Bengt Ahlfors

Bengt Gunnar Richard Ahlfors (born ) is a Finland-Swedish playwright, composer, and former journalist. He is noted for works such as Finns det tigrar i Kongo? (English: Are there tigers in the Congo?), a 1986 play that focused on AIDS pandemic and has since been translated into twenty languages.

Early life and education Ahlfors was born in Helsinki, Finland on 28 December 1937, to Ejnar Richard Ahlfors and Syster Margareta Reipsar. After graduating from the Nya svenska läroverket in 1957, he studied Swedish literature, Nordic languages, and political science at the University of Helsinki. He initially worked as a journalist and critic for Hufvudstadsbladet and as a theatre critic for from 1959 to 1962,

The play has been described as among the first works in Finnish theater to touch upon the AIDS pandemic. The play has reportedly been performed in over 30 countries. Ahlfors received the Lea Award of the Finnish playwrights association in 1988 for Finns det tigrar i Kongo?.

Later career (1990s-present) He received an award from the Ministry of Education and Culture in 1993.

Personal life Ahlfors has been married to the Finnish director since 1968. They have one daughter together who was born in 1968, and adopted a son from Ethiopia in 1972, and as of 2021 have seven grandchildren.