Titilope Sonuga

The story of Titilope Sonuga’s emergence as a globally celebrated poet, playwright, and performer is a testament to the transformative power of storytelling. Through both page and stage, she crafts work marked by rootedness, vulnerability, and an unflinching exploration of womanhood, identity, love, and belonging.

Her genre-defying practice has led to a vibrant career across literature, theatre, music, and public art. She is the author of three poetry collections, Down to Earth (2011), Abscess (2014), and This Is How We Disappear (2019), and three spoken word albums, Mother Tongue (2011), Swim (2019), and Sis (2024).

Beyond her literary work, Sonuga has brought her distinctive voice to campaigns and commissions for organizations including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Google, and the White Ribbon Alliance. She also served as an ambassador for Intel Corporation’s She Will Connect campaign, advancing opportunities for women and girls through technology and education.

Her theatre credits include The Six, Naked, and Ada the Country. Her first libretto, Sankofa: A Soldier’s Tale Retold, commissioned by the Art of Time Ensemble, received a Dora Award nomination for Best New Opera. She also appeared in a lead role on the Nigerian television series Gidi Up.

In 2015, she became the first poet to perform at a Nigerian presidential inauguration and later served as the 9th Poet Laureate of the City of Edmonton from 2021 to 2023.