at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA). He also studied at the Bauff Centre for Management Calgary Canada in 1995 and was also sent to the E. T. A Chicago, USA on a USIS-sponsored attachment programme in Theatre and Events Organisation.

Efo Kodjo further studied at the British Council, Glasgow and London, where he did a certificate programme in Theatre Management and Audience Development.

In December 2006, he did Theatre Arts (MFA- Playwriting). For instance between 1977 and 1978, he was a part-time tutor at the Ghana Empire Secondary School where he taught English Language and literature.

From 1979-1984, he served as a Senior Research Assistant-African Theatre at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (Centre for Cultural Studies) where he helped students in the developing and production of plays.

He has membership in some professional organisations. He was the organising secretary of the I.T.I (International Theatre Institute) and was a board member of the I.T.I Playwright Committee from 1991 to 1995. He was an executive member of the Ghana Association of Writers from 1979 to 1986, Artistic Director, Kozi-Kozi Theatre, Accra (1992-1993), Artistic Director -Kilomanjaro, CYCC, Board Member, National Drama Company (National Theatre (1997-2000) and Artistic Director-West-Coast Productions House (Takoradi) from 2004 to date.

He has to his credit 19 publications (drama). These include A Calabash of Blood - Radio Drama- GBC in 1978, "Aluta Continua" - drama - produced for radio, stage and T.V. distributed in Africa by URTNA (1979) and in 1980, "The Unbending Branch" - Radio Drama (GBC), In the Chest of a Woman, Constable No Rank, Take me to the Altar and Tata Amu, a play on the biography of Dr Ephraim Amu, Ghana's foremost choral composer.

Apart from radio and TV drama, he also wrote satiric stories as a columnist for The Mirror under the title “Letter to Dora”.

He also has to his credit a number of non-dramatic presentations. Efo Kodjo is a consultant, and has worked on a number of projects, especially in the country, some of which are still on-going.

Between 2001-2002, Efo Kodjo was a part-time Assistant Lecturer (Playwriting) at the Theatre Arts Department of the University of Ghana, where he supervised final year playwriting students.

In 2003, he was the Festival Director-National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFAC 2003).

Efo Kodjo is a Christian. He fellowship with the Assemblies of God Church, Power House, Banana Inn. He likes swimming, admiring nature and reading.

For his meals, he likes red-red, and Banku with tilapia.