Wole Soyinka, the first African to win the Literature Nobel, captivated a young and enthusiastic audience at the Sharjah International Book Fair 2023 on Thursday with a no-holds-barred conversation about pushing boundaries with literature during a freewheeling chat in front of a packed auditorium.
The 12-day event being held at the Sharjah Expo Centre under the theme “We Speak Books”, served as a platform for the prolific writer, playwright and poet to share his wisdom and insights with a new generation of literature enthusiasts and readers.
When asked whether he thought social media could be used as a tool to source more information and reach out to a whole new audience, the Nigerian who won the Nobel in 1986 for his works, said: “For me, one of the greatest technological discoveries of not just this century, but this millennium, perhaps, is the democratisation of communication. And so, social media should be a vehicle for the promotion of ideas of genuine controversies”.
Talking about how he maintains the “drive and zest” to keep creating at his age, Soyinka – who turned 89 this July – said it was all down to a “habit of decades”. “Something becomes a habit, and you feel you get the nudge, you get the urge, and an idea is playing in your head and you have no choice but to [write]. Otherwise you don’t have peace of mind,” said the author who just last month oversaw the release of his third novel, Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth.
Responding to how he dealt with people often mistaking him for former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan or Hollywood star Morgan Freeman, he quipped in his characteristic elegant style: “Morgan Freeman is so famous even in Kazakhstan. I went to Kazakhstan and I was being followed!”.
Wole Soyinka’s impressive literary and activist career has made him an international icon, known for his plays, essays, poetry, and his unwavering commitment to social justice.
Soyinka, an individual who has devoted his life to the pursuit of justice and the power of words, began his address by highlighting the transformative potential of literature. He stressed that literature is not simply a collection of words on paper but a catalyst for societal change, capable of challenging norms and inspiring critical thinking.