WHY I SUPPORT AMAECHIS TRIBUTE TO WOLE SOYINKA AT 80 There are not many Nigerians who have lived life to the full like Wole Soyinka; from the days of legend as a colonial NIgerian child in a village now enshrined in his book to the heady undergraduate days at the university of Ibadan where perhaps his estrangement from starchy convention and social injustice began; on to his days of fellowships at British universities and the gradual explosion of his literary form and talent into an international phenomenon. Wole Soyinka is one of the few Nigerians of his hue who suffered alongside millions of BIafrans during the civil war because his conscience would not let him turn a blind eye to official atrocity. The Man dies in all who keep silent in the face of tyranny. Wole Soyinkas words. There are not many men in the world who willingly accept the loss of their freedom, wasting away in jail for their principles especially when you are a global star with so much to give. That mastering courage has always raised Wole Soyinka above his adversaries in his battle for justice. It is easy for the undiscerning to overlook the profound effect that Wole Soyinka has had on the shape of the psyche of the modern Nigerian society, all over Africa and far beyond. That should take an entire course of study to expound. When Wole Soyinka became the seventh black, the fourth African and the only NIgerian Nobel laureate, it was a recognition long overdue. He is the first African to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. I first stumbled into Wole Soyinka in Federal Government College Okigwe in the the shenanigans of Brother Jero. As a PentecostalisT, I must insist that Brother Jero is not the typical pastor but I have never doubted that around places like Bar Beach, Lagos and other less visible places there are quite a few counterdeits claiming to be men of God. No doubt, Brother Jero was one of the most hilarious characters I met in secondary school literature but he also carried the serious message of the dangers of ignorance in society. Soyinka created the character as a fraudulent pastor but he could easily be a Nigerian politician, every bit as pathetic, dangerous and tragic as some elected officers in Government. My secondary school generation grew up on Achebe and Wole Soyinka and of course John Pepper Clark, the third leg of Nigerias literary trinity. Perhaps, J.P Clark would have outstripped Soyinka and Achebe, if he was not a marginalized NIger Deltan. I would like to hear what his elder brother has to day about that. I hope no one takes that seriously. In my second year at UNN, I was invited to join the NIgerian Association of Sea Dogs otherwise known as the Pyrates Confraternity, that legacy of Wole Soyinka and the other six in the heady undergraduate days at Ibadan. How many Nigerians can lay claim to having been a most important part of a project which has made such an immeasurable impact on campus life all over Nigeria and even in the city. I must however put on record that I turned down the opportunity to be part of that exciting body for personal reasons which have never diminished my appreciation of the vision of, pardon me, Captain Black. Wole Soyinkas role in the democratic movement is well documented, though the performance of his Egbon as president left him clearly disappointed. Pa Wole Soyinka has continued to soldier on. Fighting for justice in Nigeria. Bearing up under the disappointment of what the laureate has called awasted generation can take a heavy toll on the health and vitality of most men. At 80 years, Pa Wole Soyinka does not look at all like one who has been to the NIgerian hell and back. Just as Bishop Kukkah did, I thank the Almighty God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ for having given us Wole Soyinka. If you happen to be driving through a rural part of England and stop at a pub for a drink and a bite and some folk comes to your table, asks if you are Nigerian, you affirm and he then asks if you know Wole Soyinka; youll be surprised at the feeling of pride that will swamp your whole being. Thank you, Pa Wole Soyinka for following your dream. We celebrate you today because you did not take the easy way out. Andy Briggs.
Posted on: Sun, 27 Jul 2014 07:12:23 +0000