Babatunde Adeoye
In 1954, his play stood fame at the stage of Royal court theatre in London. Then, was his first time when accolade was given to him as a playwright with his acclaim comedy play: The Lion and the Jewel. He was under the tutorship of Winston Knight, perhaps still in the ambience of Shakespeare- the father of sonnent in Royal court theatre where he performed some of the Shakespearean plays: Macbeth, King Liar and Merchant of Venice.
This first hirsute literary man who writes thousand of puns and metaphors has fame in his nation and beyond. In 1986, he was honoured the prestigious prize in Literature: the Nobel prize; with a comprehensive speech dedicated to late Nelson Mandela who was then incarcerated. The title of the speech: ” This Past Must Address Its Present”, it was oratory, and Stockholm felt his artistry diligence as an Africa orator to mount the podium of noble doyens. Also, he made the speech fictional by starting to address an actor who stubbornly shook his head for the role given to him by the director in Royal Court theatre. In the epsitle, he made mention of the Mau Mau uprising in Kenya which eleven men died at Holla. The recognition given to Wole Soyinka made him famous globally as the first Nobel laureate from Africa. He is a Playwright, Poet, Eassyist, Musician and Political activist.
Wole Soyinka well known as Kongi; celebrates his festivity every July 13, and was grandeur celebration to him from his acolytes and protégés. The man whose craft of making sentences in English Language is classic. The Africa Williams Shakespeare (WS). Last year, famous Nigeria poet Odia Ofeimum published a book titled: In Search of Soyinka Inspite of Nietzche. In which he detailed the necessary fact everybody must know about WS, with a merely comparison with the German philosopher Friedrick Nietzche with his belief in animism.
Probably, a many believe that WS is an atheist. Though the panjandrum writer, with exemplary fact for culture is not an atheist. This debonair professor is just a monotheist. He’s a man of art and nature.
He writes widely read plays: The Lion and the Jewel, and death of the king’s horseman which are likely to be his best literary works. Well, Lion and the Jewel was based on love from tradition to the civilised settings, through Sidi, Lakunle and Baroka; Sidi the Jewel and Barokaa the Lion. Death and the king’s horseman play was based on the real event that took place in Oyo, the ancient Yoruba city of Nigeria. Soyinka tells how Simon Pilkings, a well-meaning District Officer who intervene to prevent the ritual suicide of the Yoruba chief, Elesin- a sacrificial suicide demanded by the death of the king. Soyinka played the narration vividly in the play; which was heinous for a man to die along with the king. And his demeanour to Africa culture makes his poetry go beyond the setting of an ordinary poems.
Interestingly, few understand his poems, although poetry itself is too obscure for those who do not have patience in understanding the tone of the poet. However, one of his poem that muse is ABIKU which was like a rejoinder to that of J.P Clark’s ABIKU poem.
In vein my bangle cast
Charmed circle at my feet
I’m ABIKU calling for the first and repeated time
Soyinka is not just a writer of plays but also a philosopher of culture. He was born in Abeokuta, and was puportedly under his neice which he called Beere in one of his memoir: Ibadan the penkelmes year. Beere was the mother of Olufela, Olikoye and Bekolari Ransome Kuti. Then, she advocated the paying of tax imposed by the British chaperon to the Alake over the Egba women.
Emeritus professor whose write-ups are full of vigour, vim and witty words which are not isolated to the composition of his sentences, clauses and phrases through it usage to him. This octogenarian man, Kongi still lives with his pen.
