The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Prof. Wole Soyinka

  • Honour for Kongi at 79

    Honour for Kongi at 79

    From Lagos to Abeokuta and Osogbo, the celebration train of Nobel laureate Prof Wole Soyinka will on Saturday berth in London. A compilation of selected essays as well as the winning essays from WS76 to WS78 essay competitions, entitled That The Future May Live will be presented in London as part of the Prof Wole Soyinka’s 79th birthday celebration. The Nobel laureate will also flag off the WS80 essay competition to students in Diaspora, reports Assistant Editor (Arts) OZOLUA UHAKHEME.

    Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State has described Nobel Laureate Prof Wole Soyinka as a man of great intellectual prowess. The literary giant, Amosun said, has consistently provided literary ingenuity through his works which are devoted to developing the society. In a tribute to Prof Soyinka, Governor Amosun said: “On this 79th year of his birth, we have noted an undiminished fervor in him as he continues to pressure our leaders to strive for the best for our nation particularly and humanity in general. His ultimate goal being the restoration of man’s dignity.”

    He said the revolutionary investment in quality education, which is the core reason why Ogun State is first among equals in the country and which has helped to produce the likes of Soyinka is one of the areas his administration has excelled.

    “It is our hope to produce new generation of Soyinkas from our public schools in Ogun State. As this exchange programme also focuses on education and mentoring of youths, we cannot but applaud it because our state is dedicated to providing qualitative education that will in future produce more Nobel Laureates in all fields of endeavours.

    Last Saturday in Lagos, no fewer than 79 students drawn from schools in 25 states of the federation took part in the essay competition at the Freedom Park, Broad Street, Lagos. The topic of the essay was Memoirs for our future followed by Do your thing, featuring debate, reading, spelling bee and drama performances. Later in the night, two plays, Children international and The Trial of Brother Jero were presented at the Terra Kulture, Victoria Island, Lagos. The essay competition adjudicators included Ropo Ewenla, Marcel Mbamalu and Razinatu Mohammed.

    At the Ogun State Cultural Centre, Abeokuta, the 79 students were held to a reception by Prof Soyinka led by her Excellency, wife of Governor Amosun, while at Osogbbo, the students undertook a mentoring tour and reception led by deputy governor of Osun State, Otunba Laoye Tomori.

  • Open door series for Kongi @ 79

    Open door series for Kongi @ 79

    All is set for the Open Door Series Project WS79, which will feature an essay competition, play productions and cultural presentations, to mark the 79th birthday of the Nobel laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka. The project is being organised by Zimirage Multimedia Limited.

    The theme is Memoirs for our future and the event will hold from July 13 to 14. Soyinka will receive 79 students, who participated in the project’s essay competition at his Abeokuta, Ogun State home. The London segment of the project will hold on July 20.

    According to the Project Producer, Mrs Lilian Amah-Aluko, the organisers are not marking the day because it is a birthday. She noted that ‘we intend to mark the day because it symbolises for us all a continuation of the life of an inspirational man who has fought and is still fighting for the dignity of man, the rights of the individual and the unity and security of Nigeria.’

    She stated that all the events are designed to herald the 2014 edition that will mark the 80th birthday anniversary celebration of Soyinka, adding that the essay competition is open to secondary school students across the country.

    “Our main goal in the Open Door Series is to combat fear, violence and its contingent reactions through the use of education, arts and culture.

    “We are starting with the youths (secondary school level) because we believe that they can still be positively influenced and molded into the leaders of tomorrow that we desire them to be,” she said.

    The Open Door Series Project WS is a platform for international cultural exchange. The programme has evolved over the past three years to include an international Essay competition for senior secondary school students, advocacy lectures, tours, drama and cultural presentations.

    Amah-Aluko explained that apart from being the theme of this year’s project, Memoirs for our future, is also the title of a new book- a compilation of the winning essays from WS76 to WS78 as well as other selected essays from submissions for all the years.

    He disclosed that the Nobel Laureate will be writing the foreword to the book while he will present the books to the public on July 20. Soyinka, will also flag off the WS80 essay competition to the Diaspora students at the summit that will hold during the event.

    The executive producer, Alhaji Teju Wasee Kareem, who identified sponsorship as a big challenge for the project, said that in the midst of such challenges, organisers have been blessed with a few highly supportive sponsors and partners. According to him, the following have indicated interest in joining hands with the project to spread the word that global diplomacy can be achieved through arts and culture. They are the government of Ogun State led by Senator Ibikunle Amosun, the Government of Ondo State led by Dr. Olusegun Mimiko. But, the organisers are looking forward to private and corporate bodies for support and partnership.

    “The Project WS brand was inspired by the essence and ideals of the Nobel Laureate in Literature, Prof. Wole Soyinka. These ideals sum up in the artiste’s humanism as reflected in his globally-acclaimed various roles as a cultural, civil rights and political activist are the pedestal on which we have built the programme of the Open Door Series,” he said.

  • Lamentations of Kongi

    Lamentations of Kongi

    Twelve days to its opening, the Lagos Black Heritage Festival (LBHF) is still battling sponsorship challenges. The festival’s co-ordinator, Prof Wole Soyinka, and organisers are disturbed by poor responses from corporate bodies approached for sponsorship, reports Assistant Editor (Arts) OZOLUA UHAKHEME.

     

    The Lagos Black Heritage Festival (LBHF) Consultant, Prof Wole Soyinka is disturbed by the seeming lack of sponsors for the yearly event.

    He said the festival organisers are not getting sponsorship from corporate bodies despite efforts at wooing many of them.

    Soyinka said apart from the Lagos State government (initiator of the festival), only Diamond Bank Plc, which he described as the ‘festival’s best friend’ has adopted one of the events (Vision of the CHILD painting competition) for sponsorship.

    The Nobel laureate called on corporate bodies and individuals, especially those residing and doing business in Lagos to come to the festival’s aid.

    “If they can give us just a fraction of what they gave the Super Eagles after the African Nations Cup victory in South Africa in February, we will be glad. We need the sponsors this year, especially when we are bringing the Brazilians to Lagos,” he said.

    According to him, the festival is designed to track the colonial experiences and mutual interactions between Nigeria and the Mediterranean. Next year’s edition, he said, would focus on Spain. “It is also to expose African culture through the Mediterranean to Europe,” he said.

    Last December, Soyinka noted that the delay in inaugurating the mentoring programme of the festival was as a result of lack of sponsors. He observed that most corporate bodies are never interested in sponsoring festival but only on items that will promote their goods and services. “Many people are nibbling at certain events in the festival, but the problem with corporate bodies is that they don’t fund festival; they look at the items which can promote their own stuff. And if somebody else has grabbed it, then the response you get is ‘it is okay, too late and too bad.’ Some items are more the favourites than others,” he said. He, however, assured that the absence of private sponsors would not kill the dream of the festival.

    Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism and Inter-Governmental Relations, Mr Disun Holloway, who also spoke at the briefing, said despite the low responses, the festival organisers would continue to seek sponsorship of the festival from corporate bodies in Lagos. “We are aware there are several carnivals in the country, but we will continue to seek sponsors from corporate bodies in Lagos State. The October event is an extension of the Easter festival. Cultural event such as this festival has its usefulness to the society both in terms of economic and social values,” Holloway said.

    This year’s Lagos Black Heritage Festival, which will feature over 300 artistes in drama, dance, painting, music, symposium, boat regatta, beauty pageant and carnival, has as theme, Bring Back Brazil. It is homage to the late Afro-Brazilian playwright, painter and Senator Abdias do Nascimento, who died two years ago. His widow, Elisa Larkin do Nascimento will flag off this year’s lecture series with a lecture on Abdias’ life, art and struggle.

    The festival, which is a two-part celebration, will hold at the Freedom Park, Broad Street, Lagos, Oriental Hotel, Lagos, Onikan Stadium, Lagos and Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos from March 25 till April 1. The second part will run from October 1 to 10.

    Water Regatta event Chairman, Segun Jawando, said this year’s edition would attract new events and would be larger in content. He said there is search and rescue team that would be on ground to ensure safety of participants in other water sports. “We will continue the swimming events, hold trials before the main event. Already, there are about 200 participants out of which 50 will feature at the finals. Also, there will be traditional boat regatta featuring 30 communities,” he said.

    The Chairman of the beauty pageant event, Mr. Tunde Fashina, said the event is an essential part of the carnival and that nomination for this year’s edition is limited to the Fanti group with 26 participants. He noted that 10 of the participants have been chosen for the finals and are undergoing training that will last till few days to the final holding at Eko Hotels and Suites on Victoria Island, Lagos on March 30 by 7pm.

    Also at the briefing were the festival Ambassador, Erelu Dosumu and Badagry Local Government Area chairman, Mr Moses Dosu.

  • Soyinka decries threat to book culture

    Nobel laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka has condemned the destruction of treasures in Timbuktu, Mali, describing the action as a threat to book culture in Africa.

    He said he is therefore hundred per cent in support of the Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa organised by Lumina Foundation, pointing out that it is a way of promoting book culture.

    Soyinka, who spoke during the award of this year’s prize in Lagos said he had made no contributions to the project, sponsored by telecom giant Globacom. He said: “I have nothing to do with the Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa. “I have not any contribution towards its hosting. I have only enjoyed free meals from the organisers of the prize.

    But, I am 100 per cent in support of its promotion of literature and culture of reading. And it is at a time when book culture is being threatened. In Mali, rebels are destroying treasures. It is time to be aggressive about promoting book culture.

    South Africa’s Sifiso Mzobe, author of Young Blood, beat two other candidates, Adimora Ezeigbo, a Nigerian who wrote Roses and Bullets and Bridget Pitt, author of The Unseen Leopard, a Zimbabwean born South African to emerge winner of the $20,000 cash prize.

    Soyinka urged Federal Government to understand that given the recent destruction of telecommunication facilities by the Islamic sect, Boko Haram, the battle lines have been drawn, adding that there should be no sitting on the fence.

    Literature and communication, he said, have meeting point, adding: “If it is not economic, it is cultural. We must back up the fight with all our energies.
    The Nobel laureate praised the Lumina Foundation for promoting reading in Africa, adding that literature on the continent would continue to grow with this encouragement from the likes of Lumina.

    He called on African youth to work towards promotion of African culture and heritage.
    Chairman of the Ghanaian President John Kuffour, who spoke on The Pursuit of Excellence–the Wole Soyinka Example, said Africa is yearning for champions such as Soyinka who did not bottle up his talent within an ivory tower.

    He said Africa, the rising giant, needs such achievers to hasten its awakening and full maturation within the global society. The former Ghana President said that Soyinka transcends the entire areas of society.

    “This is what makes him the leader, influencer and exemplar of society not exclusive to Africa. He is indeed intergenerational and a global citizen,” he added.
    Such leadership, he said, is the avenue by which various peoples of the continent come to know themselves and how they relate to their each other to give real meaning to their Africanness.

    “Wole has set the pace and I believe Nigeria must be commended for producing other prodigious writers.

    They all come together to enhance the image of Africa. In many other fields of endeavour, Nigeria also sets the pace on our continent in producing powerful entrepreneurs of world class,” Kuffour said.
    In his message, the Chairman of Globacom, Dr. Mike Adenuga (Jnr) praised the organisers of the award for keeping the flag flying, adding that it has since inception carved a niche for itself in the literary circle through promotion of literature and excellence.

    Adenuga, represented by the company’s National Sales Coordinator, Mr. David Maji, said: “The association between Globacom and the Nobel laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka, is premised on the similarity of our aspirations and characteristics in terms of developing a strong, virile African society”.

    He said the company’s involvement in the Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa is a further ‘demonstration of Globacom’s irrevocable commitment to giving value to our subscribers as well as contributing to the intellectual development of the communities where we have our footprints.’

    Mzobe described the prize as a viable platform for the promotion of literature on the continent. He thanked the Lumina Foundation, organisers of the award for opening such doors for African writers as well as encouraging literature in a continent of numerous voices with many stories to tell.

    “I thank Wole Soyinka for his awesome life, which is a perfect example of a hero,” he said, acknowledging the challenge of the judges to arrive at the eventual winner.

    The Chairperson of Lumina Foundation, Mrs. Francesca Yetunde Emanuel, said the objective of the prize is to honour only those who bring pride to Africa; Africa’s giant writers and make their works to be appreciated worldwide.

    “We cannot afford to fail, this prize must continue for the celebration of excellence and the edification of Africans”, she said.

    The night was not all about book and literature as it witnessed music and dance drama performances by the masked one and Afro-Calypso exponent, Lagbaja and Nerfetiti and the Crown Troupe.

    Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola and his Ogun State counterpart Ibikunle Amosun were also in attendance.