Kola Tubosun

Biography

Kọ́lá Túbọ̀sún is a Nigerian linguist, writer, and cultural advocate dedicated to preserving African languages and literature. He founded YorubaName.com, a multimedia dictionary of Yorùbá names, and led efforts to integrate Nigerian languages into digital platforms like Google and Twitter. His work in language advocacy earned him the Premio Ostana "Special Prize" in 2016. Túbọ̀sún's writing spans poetry, travel essays, and translations. His debut poetry collection, Edwardsville by Heart (2018), reflects on his experiences in the U.S. as a Fulbright scholar. In 2021, he published Ìgbà Èwe, translating Emily R. Grosholz's poems into Yorùbá. He has also translated works by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Wole Soyinka, and Haruki Murakami. An alumnus of the University of Ibadan and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Túbọ̀sún has taught English and Yoruba in Nigeria and the U.S. He served as a Chevening Research Fellow at the British Library and is the Africa co-editor of the Best Literary Translations anthology. His recent documentary, Ebrohimie Road: A Museum of Memory (2024), explores Wole Soyinka's legacy. Túbọ̀sún continues to champion African languages through his platform, OlongoAfrica.