Niyi Osundare is a Nigerian poet, dramatist, linguist, and literary critic.

Born on 12 March 1947, in Ikere-Ekiti,[1] Nigeria, his poetry is influenced by the oral poetry of his Yoruba culture, which he hybridizes with other poetic traditions of the world, including African-American, Latin American, Asian, and European.

[citation needed] In 1997, he accepted a teaching and research post at the University of New Orleans.

In 2005 Osundare was caught in Hurricane Katrina, and he and his wife were stuck in their attic for 26 hours.

[5] The film follows Osundare and Cheney-Coker on a road-trip through Sierra Leone and Nigeria as they discuss their friendship and how their life experiences have shaped their art.