Obinna Charles Okwelume

Dr. Obinna Charles Okwelume Jnr. (born September 20, 1981 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria) is an African scholar, journalist and playwright.

Biography

He studied at St. Anns Nursery and Primary School and De World International Secondary School all in Port Harcourt. Obinna (meaning "Father´s heart"),[1] as he is fondly called, studied Mass Communication in Madonna University (Ihiala), Nigeria, graduating with a First Class honours degree in 2003. He has a Masters degree in International Relations from London Metropolitan University where he received a full Postgraduate Scholarship; and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in African Studies (Media and Anthropology) from the Centre of West African Studies, University of Birmingham. He received the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations award in 2001 for his contributions to literary writing and the RE Bradbury Memorial Prize in 2010 for the best thesis in the School of History and Cultures at the University of Birmingham. He worked briefly with Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation in the Group Public Affairs Division, Abuja and the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, Abuja, Nigeria in the Public Relations Unit. He founded the Dynamics Choir and Dynamites Theatre in 1997. Through his works, he founded and is Coordinator, Save Africa Project, a project that aims to immortalise African culture via literature. Okwelume is a member of the Association of Nigerian Authors, Nigerian Institute of Public Relations and The Chartered Institute of Journalists, UK; an Associate Member of the Nigerian Institute of Management. He also, is a member of the Royal African Society, UK and was president of the International Students Association of the University of Birmingham, 2006-2007. He was Editor-in-Chief of the NYSC FCT Editorial Board and also member of several Editorial Boards. He is currently at the National Universities Commission.

Works

His published works include Ogurigwe (2001), Arrow of Vengeance (2002), Three Plays (2002), Babel of Voices (2002), Drumbeats of Black Africa (2004), Dictionary of Mass Communication (2006), and Those Who Live in Glass Houses (2016). Okwelume is a play director; at his leisure he directs music performances and cultural displays.

References

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, March 27, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.