Soyinka at 90: Professors Ododo, Osundare wax poetic in celebration of literary giant
As Professor Wole Soyinka marks his 90th birthday on Saturday, July 13, the literary world is abuzz with celebrations across the globe.
African writers from home and abroad have joined in honoring the Nobel Laureate, hailing his consistent intellectual contributions.
Professor Sunnie Ododo, a Theatre expert at the University of Maiduguri, praised Soyinka’s unwavering commitment to his craft.
“Wole Soyinka has a consistent tragic vision of human society with social optimism. He is justified because in the last six decades or so, our collective story has been that of woes and frustration, hopes and dashed hopes, birth and rebirth, history repeating itself – nothing changing,” Ododo said.
Indeed, Soyinka sees clearly where others grope. He warns us but we hardly take heed, which is the foundation of his angst with his universe, especially the ruling political class.
Distinguished Professor Niyi Osundare, renowned poet and scholar, hailed Soyinka as “Arimadake” (the courageous one who never stays silent in the face of injustice and evil).
“Clamorously controversial, regeneratively transgressive, Wole Soyinka is, without doubt, one of the most ecumenical humanists of our contemporary world. A conscientious nurturer of our letters and shaper of our lore,” Osundare eulogized.
Professor Osundare further celebrated Soyinka in a birthday tribute:
“Ninety seasons and counting, this Kongi is as tough as those consonants in his fan-supplied nickname. Without a speck of doubt, his life story constitutes a long, long chapter in the biography of our country, nay our continent. Happy Birthday to the Lion. May his Jewels be many and ever-bright.”
The world celebrates Wole Soyinka because of the universal outreach of his works, with their poetic reflection and interpretation of the human condition.
