How Yoruba mytholog, ‘rebellious streak’ inspired 2025 NLNG Prize winner Oyin Olugbile’s ‘Sanya’”
Oyin Olugbile, the 2025 NLNG Nigeria Prize for Literature winner, has opened up about the inspiration behind her award-winning debut novel, Sanya.
‘Sanya’ reimagines the story of the Yoruba god Sango through a female protagonist.
The NLNG Nigeria Prize for Literature is Africa’s most prestigious literary prize, celebrating excellence in Nigerian writing with a $100,000 cash award.
Ms Olugbile’s ‘Sanya’ was announced as the winning book ahead of ‘The Road to the Country’ by Chigozie Obioma, and ‘This Motherless Land’ by Nikki May.
The Advisory Board for the Prize, chaired by Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo, announced Ms Olugbile’s victory at the award ceremony held recently at the Eko Convention Centre, Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos.
Thought process
The author shared her creative journey during a press briefing before the award ceremony at the Eko Convention Centre in Lagos, where she was announced as this year’s winner.
Speaking about her inspiration, Ms Olugbile said her fascination with Yoruba mythology — especially figures like Oranmiyan and Sango —and her “rebellious streak” were central to the creation of the novel.
“The thing with knowledge is that sometimes it comes in the form of a seed you don’t even know is there. I studied theatre arts, so I grew up with these stories.
“But during a social impact project years later, I stumbled on Oranmiyan’s story, and that discovery reignited my curiosity. From there, Sango’s story started to unfold differently in my mind,” she said.
The author explained that her curiosity evolved into a provocative question: “What if Sango’s story were told through a woman’s eyes?”
Describing herself as “quite rebellious”, Ms Olugbile, who holds Postgraduate Certificates from Lagos Business School, Harvard Business School Online, and the School of Politics, Policy and Governance (SPPG), said that she wanted to tell Sango’s story in a way that would spark curiosity, not outrage.
She added, “Our myths have evolved through oral storytelling, so I thought, why not imagine them differently? Could a modern audience find the same fascination with Sango as with Marvel’s heroes if we gave his story more emotional depth?”
She clarified that ‘Sanya’ was not written as a feminist manifesto but as a creative exploration of identity and legacy.
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“People assume the story is feminist because Sango becomes Sanya. But it’s not about rivalry, it’s about partnership and balance.
“Feminism, to me, means giving voice to women without silencing men. I simply wanted to tell the story as it made sense to me,” she said.
She further revealed that ‘Sanya’ began in 2017 and took years of research and revision.
Sanya
‘Sanya’ is Ms Oyin’s debut novel that explores the themes of dangerous love, lost, found, and lost again, set against the backdrop of a fantastical, mesmerising empire that even the Òrìsà find enchanting.
The story follows the extraordinary journey of Sànyà and her sickly older brother, Dada.
Born into a royal lineage with a prophecy of a great warrior who will either save or destroy the world, Sànyà’s parents die tragically, forcing the siblings to navigate a new life.
Sànyà discovers her incredible powers are linked to a dark prophecy she must desperately fight to avoid.
As the stronger of the two, she assumes the role of protector to her clairvoyant brother.
The Nigeria Prize for Literature
Established in 2004 by the Nigeria LNG Limited, the Nigeria Prize for Literature is one of Africa’s most prestigious literary honours.
The $100,000 prize celebrates outstanding Nigerian writing and rotates annually among four genres: fiction, poetry, drama, and children’s literature.
This year’s competition focused on fiction.