Soyinka Goes to US as ‘Alien from Outer Space’

Wole Soyinka and Donald Trump

Soyinka Goes to US as ‘Alien from Outer Space’

Nigerian born Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka is scheduled to deliver profound lectures at the Harvard University Centre for African Studies from November 14^th to 16^th.  But instead of going into the United States of America as a compatriot, he will be going in as “an alien from outer space”

Reason is that he tore-up his Green Card in protest of Donald Trump’s election as the US President. Soyinka had campaigned vigorously against Trump’s candidature. And when Trump eventually won the election, Soyinka promised to stay away from Trump’s America.

But less than a year after the media melodrama, the acclaimed writer and activist is going to “Trumps America”.

In an interview with the Financial Times of London published on Friday, Soyinka said: “I’ll go in as an alien, an alien from outer space. I love that designation”.

The lecture will be in three parts under the theme: Beyond Aesthetics: Abuse and Dissonance in African Art Traditions.

“The first part, The Acquisitive Eye: “Oga, I swear it’s Original Fake” will be delivered on 14 November. On 15 November, Soyinka will speak on: Heirs to the Procreative Deities – the Yoruba at Large. He ends the talks on Thursday 16 November with the third lecture: From Aso Ebi to N****YWOOD. The venue for the three lectures is Thompson Room, Barker Center, 12 Quincy Street, Cambridge, MA. Richard Cohen lectures”, reports Vanguard.

 Before the emergence of Trump, Soyinka had spent much time in the US, where he taught at a number of universities and lived in California with his wife, Folake.

But he decided, all by himself to end to his US sojourn in America following Trump’s election.

“To have some redneck ride into power on the steed of racism was for me too much,” he told the Financial Times. In a statement in 2016, he detailed why he chose to drop the Green Card: ”I was in New York during the run-up to elections. I watched this face, its body language, listened to his uncouth, racist language, his imbecilic harangues, the insults to other peoples, other races, especially the Hispanics, Africans and Afro-Americans, even citing once – I was told – Nigeria as an instance of the burdensome occupation of global space. I watched and listened, disbelievingly, since this was America, supposedly now freed to a large extent – as we like to believe and have a right to expect – from its lamentable history of racism.” Soyinka had said.