James Ene Henshaw: The playwright physician of the Cross River
By James Ene Henshaw Jr
DR. James Ene Henshaw was a chest physician and one of West Africa’s first major playwrights. He showed how to heal people in the clinic and help a society navigate change on stage. Born in Calabar in 1924 into a prominent Efik royal family, he grew up in a city that valued heritage, education, and leadership. He went on to study medicine at the National University of Ireland, Dublin, and trained as a chest physician.
While in Dublin in 1948, he wrote his first play, This is Our Chance, for an African students’ event. At the time, West African youth were caught between ancestral traditions and Western modernity. Henshaw didn’t dismiss either. He used light comedy, witty dialogue, and relatable stories to argue for balance: keep the core of Efik culture, adopt what works from outside.
The play became an overnight success. It turned into required reading in schools, universities, and theater groups across West Africa. For many students, it was their first encounter with African-written drama.
Henshaw returned to Nigeria and kept both careers: He served his people and became Director of Medical Services for the former South Eastern State.
He also continued writing. Key works include The Jewels of the Shrine, which explores elder respect, inheritance, and belief systems, and Medicine for Love, a satire on marriage customs, politics, and superstition.
Throughout his work he defended the dignity of Efik and African customs, while gently highlighting flaws and championing community and respect.
The Final Act: A Return to the Roots. Dr. James Ene Henshaw spent his final years in his beloved Calabar. His lifelong commitment to preserving Efik heritage culminated in a deeply personal final project: translating William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar into the Efik language. This endeavor was the perfect encapsulation of his life’s work, taking a monument of Western literature and dressing it in the rich linguistic robes of his ancestors.
Though he passed away in 2007, Dr. Henshaw’s legacy remains immortal. Under the EHF SPOTLIGHT, we celebrate him not just as a pioneer of African drama, but as a true Efik patriot who proved that one can seamlessly heal the body while elevating the mind.
* Henshaw Jr., lke his father, is also a medical doctor, playwright and culture advocate
