Oyin
Olugbile
Storyteller · Author · Social Impact Consultant · NLNG Prize Laureate
Oyin Olugbile is a Nigerian-born mythic literary writer whose work reimagines cultural memory through psychologically rich and emotionally resonant storytelling. Her fiction explores the symbolic power of myth, the interior worlds of women, and the enduring influence of ancestral narratives on contemporary identity.
She is the author of Sànyà (Masobe Books, 2022), a mythic coming-of-age novel that reconstructs the legend of the Yoruba god Sango through the perspective of a fierce female protagonist. Widely praised for its imaginative scope and literary depth, the novel was awarded the 2025 Nigeria Prize for Literature, Africa's most prestigious literary honor, recognizing her as a major voice in contemporary African writing.
Oyin writes to illuminate stories often confined to the margins, ancestral belief systems, inherited silences, and the layered identities shaping modern African life. Her creative philosophy positions storytelling as both cultural preservation and social architecture, arguing for the centrality of African imagination within global literary discourse.
In addition to her fiction, she is the co-author of The Road to Good Governance in Nigeria and Africa and the creator of Little People, an imaginative children's fiction series. Her work increasingly spans cross-generational readerships while maintaining literary sophistication.
Oyin holds a BA in Theatre Arts from the University of Lagos and an MSc in Leadership and Development (Distinction) from King's College London. An Associate Fellow of the African Leadership Centre, she has been a featured voice in high-level dialogues including the UK Parliament's Black AI Futures event and the FutureEd "AI for Good" roundtable.
Currently, she is developing new works that expand her mythic literary universe while continuing to explore how stories shape leadership, culture, and collective futures.
Academic Background
The Experience
Factory
Beyond the page, Oyin is the Chief Curator of the Experience Factory, an education enterprise dedicated to curating out-of-classroom experiences for young people. EXF believes that learning happens everywhere, and that every child deserves access to experiences that expand their world.
As a Social Impact Management Consultant, she has spent over two decades working to amplify young voices and create pathways for the next generation of leaders and storytellers.
Oyin is married to Olumayowa Olugbile and is the proud mother of five children. She describes herself as "quite rebellious", a quality that led her to reimagine one of Yoruba mythology's most powerful gods as a woman. She is a storyteller first, a writer second, and believes that storytelling comes as naturally as eating or drinking water.
"I write because I have to tell the story, and people have to read it."
— Oyin Olugbile