The Alake of Egba Land is a traditional ruler in Nigeria. Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo. He has a request for the Nigerian government. The Alake wants July 13 to be made a Wole Soyinka Day in Nigeria. This is to honour Prof. Wole Soyinka, a famous Nigerian writer who won a Nobel Prize.
The Alake thinks Soyinka should be honoured for three main reasons:
- His work in literature
- His fight for justice
- His love for Nigerian culture
The Alake shared this idea at his palace in Abeokuta on Tuesday, July 2, 2024. He also mentioned that New Orleans, a city in the United States, has a Wole Soyinka Day. It’s on November 1 every year. He thinks if a foreign city can do this, Nigeria should do it too.
He said,
“It will be appropriate for the federal government to adopt July 13 as a national day to celebrate Prof Wole Soyinka, given his contribution to literature and humanity globally. It will be good to henceforth adopt his birthday which is July 13 as Wole Soyinka Day. In fact, New Orleans in the United States of America has already adopted a day to celebrate him, so why can’t we do so to honour our own too.”
The Oba also asked the Nigerian government to award Wole Soyinka their second-highest honour, the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON). He believes this prestigious award would be a fitting tribute to Soyinka’s achievements and a way to celebrate his 90th birthday.
Professor Soyinka is a renowned writer who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1986.
His educational background is quite impressive. He began his studies at Abeokuta Grammar School but later transferred to Government College in Ibadan in 1954. He continued his education at the University College in Ibadan before travelling to England to attend the University of Leeds.
Oba Gbadebo described the Nobel Laureate as “a literary giant, quintessential essayist, dramatist, playwright and a globally respected elder statesman, who is also the Akinlatun of Egbaland.”
The king of Egba Land has declared July 13th, Wole Soyinka’s birthday, as “Wole Soyinka Day” to celebrate his achievements.
To honour this special occasion, a two-day celebration is planned for July 12th and 13th. The festivities will show a variety of events. This includes art exhibitions by students from schools Soyinka attended, like St Peters Primary School, Abeokuta Grammar School, and others. Local artists from the Ogun State Chapter of the Society of Nigerian Artists will also be participating.
The celebration promises a vibrant mix of cultural performances, displays of books written by or about Soyinka, documentaries exploring his life, and poetry recitals. There will even be a traditional hunting expedition organized by Egba Land’s hunters.
This call to celebrate Soyinka nationally comes shortly after President Tinubu honoured the Nobel laureate by naming a major road in Abuja after him.
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