The matriarch of Yoruba travelling theatre marks her milestone with a special photoshoot and the launch of a book documenting her seven-decade career.
Veteran Nollywood and theatre matriarch Grace Owoola Oyin-Adejobi, popularly known as Iya Osogbo, has celebrated her 96th birthday in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The cultural icon marked the milestone event on Sunday, September 13, surrounded by family, industry colleagues, and well-wishers.
As part of the celebrations, her family officially launched her biography titled Grace Owoola Oyin-Adejobi (Iya Osogbo): The Track of a Nigerian Theatre Icon. The book documents her life, career, and role in building Nigerian stage and screen entertainment.
Special birthday portraits released online showed the actress dressed in traditional attire, including a pink lace outfit with a green headpiece and traditional beads.
Photographer Tee Boss, who captured the birthday session, included a live goat in one of the portraits as a symbolic nod to her legendary role in the classic Yoruba film Eran Iya Osogbo.
Born in Osogbo, Osun State, Oyin-Adejobi began her acting career in 1953 when she joined the Oyin Adejobi Theatre Company, founded by her late husband, Chief Oyin Adejobi.
Her first stage role was Eve in the production Paradise Lost. She later featured in over 300 stage plays, television productions like Kootu Asipa on the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), and numerous feature films.
At 96, Iya Osogbo remains one of the surviving pioneers of the Yoruba travelling theatre era that predated the modern Nollywood film industry.
