Nobel Laureate Prof Wole Akinwande Soyinka turned 80 last Sunday amid tributes from scholars, writers and politicians. Ace poet Prof Niyi Osundare, renowned playwright Prof Femi Osofisan and Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, among others, sent him birthday greetings.They share their thoughts on the man and his works in this piece, writes Evelyn Osagie.
Nobel laureate Prof Wole Soyinka is 80. Soyinka has lived through pre-colonial times, survived a civil war and several military regimes. An activist of the highest order, he remains a crusader even in old age.
Because of his scathing writings, he was accused of treason and jailed without any formal charge for over 20 months. Soyinka was forced into exile because of his stand against injustice. But despite the storms, Soyinka’s voice is not stilled and his pen remains as potent as ever.
With many titles in all genres, Soyinka is known as “one of the finest poetical playwrights in English”.
His literary voyage covers drama, poetry, prose fiction, biography, film and music. In 1986 when he won the Noble Prize in Literature – the first African to do so – his literary prowess was captured in these words: “He possesses a prolific store of words and expressions which he exploits to the full in witty dialogue, in satire and grotesquery, in quiet poetry and essays of sparkling vitality.”
Welcome to the world of the acclaimed dramatist, poet, novelist, essayist, musician, culture icon, Wole Soyinka.
In the words of his colleagues, friends and fans, “words are not enough” to describe what Soyinka has come to mean to them and the world of Literature.
Amid several literary festivities commemorating the thespian’s birthday, is the avalanche of tributes in his honour. Some called him, “a man of stupendous courage and candour”, an “indomitable writer”, Asayagbangba and more. In this piece, renowned poet Prof Niyi Osundare, celebrated playwright Prof Femi Osofisan and Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, among others, relive their encounters with Soyinka.
‘Asayagbangba Soyinka is Pathfinder and Pioneering Spirit’ – Ace poet, Prof Niyi Osundare:
My first encounter with Wole Soyinka’s works came though his poem Abiku; and that was in my secondary school days at Amoye Grammar School, Ikere Ekiti in the mid- 60s. It was about the same time my class was introduced to the woks of other African writers such as Chinua Achebe, and JP Clark.
From then on, I saw Soyinka from a respectable distance. Well, until 1970 when he became Director, School of Drama, University of Ibadan, and Drama was my main Minor in the degree course. It was supremely inspiring having a great man like Soyinka around and seeing him on an almost daily basis. Young, good-looking, creative, iconoclastic with an unmistakable swagger, he smiled not too often in those days, and we put it all down to his well- deserved fame. But kind-hearted he was, and his patented baritone and posh English accent were a bliss to the ears.
Soyinka’s contribution to the field of Literature is epochal and phenomenal. Drama, poetry, prose fiction, biography, film, music; name it: the man excels in all of them. An anthology of world drama without Death and the King’s Horseman would be incomplete; just as Ake would stand out supreme in the comity of world prose fiction. Add to these Soyinka’s innumerable essays and you get the picture of a truly world-historic writer.
Soyinka, a man of stupendous courage and candor; the kind who speaks out when others have bowed under the sword of Silence. Asayagbangba (one whose chest stands out like a solid shield) whose courage serves as a spur to courage in others. A true ecumenical spirit whose being traverses the world. Like Ogun, his personal orisa, Soyinka is Pathfinder and Pioneering Spirit, an indefatigable fighter for Justice. We would be glad to have him around for another 80 years.
‘Father, don’t tire, not even tomorrow’
Head, School of Languages, Rhodes University, South Africa, Prof Russell Kaschula:
Soyinka’s contribution to the field of Literature is gigantic! His work has now influenced generations of writers and thinkers not only on the continent, but globally. He has taught us to be vigilant through creativity.
I first came across his work at university as a young white South African who had grown up under apartheid. Scholars such as Soyinka were not permitted to be mentioned in the schooling system. It was then in the more liberated university environment that I began to understand creative writing and the work of Soyinka as a powerful socio-political commentary.
As he marks his 80th, in isiXhosa we say: Ungadinwa nangomso, Tata (Don’t tire, not even tomorrow, Father)!
‘Indomitable Soyinka is my role model’
Renowned Professor of International Law and Jurisprudence, Akin Oyebode:
As one of Africa’s most illustrious sons, Soyinka has been my role model since my secondary school days. I was the school’s drama producer, and in my teens then, when I was opportune to produce two of his plays The lion and the Jewel and Trial of Brother Jero. In fact, so engrossed in his grammatic prowess had I become that I had actually sought to go and learn at the feet of the master in the University of Ibadan where he had held forth as the Director of Drama. I was admitted to combine Honours in English and Drama degree programme and had indeed secured accommodation at Melani Hall until providence decreed otherwise. Well, that is a story for another day.
As part of my encounter with Soyinka, while schooling in Toronto, he had come for a writers’ festival and he came to give a talk at the York University and one of the eminent professors of Language and Literature asked WS himself “Prof Wole Soyinka, yesterday you wore this hat, in another plane you wore another hat, can the real Wole Soyinka stand up and be identified”. And the indomitable Soyinka had a one-line response for him, and I never forgot it, “It takes a writer to unmask another”.
Renowned playwright and former Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) President, Prof Femi Osofisan:
What words can be adequate to offer in tribute to such an outstanding personality? Soyinka will continue to be a beacon of light. Long may he stay yet among us.
Outlining his contribution to the field of Literature deserves a long answer really, since he has been active in almost all the genres. That is clearly impossible here. But one significant contribution however is his creation of what I will describe as a ‘condition of plausibility’ for the existence of an authentic African drama in the English language. After him, all of us became empowered, and credible. Another area that is still to be well discussed is his resuscitation, and exploration, of myth.
I met Soyinka for the first time through his poems, Telephone Conversation and Abiku. I can’t recall accurately now, but I think it was in the Mbari magazine, Black Orpheus, edited then by Ulli Beier, that I found them. But the real encounter with his works that mesmerised me was watching his production of Kongi’s Harvest at the Arts Theatre of the University of Ibadan. I was then still a student at the Government College, in the southern suburb of the town, and we were taken in the school bus one night to see the play. The blend of music and dance and ‘indigenised English’ language fascinated me, and has stayed with me since.
‘May his genius be recognised for generations to come’
Professor of English, Hofstra University, United States, Joseph McLaren:
I first read Soyinka over 25 years ago. I was exposed to his performed drama when Death and the King’s Horseman was performed in New York. It was well received and demonstrated Soyinka’s brilliance. I also saw the film Kongi’s Harvest, which showed how Soyinka’s work was relevant to the transitions in leadership during and after the Independence era.
Soyinka has contributed immeasurably to the world of literature. His gift of language and dramatic ingenuity is incomparable.
As he turns 80 this month, I am hoping that Soyinka will continue to comment on the state of affairs in Africa, in general, and that he will offer additional dramatic works reflecting 21st century concerns. May his genius be recognised globally for generations to come!
‘My only regret as Soyinka turns 80’-Rivers State Governor Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi:
Let me speak like a soothsayer, we shall celebrate your 90th. Poet, playwright, essayist, scholar, Nobel laureate and political activist, Wole Soyinka has for over the period of five decades pursued his dreams and goals for a better Nigerian society with inventiveness, thankless energy and radical tenacity.
Some of us, who were the liberal arts students at the university, first encountered Wole Soyinka through his works, but I must confess I wasn’t a fan of yours in the class! Reading Prof was like reading William Shakespeare with his ancient riddles, ancient words, we took more time unravelling the works than studying them. And although some of us experienced initial difficulties over his works, over the years, as we have come to know the man better, a lot has become clearer.
Soyinka’s struggles transcend ethnicity, class, religion or race. His life of struggle and a writer-activist career goes back to 1964 when he participated in the Nigeria Labour Congress rally that threatened the Balewa Conference. He has since been involved in all forms of activism.
In all his writings, his main objective has always been to admonish, to chastise and to hold up a mirror of society to itself and to warn of the dire consequence of ignoring the path to progress in the polity. Without question, his public concern remains that of a permanent intellectual precedence against misrule: corruption and man in humanity to man. He is one writer who has put his life at risk in furtherance of the best political conclusion.
Prof Soyinka, I salute you sir and wish you well! I have only one regret and it derives from the fact that while we all know your colossal royal wines, I do not take alcohol – in whatever form. And, therefore, I cannot even drink to toast your good wines. But I give you my word sir, that when next you go hunting for wildlife, I will accompany you hunter.
‘The world will not forget in a hurry this exponent of existentialism’
Former Bursar, University of Benin and first female Vice-President, ANA, Dr May Ifeoma Nwoye:
Wole Soyinka is one of those writers for whom a determined philosophical position is the centre of their artistic being. Soyinka’s theoretical writings as well as his novels and plays constitute one of the main inspirational sources of modern literature.
I see Soyinka as an extremely practical man in the sense of putting into practices his thoughts and ideas. As exponent of existentialism, Soyinka was prepared to use any literary form or genre to communicate his ideas widely.
This is particularly true in the works he produced during the Nigerian Civil War – The Man Died.
He realised that the Theatre was a good way of doing this, but he also felt that the novel might also prove to be useful.
All of his work served to reinforce the basic principles of existential thought, to show humanity as it is, and he realised that the Theatre was the best place to demonstrate man in action, in dramatic circumstance, and in the midst of living. Although the plays sometime seem pessimistic, he demonstrated that commitment is essential for human freedom and dignity.
Soyinka writes extremely dense and complicated critique.
Indeed my first contact with one of his works, The Lion and the Jewel was in my second year in High school. I couldn’t conceptualise any part of it. I understood and appreciated it 15 years after. I took delight in laughing at myself in retrospect.
With his birthday in perspective, I rejoice with him and proudly declare as a Nigerian: This is ours! One of the most substantial thinkers and writers of the 21st century and will remain known for his tireless contributions to existentialism and hence, whom the world of literature will not forget in a hurry.
‘Soyinka for our literature is a watershed’
Director of Research, National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru. Prof Olu Obafemi:
I read of the production of A Dance of the Forest in Daily Times old copies left by our uncle, a retired Sergeant Major who shortly after fought in Burma and Congo.
Years later, I heard of The Masks and Orisun Theatre. Then of course we had to read those lovely pairs of poems Abiku by both Soyinka and Clark. The ordeal of piercing the concrete metal jarring the drink lobes in The Interpreters. All in the scripts. I was not a Soyinka disciple in the direct sense that Osofisan, BJ, Ogunbiyi and Omotoso were. A distant mentee somewhat. I had sent a message to him in Ife for a copy of Opera Wonyosi running on stage then. I came from Leeds where I was working on my doctoral thesis in 1978. It was Yemi that gave me the copy. He had travelled. I didn’t meet him until 1980 I think in Leeds. It was a delightful, even electrifying experience. Soyinka for our literature is a watershed- a delightful inspiration. A lifter from the deluge of imperialist paternalism and hegemonic concept. The Nobel is a critic lift for the literature of Africa and its humane civilisation exploded on the world literati. His political activism is a baffling mix of profound creativity lending valve to radical politics. We had criticised his mythopoesis and ahistoricism while he was out there confronting the reality of our socio-political decadence and dysfunctional political leadership.
At 80, he appears battle-ready for the fight meant for the next generation in a rudderless, adrift Nigeria. It is really not true that he is 80 but he is. Happy welcome to deep winter in the midst of late spring to our own Kongi!
‘Soyinka remains a vital force in Nigeria’s polity’
Associate Professor of African and African Diasporic Literatures, Villanova University, United States, Chiji Akoma:
First, Happy Birthday, Prof! Prof Soyinka has done humanity an incredible service by sharing his prodigious talents with us. Significantly, he remains a vital force in Nigeria’s polity.
I don’t remember my first encounter with Soyinka’s work, but it must have been either the poem, Telephone Conversation or The Trials of Brother Jero, both in secondary school. Indeed, we staged the latter as part of a Patrons Day event. For the poem, I thank God for a textbook that broke down every line and practically every word or phrase of that poem and made it accessible for me. Jero was sweetly despicable!
I believe I met Prof Soyinka personally for the first time at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government in the early 1990’s. We had just formed the International African Students Association (IASA) and had invited him to speak. The “Abiola Election” upheaval and the Ken Saro Wiwa tragedy were still unfolding. Soyinka’s own escape was legendary and we greatly felt inspired by what the great man had to say.
I would say that the citation for his Nobel award pretty much sums up contribution to the field of Literature for me.
‘May this courageous voice for human rights retain his sharp, clear mind in coming years’
Founding President, WRITA, Mrs Mobolaji Adenubi:
I first met Prof Soyinka in 1993, after the manuscript of my story, Splendid, was given to him as advised by Chief Simeon Adebo. His comment, “That story, full of love and courage.” stunned me, coming from Africa’s first winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature! That would be my first published work, and he generously wrote a superb Foreword to it!
Ake: The Years of Our Childhood was the first of Soyinka’s works I read, and I was enthralled by it. It is so readily accessible!
The Nobel Prize for Literature, awarded to WS in 1986, is a testimony to his incalculable contribution as a playwright, poet, novelist and critic to African and world literature. He remains a prolific writer. But, he is not only an eminent scholar but also a courageous voice for human rights worldwide. He is an eloquent speaker who uses the English language better than many of its natives.
I certainly wish our own WS many happy returns of his birthday as he celebrates the 80th this year! May he continue to retain his sharp and clear mind in the coming years, and may he spend these years in good health and happiness!
Playwright and Chairman, ANA Lagos (Chapter), Mr Femi Onileagbon:
As an acolyte of this incomparably talented writer, a large chunk of my engagements have been patterned after his without any conscious attempt to do so. He just grew on me.
It was in 1989 that I first heard the name Wole Soyinka. I was a precocious boy who was already taking the lyrics out of Don Williams’ songs and putting in mine. In JSS 2 at Mainland High School, I was gradually setting in solid cast a reputation as one of the best Literature students. Writing and directing a play titled The Beggar and the Princess with the cast made up of my classmates earlier that year did not do my reputation any harm.
My fame as a Literature guru, an avid reader and then an amateur thespian brought me to the attention of my seniors and I was invited along with our star actors, Shakiratu Shodipo and Usang Mbang, to join the dramatic society called SOCULT. I did not join up then because I was the goalkeeper of my class and we were in the thick of the interclass football competition. The day we were knocked out by the huge, brawny SS1C students, I sat dejectedly near the school gate and heard a chant and involuntarily listened…without realising it, I was at the door of the drama group meeting. As they sang, “you dance like him/you talk like him/ you walk like him you’re just as clumsy in your Lagos way/ you’ll do for him”, I was truly and irrevocably caught and stayed for that rehearsal and for many more.
A week later while scouring the bookshops along Fadeyi, Ikorodu Road, for The Lion and the Jewel, I came across Trials of Brother Jero and Jero’s Metamorphosis. The names and the titles held my attention and I bought all. It was a weekend: I remember because I had finished them before the next rehearsal which was a Tuesday.
The daily rehearsals grew the love for Soyinka’s works in me and though I did not get to act because I insisted that I wanted to direct, I was a Soyinka acolyte. Interestingly, I had to wait till 1995 to read another work by Soyinka and I couldn’t have been faced with a tougher challenge than understanding the novel, Interpreters. Rather than run away from Soyinka as a few of my colleagues did, I wanted more.
I had the opportunity to be the theatre workshop student director for my department and others who borrowed the course. Unsurprisingly and to the chagrin of Chief Charles Somade who was the lecturer-in-charge of that course, I selected Death and the King’s Horseman. He felt we were not sound enough to stage a play like that but we knew we could. I knew that my colleagues and I were ready.
Led by Abiodun Idowu, the assistant director, Wole Oduwusi, stage manager and me, artistic director, we put up a show that convinced Baba Somade and other lecturers in the department that we were the best set of thespians in the department up to that time.
By that time I had read The Man Died, Dance of the Forest and many other works.as well as being deeply influenced by his theory of the four worlds. Further encounter with Soyinka at Prof Niyi Osundare’s class at the University of Ibadan only furthered my desire to explore themes similar to Soyinka’s though I was resolved that I would write in the language of Osundare and the grammatical eccentricity of E. E. Cummings. I wrote the poem Abiku in Ibadan. One of the poems in my latest poetry collection, This Forge, My home titled Return is based on Soyinka’s poem, Rust. I have completed a verse drama entitled Tides which is based on his version of Abiku and mine.
I constantly have the itch to write prose but I feel I am not ready yet. One thing I know is that whenever I do get to write fiction, my thematic preoccupations and explorations will not be too far from those of Wole Soyinka who is for me, the greatest African writer and a legend alive.
