Â鶹APP

Soyinka, Wole (1934)-by Chidi Anthony Opara-

Top 10 Remarquable Facts about Wole Soyinka

Akinwande Oluwole Babatunde Soyinka, also referred to as Wole Soyinka was born on July 13, 1934. He is a Nigerian playwright, novelist, poet, and essayist who writes in the English language.

He received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1986 for fashioning the drama of existence from a broad cultural perspective and with lyrical undertones making him the first person from sub-Saharan Africa to receive the honor.

He worked with the Royal Court Theatre in London after completing his education in Nigeria and the UK. He actively participated in Nigeria’s political development and the country’s struggle for independence from British colonial authority.

He was detained by the federal government of General Yakubu Gowon in 1967, during the Nigerian Civil War, and kept in seclusion for two years because he offered to act as a non-governmental mediator.

Soyinka has been a vocal opponent of numerous Nigerian (and African) administrations. 

In the “Special Prize” category, given to someone who “contributed to the realization of cultural events that promote understanding and the sharing of knowledge across peoples,” Soyinka received the Europe Theatre Prize in December 2017.

Here are 10 remarquable facts about Wole Soyinka.

1. He is a direct descendent of Isara’s kings

Soyinka 1997-by Unknown author-

Soyinka, an Isara dynasty descendant, was born in the city of Abokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria, which was then a British colony.

He was the second of seven children Atinuke “Tinu” Aina Soyinka, Femi, Yeside, Omofolabo “Folabo” Ajayi-Soyinka, and Kayode Soyinka. Folashade Soyinka, his younger sister, passed away on her first birthday.

The elder Soyinka had strong ties to his family and was related to Nigeria’s founding father, Samuel Akinsanya, who was the Demo, or King, of Isara-Remo.

2. He is Fela Kuti’s cousin, the late revolutionary musician from Africa

His mother was a notable member of the prominent Ransome-Kuti family. She was the only child of Rev. Canon J. J. Ransome-first Kuti’s daughter, Anne Lape Iyabode Ransome-Kuti.

Musician Fela Kuti, human rights advocate Beko Ransome-Kuti, politician Olikoye Ransome-Kuti, and activist Yemisi Ransome-Kuti are all first cousins once removed from Soyinka.

Femi Kuti, Seun Kuti, and Yeni Kuti, all artists, are his second cousins.

3. The first African to get the Nobel Prize in Literature was Wole

As the first African winner, Soyinka received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986. He was defined as someone who crafts the drama of living in a broad cultural perspective and with lyrical overtones. 

The selection of Soyinka to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature is “likely to prove highly controversial and thoroughly deserved,” according to Reed Way Dasenbrock.

Additionally, it is the first Nobel Prize awarded to an African writer or to any writer from the ‘new literature’ in English that has evolved in the erstwhile colonies of the British Empire.

4. Wole Soyinka has been detained on several occasions

Soyinka Festivaletteratura 2019-by Rei Momo-

Along with being a literary legend, Wole Soyinka is well recognized for speaking out against the tyranny of people, government victimization, and pro-government behavior.

He was first taken into custody in 1965 accused of holding up a radio station with a gun. After a few months, he was freed as a result of international protests.

Yakubu Gowon’s administration detained him in 1967 for meeting with Brigadier Odumegwu Ojukwu of the Biafran Army.

After being freed by the Yakubu Gowon administration, he went into exile from 1969 to 1975.

He was then prosecuted for a crime by the Abacha dictatorship and given an absentee death sentence in 1997 which was lifted by General Abubakar Salami.

He was detained in 2004 by the Chief Olusegun Obasanjo administration in Lagos during a protest against the government.

In his book “The Man Died: Prison Notes of Wole Soyinka,” published in 1972, he describes his prison experiences.

5. He has taught at various institutions

From 1975 to 1999, Soyinka taught comparative literature at the Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria.

During his time in the US, he first held the position of Goldwin Smith Professor for African Studies and Theatre Arts at Cornell University from 1988 to 1991.

Then he moved on to Emory University, where he was named Robert W. Woodruff Professor of the Arts in 1996.

Soyinka has held academic positions at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California, and at the Institute of African American Affairs at New York University.

He currently teaches creative writing at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Additionally, he has lectured at Yale, Harvard, Cambridge, and Oxford universities.

 Additionally, in 2008, Soyinka served as a Distinguished Scholar in Residence at Duke University.

6. He was awarded the Europe Theatre Prize in the “Special Prize” category

Wole Soyinka in 2018-4-by Frankie Fouganthin-

Soyinka received the Europe Theatre Prize in the “Special Prize” category in December 2017.

Which is given to individuals who “contribute to the realization of cultural events that promote understanding and the sharing of information across peoples.

7. Wole was one of the founders of Nigeria’s first fraternity, the Pyrate Confraternity

The Pyrates Confraternity was the first fraternity in Nigeria and was created by Soyinka and six other students as an anti-corruption and justice-seeking student organization when they were in college.

The confraternity’s mission in Nigeria was to fight for social justice and human rights.

8. He had three marriages and two divorces

From his three marriages, he has eight children total, plus two more daughters. He married the late British author Barbara Dixon, whom he had first met at the University of Leeds in the 1950s, in 1958.

His second marriage took place in 1963 to Nigerian librarian Olaide Idowuwed Folake Doherty. In 1989, Soyinka wed Folake Doherty.

9. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer

Soyinka disclosed in 2014 that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer and had received a cure 10 months later.

10. He is currently the consultant for the Lagos Black Heritage Festival

Lagos Black Heritage Festival Parade-by Awinda-

 He is currently serving as a consultant for the Lagos Black Heritage Festival after Lagos State determined that he was the only one capable of explaining to the public the goals and objectives of the Festival.

In 2020, he was named a patron of Humanists UK.

He has worked as an actor in theaters in Nigeria and Great Britain in addition to his literary profession. Additionally, he has written poetry, novels, and articles.