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Wole Soyinka Celebrates His 83rd Birthday Today - Literature - Nairaland

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Wole Soyinka Celebrates His 83rd Birthday Today by lalasticlala(m): 7:47am On Jul 13, 2017
www.nairaland.com/attachments/5642542_soy0007_jpeg50198652fb5854828fc462966cf77abf Wole Soyinka as a ten-year-old choir boy.

www.nairaland.com/attachments/5642521_images25_jpegfdc0c25cc0e64b891974eb2fdea8615a
Wole Soyinka matriculating at the University College, Ibadan in the 50s

Akinwande Oluwole "Wole" Babatunde Soyinka (Born 13 July 1934) is a Nigerian playwright and poet. He was awarded the 1986 Nobel Prize in Literature, the first African to be honored in that category.

Soyinka was born into a Yoruba family in Abeokuta. After studying in Nigeria and the UK, he worked with the Royal Court Theatre in London. He went on to write plays that were produced in both countries, in theatres and on radio. He took an active role in Nigeria's political history and its struggle for independence from Great Britain. In 1965, he seized the Western Nigeria Broadcasting Service studio and broadcast a demand for the cancellation of the Western Nigeria Regional Elections. In 1967 during the Nigerian Civil War, he was arrested by the federal government of General Yakubu Gowon and put in solitary confinement for two years.

Soyinka has been a strong critic of successive Nigerian governments, especially the country's many military dictators, as well as other political tyrannies, including the Mugabe regime in Zimbabwe. Much of his writing has been concerned with "the oppressive boot and the irrelevance of the colour of the foot that wears it". During the regime of General Sani Abacha (1993–98), Soyinka escaped from Nigeria on a motorcycle via the "NADECO Route." Abacha later proclaimed a death sentence against him "in absentia." With civilian rule restored to Nigeria in 1999, Soyinka returned to his nation.

In Nigeria, Soyinka was a Professor of Comparative Literature (1975 to 1999) at the Obafemi Awolowo University, then called the University of Ife.With civilian rule restored to Nigeria in 1999, he was made professor emeritus. While in the United States, he first taught at Cornell University and then at Emory University where in 1996 he was appointed Robert W. Woodruff Professor of the Arts. Soyinka has been a Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and has served as scholar-in-residence at NYU’s Institute of African American Affairs and at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California, US. He has also taught at the universities of Oxford, Harvard and Yale.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wole_Soyinka

28 Likes 3 Shares

Re: Wole Soyinka Celebrates His 83rd Birthday Today by ANIEXTY(m): 7:50am On Jul 13, 2017
Happy Birthday to him

53 Likes 4 Shares

Re: Wole Soyinka Celebrates His 83rd Birthday Today by NwaAmaikpe: 7:53am On Jul 13, 2017
shocked

I on behalf of the Igbos on Nairaland
And the Indigenous People of Biafra wish the Prof a very happy birthday.

Even though we all know Chinua Achebe deserved that Nobel Prize in Literature and not you.
I still admire you.
Thanks for your literary works,
Thanks for your nonconformism
Thanks for the SeaDogs
Thanks for speaking up against oppression.

Happy birthday and many more years sir!

96 Likes 5 Shares

Re: Wole Soyinka Celebrates His 83rd Birthday Today by rabonni(m): 7:53am On Jul 13, 2017
Older than our president
But
Younger than Him

110 Likes 6 Shares

Re: Wole Soyinka Celebrates His 83rd Birthday Today by Nobody: 7:53am On Jul 13, 2017
Captain blood the seadog. Your legacy sheds blood everyday.

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Re: Wole Soyinka Celebrates His 83rd Birthday Today by NwaNimo1(m): 7:53am On Jul 13, 2017
Doesn't look 83....

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Re: Wole Soyinka Celebrates His 83rd Birthday Today by festyese: 7:53am On Jul 13, 2017
HBD to u

3 Likes

Re: Wole Soyinka Celebrates His 83rd Birthday Today by dan56: 7:54am On Jul 13, 2017
HBD......... UNLIKE FORMAL REGIME. NOW HE DONT SPEAK AGAIN ABOUT POLITICS AND GOVERNANCE
Re: Wole Soyinka Celebrates His 83rd Birthday Today by sauceEEP(m): 7:54am On Jul 13, 2017
Cool
Re: Wole Soyinka Celebrates His 83rd Birthday Today by mhozes(m): 7:54am On Jul 13, 2017
Thug life

3 Likes 1 Share

Re: Wole Soyinka Celebrates His 83rd Birthday Today by LoveJesus87(m): 7:54am On Jul 13, 2017
Badt guy. Afonja tins on point. wink

4 Likes

Re: Wole Soyinka Celebrates His 83rd Birthday Today by kocvalour(m): 7:54am On Jul 13, 2017
happy birthday prof
your hair worth more than Brazilian hair

11 Likes 1 Share

Re: Wole Soyinka Celebrates His 83rd Birthday Today by Gobhanky: 7:54am On Jul 13, 2017
I always knew he takes s.k.

Respect .
Buh no love.

19 Likes 1 Share

Re: Wole Soyinka Celebrates His 83rd Birthday Today by EmekaBlue(m): 7:54am On Jul 13, 2017
concerned how his hair became so white undecided

Abi d Pirates* confraternity he formed gods blessed him with that to represent their logo

3 Likes

Re: Wole Soyinka Celebrates His 83rd Birthday Today by verygudbadguy(m): 7:54am On Jul 13, 2017
Happy birthday to the renowned Prof. Soyinka. You have already lived long and have actualized dreams. I pray you the live your remaining years strong and happy.

God bless you the 1st African Literature Nobel laureate....

14 Likes 1 Share

Re: Wole Soyinka Celebrates His 83rd Birthday Today by Nobody: 7:54am On Jul 13, 2017
FOOLISH MAN!! You are a course to Nigeria, you formed a fraternity where they kill themselves like animal, Now you brainwashed so many Nigerians that buhari will transform Nigeria in a twinkle of an eye! Because of the level of your education and wiseness everyone trooped out and vote for the Nomadic man! The man has spent most of his times in London!

7 Likes 2 Shares

Re: Wole Soyinka Celebrates His 83rd Birthday Today by nsesam(m): 7:54am On Jul 13, 2017
Happy birthday great man.
Re: Wole Soyinka Celebrates His 83rd Birthday Today by sgtponzihater1(m): 7:54am On Jul 13, 2017
Happy birthday
Re: Wole Soyinka Celebrates His 83rd Birthday Today by Elnino4ladies: 7:54am On Jul 13, 2017
The greatest seadog

5 Likes

Re: Wole Soyinka Celebrates His 83rd Birthday Today by harsysky(m): 7:54am On Jul 13, 2017
More handsome now than before.

13 Likes 2 Shares

Re: Wole Soyinka Celebrates His 83rd Birthday Today by Danpotter(m): 7:55am On Jul 13, 2017
gud for him
Re: Wole Soyinka Celebrates His 83rd Birthday Today by hyuga(m): 7:55am On Jul 13, 2017
and our vegetable is on a dicing table somewher in london claiming to be in his 70s... Isorai

2 Likes

Re: Wole Soyinka Celebrates His 83rd Birthday Today by kocvalour(m): 7:55am On Jul 13, 2017
NwaAmaikpe:
shocked
oya drop it like it's hot

1 Like

Re: Wole Soyinka Celebrates His 83rd Birthday Today by idu1(m): 7:55am On Jul 13, 2017
I like his white hair....

3 Likes

Re: Wole Soyinka Celebrates His 83rd Birthday Today by safiaapussy: 7:55am On Jul 13, 2017
Man Dude looks 60 undecided

1 Like

Re: Wole Soyinka Celebrates His 83rd Birthday Today by Adebowale89(m): 7:55am On Jul 13, 2017
HBD sir, long life and prosperity.....

2 Likes

Re: Wole Soyinka Celebrates His 83rd Birthday Today by Nobody: 7:55am On Jul 13, 2017
Happy birthday, Prof.


His legacies would always be remembered. It's unfortunate that the youth of today with such talent are scared of using it!

8 Likes 1 Share

Re: Wole Soyinka Celebrates His 83rd Birthday Today by damola1: 7:55am On Jul 13, 2017
Gosh.. cool aging
Re: Wole Soyinka Celebrates His 83rd Birthday Today by Nobody: 7:55am On Jul 13, 2017
lalasticlala:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wole_Soyinka
Happy Birthday Pa. WS, our very own and better Williams Shakespeare.

1 Like

Re: Wole Soyinka Celebrates His 83rd Birthday Today by Oospi(m): 7:55am On Jul 13, 2017
Na Osogbo weed be that? undecided

3 Likes 1 Share

Re: Wole Soyinka Celebrates His 83rd Birthday Today by Brugo(m): 7:56am On Jul 13, 2017
Greatest literary icon of Nigeria

10 Likes

Re: Wole Soyinka Celebrates His 83rd Birthday Today by Coded7: 7:56am On Jul 13, 2017
The man no dey old ohh

2 Likes

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