Google Doodle has celebrated renowned Nigerian playwright, director, actor, choreographer and designer, Emmanuel Gladstone Olawale Rotimi, on his 84th posthumous birthday.

Born April 13, 1938, Rotimi used his art to reflect on Nigeria’s rich culture, diversity, and local traditions.

Dubbed “the father of Nollywood” and one of Nigeria’s foremost dramatists, Rotimi is most celebrated and award-winning works include The Gods Are Not to Blame, Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again, and Kurunmi.

“He grew up in a family of artists: His mother managed a traditional dance group and his father organized a community theatre. His father also directed and produced a play where Rotimi would show up on stage for the first time at only four years old. His family’s passion for the arts, as well as his mixed parentage—an Ijaw mother and Yoruba father—greatly influenced his future work. He would later attend Boston University to study theatre and earned an M.F.A. degree at Yale University in playwriting and dramatic literature.

“Throughout Rotimi’s career, he wrote and directed dozens of plays and short stories that poignantly examined Nigeria’s ethnic traditions and history. He was known to have a larger-than-life vision and embraced dance, music, and even mime within his productions. Rotimi’s plays pulled back the curtain to unveil traditional Nigerian rituals, songs, and dances to audiences all over the world.”

Rotimi passed away on August 18, 2000, at the age of 62.