Professor Bolanle Awe is a renowned scholar, feminist, and exceptional educationist. Born on January 28, 1933, in Ilesa, Osun State, her father, Pa Samuel Akindeji Fajembola of Alafara Oje, Ibadan, was a manager at John Holt & Co., a shipping and trading company. Her mother, Mosebolatan, an Ijesa native, was a professional teacher and one of the first women trained at the United Missionary College, Ibadan.
Professor Awe received her early education at Holy Trinity School in Imofe-Ilesa, St James Primary School in Okebola, Ibadan, and St Anne’s School, Ibadan. She completed her A-levels at Perse School, Cambridge, before earning a master’s degree in history from St Andrews University in Scotland. She then pursued and completed her doctorate in history at Oxford University.
Upon her return to Nigeria, Awe became a lecturer at the University of Ibadan, where she later rose to the rank of professor. As one of the historians who integrated oral traditions into academic research, she played a crucial role in reconstructing pre-colonial histories. She was also instrumental in highlighting the overlooked contributions of women in history. To promote women’s studies and research, she co-founded the Women’s Research and Documentation Centre (WORDOC).
In 1982, Professor Bolanle Awe was honored as an Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Throughout her career, she has published extensively on the history of Ibadan, oral history, and women’s studies, cementing her legacy as a trailblazer in Nigerian academia.
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