By Henry Akubuiro
Wole Soyinka is one of the most popular living writers in the world, having established himself as a consummate playwright, poet, novelist and essayist. The 90-year-old was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1986, becoming the first African recipient of the coveted global award for literary merit for being a writer, “who, in a wide cultural perspective and with poetic overtones, fashions the drama of existence.” Across cultures and generations, many students have earned their first degrees, masters and PhD certificates writing on Soyinka’s rich oeuvre, which goes to show how ingrained his writings have been in world literature. Soyinka also functions as an activist, whose democratic ideas and notions of freedom in a pluralistic society like Nigeria are often in conflict with dictators and their apologists.
Koko Kalango, the founder of the popular Rainbow Book Club, has joined the teeming number of scholars whose writings on the Nobel laureate have offered us a candle to see the many perspectives of the enigmatic intellectual with her new offering, Wole Soyinka, Activist and Nobel Laureate, a UNESCO World Book Capital Project. With enticing colour illustrations, the book is a simplified version of the Soyinka story for the benefit of younger minds. Through the trials and triumphs of Soyinka, the author drums into the ears of all that hard work pays, nay, it behoves on the artist to be on the side of the masses in action and words.
Soyinka’s early days’ background is provided in the first chapter. The legend, we are told, was born on July 13, 1934, to Grace Eniola Soyinka and Samuel Ayodeke Soyinka, and “…the happy parents named him Akinwade, which means the brave one has come home seeking me” and Oluwole, which means “the Lord has entered our home.” But the family resorted to calling him Wole, which has stuck for the rest of his life. Young Soyinka grew up in a small Abeokuta community called Ake, a refugee settlement of the people of Egbaland in the olden days. The author recalls that the first church built in Nigeria was the Cathedral Church of St Peters in Ake, in 1898, while the oldest Bible can be found in the palace of the Alake of Egbaland, also in Ake. Soyinka was growing up at a period in history when the world was experiencing the second world war, which the author highlights on pages 12-13, and how it indirectly affected Soyinka and Ake people. The Abeokuta Women’s Revolt of 1945, led by Soyinka’s aunt, Funmilayo Ransome Kuti, is chronicled here. The revolt was against the constant tax by British colonial authorities on market women. Soyinka’s mother served as Kuti’s lieutenant in the struggle. From 1000 women who participated in the first revolt, it witnessed, two years later, about 10,000 women who camped at the palace of the Alake to force the authorities to release all the detained women protesters. Alake was subsequently driven away from his throne by the women and the district officers involved in the mess were arrested by the colonial government.
Soyinka showed glimpses of literary abilities from the beginning as we find in Kalango’s book. He exhibited a hunger for books and newspapers early. Kalango recalls: “Sometimes, he would take the newspaper and try to spell or pronounce the big words. He was a fast learner and could read almost anything before the age of four. At St Peter’s Primary School, Wole excelled in English language. His parents were proud of him and showed off his reading skills to the visitors. He read the town’s newspaper, The Egbaland Echo. He also read the Bible and loved the stories. Wole also had fun reading the abridged editions of Oliver Twist and a Tale of Two Cities written by his favourite author, Charles Dickens.” How big names positively navigate their early years is important to the children audience, who may be inspired to borrow a leaf in their formative years.
Wole Soyinka: Activist and Nobel Laureate is full of sparkles. Its motivational vibes are evident at every juncture of the outstanding narrative. Kalango informs us about the creative teenage years of Soyinka in the third chapter at Abeokuta Grammar School, where he was the youngest student. He became a bookworm there, making the school library his favourite place, and won prizes for writing compositions. From there, he left for Government College, Ibadan, after two years, where his talents continued to blossom. The author reminds us that Soyinka wrote articles for both his school and house magazines, and won prizes for the poems he recited at the school’s art festivals. He was also a prominent member of the drama society, and sketched drama scripts. Soyinka was to win a scholarship and gained admission to University College, Ibadan (now University of Ibadan).
WS broadened his frontiers of knowledge at the University College, Ibadan, where his restless spirit led him into making an everlasting impact. The book tells us that Soyinka’s major interest was the theatre in his first year in the school, worming himself into the hearts of many. He was engaged in student politics, joining the radical Progressive Party, populated by students from middle class families, as opposed to the Dynamic Party, drawn from students from upper class families, noted for being snobbish. He later formed the Magnificent 7 group, comprising him and his six boys in the class, who shared his passion for adventure stories. As an act of rebellion, the seven decided to form Pyrates Confraternity, named after the pirates in Treasure Island. He was appointed the captain. The group stood against moribund convention and tribalism, and channeled their energy towards humanistic ideals, comradeship and chivalry. Their modus operandi wasn’t militant. Kalango enlightens us: “The young Pyrates dressed as rogues wherever they gathered at the back of the bookshop. During their games, they climbed the roof of the bookshop, pretended to sail on top of its flat surface, and jumped to the ground… The Pyrates engaged in charity work in neighbouring communities” (p.36).
Soyinka’s university education continued with a scholarship to the University of Leeds in the UK, for the University College, Ibadan, was not a degree-awarding institution then. Upon graduation, he got a job at the Royal Court Theatre as a script reader. He became the first African writer to have his play, The Swamp Dweller, staged at the Royal Court Theatre. Kalango’s brilliant book traces Soyinka’s return to Nigeria in January, 1960, with a study grant from the Rockefeller Foundation to conduct research in African drama at the University College, Ibadan. Commissioned to write a play for Nigeria’s independence in 1960, Soyinka’s A Dance of the Forest pilloried corruption among government officials, which infuriated them. He took up a teaching job in 1962 at the University of Ife, Nigeria.
This interesting book also revisits the oft-talked about incident of October, 1965, when a masked man, suspected to be Soyinka, went to the NBC radio station in Ibadan and forced the presenter, at gunpoint, to stop playing a pre-recorded tape of Chief Akintola, the Premier of Western Region, who had just announced himself as the winner of the Western Nigeria regional elections, widely believed to have been won by the opposition candidate, Chief Obafemi Awolowo. The masked man also demanded the cancellation of the rigged election in the Western Region. Soyinka was declared wanted by the police and was detained for two months. But he was discharged and acquitted in the court when his accusers failed to bring convincing evidence that he was the masked man. Also, he was arrested in the lead up to the Nigerian civil war by the Nigerian government, following his peace overtures to the Eastern Region, and was incarcerated till the end of the civil war in January, 1970. He fled to Ghana in exile thereafter. He returned to Nigeria in 1975 after the overthrow of General Yakubu Gowon. He went back to teaching at the University of Ife, where he became a professor of comparative literature.
Soyinka was instrumental to the formation of the Federal Road Safety Corps. The idea was first contained in a road safety model he developed and took to the Oyo State government following constant road accidents along Ibadan-Ife Road, which was adopted by a few states of the federation. When his idea was bought by the Nigerian military head of state, General Babangida, in 1989, the corps became the first road safety agency in Africa.
Soyinka made another history in 1986 when he won the Nobel Prize in Literature. The author of this book recreates the buildup to the prize while Soyinka had gone to Paris to chair a meeting of the International Theatre Institute (ITI) at UNESCO office, when the winner of the prize was announced on radio. On his return to Nigeria from France, he was honoured by General Babangida with the second highest honour of the land, Commander of the Forces of the Republic (CFR). After a little while, Soyinka travelled to Stokhom, Sweden, to receive the prize on December 10, 1986.
The eight chapter of the book, “Defending Democracy and Human Rights”, chronicles Soyinka’s post-June 12, 1993, involvement to demand for the restoration of Chief MKO Abiola’s mandate, which was controversially annulled by General Babangida. The maximum ruler, Abacha, who succeeded the interim government of Ernest Shonekan, accused Soyinka of treason for his vociferous agitation, which made him flee the country. The book also details Soyinka’s involvement in supporting the arts, including FESTAC ‘77, Lagos Book and Art Festival, Rainbow Book Club’ Get Nigeria Reading Again Campaign, Garden City Literary Festival, Port Harcourt World Book Capital event, to mention a few.
Other chapters in the book highlight Soyinka’s role as the voice of the voiceless by relentlessly speaking up against the downtrodden, terrorism and EndSARS, and canvassing for a library for an orphanage, Leah Sharibu’s freedom, and whatnot. Above all, the book profiles the Nobel Laureate as a world citizen, showing his milestones and many legacies. This book deserves commendations for celebrating the essential Soyinka persona, some of which are lost to the memories of today’s generation.