Efo Kodjo Mawugbe to be buried Friday, October 28 in Accra

The National Funeral Planning Committee, Board and Management of National Theatre and Family of Efo Kodjo Mawugbe has announced  October 28 as a definitive date for the burial of the late playwright.

According to burial arrangements; there would be wake-keeping on Thursday, October 27 at the National Theatre from 1900 hours and burial service in the morning of Friday, October 28 at the forecourt of the State House to be followed by burial at the Osu Cemetery.

The family said memorial and thanksgiving service would be organised on Sunday, October 30, at the National Theatre from 0900hours while final funeral rites would be organised in Kumasi on Saturday, November 26 and Sunday, November 27.

A Book of Condolence was opened at the National Theatre since September 26 from 1000 hours to 1600 hours daily.

The late Mawugbe, Director of National Theatre, died on Tuesday, September 13 at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.

Efo Mawugbe was renowned for his writing prowess in drama. He won the BBC’s International Radio Playwriting Competition in 2009 with his play, “The Prison Graduates”. It was selected out of 12,000 entries across the world.

However, in recent years, he is most revered for his invaluable contribution to TV3’s popular beauty pageant reality show, ‘Ghana’s Most Beautiful’, where he had played the role of an astute judge, making significant criticisms and suggestions to project Ghana’s culture.

Efo Mawugbe was born on April 21, 1954 in Kumasi to Madam Comfort Tulasi, and the late Michael Ayivi Mawugbe, who both worked at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).

He attended Mawuli School, Ho, where he obtained his secondary education to the sixth form level. At Mawuli School, Efo’s interest and talent in theatre drama began and he joined the school’s drama group.

His autobiography says in Form One, he played the role of Senchi in Efua Sutherland’s ‘Edufa’ and by Form Three he had succeeded in writing a play for his house, TROST House.

Efo Mawugbe gained admission into the University of Ghana where he studied Theatre Arts, majoring in playwriting from 1975 to 1978.

Later in 1991, he did a certificate course in senior management development at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA).

Efo Mawugbe further studied at the British Council, Glasgow and London, where he did certificated programmes in Theatre Management and Audience Development.

From 1979-1984, he served as a Senior Research Assistant – African Theatre at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (Centre for Cultural Studies) where he helped students in the developing and production of plays.

He has 19 plays to his credit. These include: “A Calabash of Blood” – Radio Drama – GBC in 1978, “Aluta Continua” – drama – produced for radio, stage and T.V. distributed in Africa by URTNA (1979) and in 1980, “The Unbending Branch” – Radio Drama (GBC).

Between 2001 and 2002, Efo Mawugbe was a part-time Assistant Lecturer (Playwriting) at the Theatre Arts Department of the University of Ghana, where he supervised final year students in playwriting.

He is survived by a wife and five children.

Source: GNA