I read ‘The Lion and The Jewel’ in primary school. And no, I did not understand it. The only part I remember was the scene where the poor educated teacher was trying to woo the village beauty. And what struck me were the words. The descriptions were very vivid. And I could see them very clearly in my six year old mind. I looked at the name of the author and saw ‘Wole Soyinka’ and I just knew that, whoever he was, he was someone I would always look up to.
Wole Soyinka has proven to Africa and the world that art is not for any one people, and the command of language is not for any one person or group of persons. He has shown us that patriotism and heroism is not for the faint of heart, but for those who love their country and are dogged in their determination to see good change. Wole’s writing style thrills, evokes, provokes, requires a certain sort of patience, but in the end, you find yourself asking the question : Is he human?
We are grateful for the gift of Wole Soyinka. Literature has felt his stamp. The world feels his impact. Now, at 86, we at the TVO tribesmen community have decided to honour a literary giant and a national treasure.
In celebrating Wole Soyinka’s birthday, we would compile 86 poems/stories/eulogies, etc from tribesmen on WhatsApp, Instagram and Twitter. The steps are quite easy so I really want us to bring to bear the complete weight of our creative juices. This activity would last for one week so we can have a full scale assault. Remember, you can write more than once. In fact, please write as many times as possible. We have a goal, guys. 86 stories!! Let’s do this✊🏾✊🏾