Wole Soyinka
Wole Soyinka
Akinwande Oluwole "Wole" Babatunde Soyinkais a Nigerian playwright and poet. He was awarded the 1986 Nobel Prize in Literature, the first African to be honored in that category...
NationalityNigerian
ProfessionPlaywright
Date of Birth13 July 1934
CityAbeokuta, Nigeria
CountryNigeria
twilight sadness kissing
Sadness is twilight's kiss on earth.
atmosphere culture grew
I grew up in an atmosphere where words were an integral part of culture.
our-world ideas peaceful
The arrogant elimination of the Djaouts of our world must nerve us to pursue our own combative doctrine, namely: that peaceful cohabitation on this planet demands that while the upholders of any creed are free to adopt their own existential absolutes, the right of others to do the same is thereby rendered implicit and sacrosanct. Thus the creed of inquiry, of knowledge and exchange of ideas, must be upheld as an absolute, as ancient and eternal as any other.
definitions minorities accepting
I cannot accept the definition of collective good as articulated by a privileged minority in society, especially when that minority is in power.
novelists accidents
I don't really consider myself a novelist, it just came out purely by accident.
justice liberty abiding
I have one abiding religion-human liberty.
strong men world
See, even despite pious statements to the contrary, much of the industrialized world has not yet come to terms with the recognition of the fallacy of what I call the strong man syndrome.
firsts alive theater
Well, first of all I'll say that I come alive best in theater.
fingertips theater
There's something about the theater which makes my fingertips tingle.
justice humanity prime
For me, justice is the prime condition of humanity.
skeletons forests doe
I said: "A tiger does not proclaim his tigritude, he pounces". In other words: a tiger does not stand in the forest and say: "I am a tiger". When you pass where the tiger has walked before, you see the skeleton of the duiker, you know that some tigritude has been emanated there.
writing thinking play
Even when I'm writing plays I enjoy having company and mentally I think of that company as the company I'm writing for.
children reading school
Boko Haram represents the ultimate Fatwa of our time. The question is does the sect's Fatwa represent the articulated position of the majority of Muslims in this nation? My reading over the last few years is an unambiguous no. We are undergoing an affliction that many could not have imagined about a decade ago. Let us confront the ultimate horror now. To remain inactive at this moment is to betray our children and to consolidate the ongoing crimes against our humanity. We must take the battle to the enemy...We sent our children to school; we must bring them back to school.
party believe fighting
It's my duty to fight those who have chosen to belong to the party of death, those who say they receive their orders from God somewhere and believe they have a duty to set the world on fire to achieve their own salvation.