The late Nigerian author Biyi Bándélé’s friends, family, fans, and collaborators gathered on June 30th, 2024 to celebrate the launch of Bándélé’s last novel, Yorùbá Boy Running.

Bándélé was a novelist, playwright, and filmmaker. He died at the age of 54 on August 7th, 2022. Bándélé is best known for writing novels including The Man Who Came in From the Back of Beyond (1991) and Burma Boy (2008). In addition to his career as a novelist, Bándélé directed the 2013 adaptation of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s novel Half of a Yellow Sun and the 2022 Yoruba-language adaptation of Wole Soyinka’s play Death and the King’s Horseman. His life and work continue to impact the African literary world. (Be sure to check out the tributes to Bándélé we gathered from 100 African writers after his passing.)

Yorùbá Boy Running tells the story of Samuel Àjàyí Crowther, a formerly enslaved man who went on to become the first African bishop in the Anglican church. The novel is a work of historical fiction based on the real-life Crowther’s writings, as well as the life of Bándélé’s grandfather, whose life mirrored Crowther’s own. Yorùbá Boy Running was completed just before Bándélé’s death. The UK edition was published posthumously by Hamish Hamilton on July 4th, 2024, and a US version will be available on September 3rd, 2024.

From the publisher’s synopsis of the novel:

Drawing on the prolific writings of Samuel Ajayi Crowther, Biyi Bándélé has created a many-voiced, kaleidoscopic portrait of an extraordinary man. From the heart-stopping drama of Àjàyí’s last day of freedom to the farcical intrigue of the Òsogùn court; from a meeting with Queen Victoria; to his consecration as the first African Bishop of the Anglican Church, his journey, like all great odysseys, circles back to where he began. By turns witty, moving and quietly political, Biyi Bándélé’s reimagining of Crowther’s life is a brilliant tour de force.

The Yorùbá Boy Running launch event took place at Brixton House, a modern theatre in London. The event was a testament to Bándélé’s massive personal and artistic impact on the world. It featured readings and tributes from Bándélé’s family, friends, and collaborators. Those in attendance included actor Chiwetel Ejiofor, who reads the audiobook of Yorùbá Boy Running, as well as Adjoah Andoh, Burt Caesar, Chipo Chung, Danny Sapani, Diane Parish, Jude Akuwudike, Margaret Busby, Paterson Joseph and Shingai Shoniwa. The event was hosted by playwright and actor Kwame Kwei-Armah

We’re pleased to share photos from the Yorùbá Boy Running launch event below. All photos courtesy of Chipo Chung.

You can order a copy of Yorùbá Boy Running here.