Professor 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.


DRAMATIST OF CONSCIENCE:
Professor Wole Soyinka’s plays—Death and the King’s Horseman, The Lion and the Jewel, A Dance of the Forests—blend Yoruba cosmology with modernist experimentation, challenging audiences to confront power and morality.

VOICE AGAINST TYRANNY:
Soyinka risked imprisonment during the Civil War for attempting peace talks, survived solitary confinement, and later went into exile to resist dictatorships. He co-founded pro-democracy groups that helped end military rule in the 1990s.

GLOBAL SCHOLAR:
He taught at Cornell, Harvard, Cambridge, Ife, and Lagos, mentoring generations of writers. His memoirs—Aké, Ibadan, You Must Set Forth at Dawn—document Nigeria’s evolution through personal narrative.

CONTEMPORARY ENGAGEMENT:
At 90, Soyinka remains active—publishing novels (Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth), staging new plays, and speaking on climate justice, corruption, and cultural restitution.

FAST FACTS:
- Born 13 July 1934 in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
- Nobel Prize in Literature (1986), first African laureate.
- Awards: Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, Europe Theatre Prize, numerous honorary doctorates.
- Signature quote: “The man dies in all who keep silent in the face of tyranny.”