Tag: wole soyinka

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News

Why I Prefer Traditional Worship to Christianity, Islam — Wole Soyinka

Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka has opened up that he prefers traditional Orisa worshipping to Christianity and Islam.
According to him, the deepness of faith in Islam and Christianity doesn’t match that of Orisa worshipping for him, adding that Orisa fascinated him a lot more.
Soyinka added that Orisa worshipping is one of the African religions that eschews violence and is more creative.
“I was fortunate to be born in two worlds – the Christian world and traditional Orisa worshippers. My grandfather, until he – poor man – also got converted – he was an Orisa person and a chief, and his (grandfather’s) side (of Orisa) fascinated me a lot more,” the playwright told CNN’s Larry Madowo, during an interview.
He added, “For me, it (Orisa worshipping) was more artistic, creative, and also more mysterious. I don’t find much of the mysterious in Christianity and even less in Islam and that is for a simple reason that I didn’t grow up in a Muslim environment.
 
“Orisa is open, and very ecumenical and that is why these foreign religions were able to penetrate it and even distort the truth. Because of the generosity of this spirit (Orisa), it is not violent. It is one of those African religions which eschew violence.
 
“I don’t believe in the Islamic or Christian God and for the adherents of these religions if that makes me an atheist, so I say, I am an atheist. I insisted that all human beings have a certain spiritual core in their being, I believe myself to be a more spirit-sensitive person.”
 
The literary icon also revealed that he said he doesn’t like to watch anything adapted from his life or works.
 
“Let me put it this way, turning anything in my life into what other people can watch pains me. It makes me extremely uncomfortable. It’s wrong to say it’s terrific, let me just say I’m detached from it.
 
“It takes me a while to bring myself to watch me.”
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Uncategorized

You’re A Source of Inspiration – Tinubu Hails Wole Soyinka On 89th Birthday

Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has congratulated Nobel Laureate and elder statesman Prof. Wole Soyinka on his 89th birthday.
In a message on Thursday, Tinubu said Soyinka is a veritable source of support, inspiration, and encouragement.
The President, who called Professor Soyinka a brother and comrade in the struggle to restore and entrench democracy and good governance in Nigeria, commended him for his immense contributions to the country’s development.
“Today, I celebrate Nobel Laureate, elder statesman, and pro-democracy activist, Prof. Wole Soyinka, on his attainment of 89.
 
“Renowned playwright, poet, novelist, Professor Wole Soyinka has done much for Nigeria. In the literary world, he remains a giant, an Iroko. Importantly, his contributions to the struggle for restoring and institutionalising democracy and good governance in Nigeria are indelible.
 
“Together, along with other activists, we fought for democracy under the aegis of NADECO at great risk to our personal lives.
 
“Professor Soyinka remains a beacon and a source of inspiration and support to many of us.
 
“As he attains 89 today, we pray that God Almighty grant him more years and strength so he can be around to witness the new Nigeria we are building in line with our Agenda for a Renewed Hope for the country, where security, prosperity, and economic development will reign supreme,” Tinubu stated.
Soyinka was born on July 13, 1939, in Abeokuta.
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2023 Elections

Soyinka Disowns Social Media Post Endorsing Tinubu

Nobel laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka has distanced himself from a statement attributed to him endorsing the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu.
Punch reported that the social media post also purportedly indicated that the elder statesman described the Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, in uncharitable words.
The statement read, “Quote me anywhere, Nigerians don’t need the likes of Atiku and Obasanjo to lead them again. We have tested the two: Atiku is corrupt and Obasanjo is a liar. Both of them are greedy and self-centered…”
 
“Anybody, any cabal, any Viju milk activist, attempting to humiliate Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu must have me to contend with. An average PDP man is angry with Asiwaju because he brought them to their knees. If anyone thinks that bringing down Asiwaju is his project, that mission will not only crash but it will boomerang. He owns Lagos! I hear you! Ask your grandfather and parents how they acquired your so-called family land. Is it God that allocated it to them?”
Reacting to the post, the playwright in an email to Punch on Sunday, he said, “Professor Soyinka did NOT at any time or on any occasion issue such a statement. It is simply the works of peddlers of fake news and falsehood, who profit from Misinformation to gain political advantages. The media and members of the public are advised to ignore the message or any other political message that addresses or targets any political party or political actor.’’
In the past, doctored videos and distorted statements had been credited to the essayist which he distanced himself from.
In one of his responses to the fake posts, Soyinka noted that one can continue to monitor and respond to the concoctions of the addicts of falsehood, and their assiduous promoters who had yet to learn to wipe the filth off their tablets.
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Social Commentary & World Business

Nigeria is in a mess and disintegrating before our eyes – Wole Soyinka

wole soyinka
wole soyinka

The Nobel Laurette sounded disturbed when he was making his speech at freedom park in Lago about the state of the country and he said Nigeria is in a mess and disintegrating before our eyes.

wole soyinka
wole soyinka

“We’re in a mess. This country is in a mess. It is disintegrating before our very eyes. The government is floundering. It’s not merely that the government is devoid of a holistic solution, the problem really is that this government does not have a holistic grasp of the problems of the nation and the environment in which we live and the time also in which we live in. After all, look at Sudan right now; it’s in turmoil simply because some people got up one day and decided that an arrangement come into for the governance of that nation be abrogated because they’re carrying the guns. And of course, the people have responded in a marvelous, united way. Doctors, workers, students, market people and the last time, the oil workers, they’ve all got up and said ‘no’ Part of the problem which we have in this nation, and which has plagued us, except for a few memorable times, is this ability to act in concert. From time to time, we have a section of the nation come together and say ‘enough; we’re human beings; we will not be treated like beasts. Like #EndSARS for instance, that’s one such movement. Unfortunately, it ended somewhat tragically. But it doesn’t matter; it was a step in the right direction. What I’m trying to say to you is this. If we’re still looking to this government for solution, then I think we really are lost. We’ve got to find a way of piling up pressure to enable us to meet as equal beings across the entire nation for a national indaba, involving the various professions, group interests, ethnic groups — any productive sector of this nation should be encouraged to come together and really debate the future of this nation. We’re going along piecemeal solutions all the time. One way or the other, one misses that sense of a grasp of the totality and understanding of the connection of one part of governance, one part of civic society to the others.” he said