Niyi Osundare is a leading African poet, dramatist, linguist, and literary critic. Born on March 12, 1947 in Ikere-Ekiti, Nigeria, his poetry is influenced by the oral poetry of his Yorùbá culture, which he capaciously hybridizes with other poetic traditions of the world, including African American, Latin American, Asian, and European. Osundare is a champion of free speech and his creative and critical writings are closely associated with political activism, decolonization, black internationalism, and the environment. He is the recipient of numerous prizes, including the Association of Nigerian Authors Poetry Prize, the Commonwealth Poetry Prize, the Tchicaya U Tam'si Poetry Prize, and the ANA/Cadbury Poetry Prize. In 1991, Osundare became the first Anglophone African poet to win the Noma Award, and in 1998, he was awarded the Fonlon/Nichols Prize for his "excellence in literary creativity combined with significant contributions to Human Rights in Africa." In 2014, he was admitted to the National Order of Merit, his country's highest honor for intellectual distinction and creative achievement. Osundare is Emeritus Distinguished Professor of English at the University of New Orleans.