Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde
Nollywood superstar and TIME 100 most influential person....
PersonProfessor Wole Soyinka (born 1934) made history as Africa's first Nobel Prize winner in Literature (1986). His plays include "Death and the King's Horseman," "The Lion and the Jewel," and "Kongi's Harvest." His autobiographies "Aké" and "Ibadan" are masterpieces. Beyond literature, Soyinka is a fearless activist. He was imprisoned for 22 months during the Civil War for peace negotiations. He has been exiled multiple times for opposing military dictatorships. At 90, he continues writing and challenging authority. His Nobel Prize validated African literature's place in world letters while his activism demonstrated that writers must confront injustice.