Legendary Nigerian Nobel Prize-winning author Wole Soyinka, 91, announced this week that the United States has canceled his visa. He thinks this decision is a result of his recent outspoken condemnations of the record of former President Donald Trump. Soyinka’s comments came during an uprising, as this press conference in Lagos, Nigeria on October 28 demonstrates. The acclaimed poet and playwright lamented the visa denial exposes deeper issues with US immigration policy. He underscored that this is more than a personal concern.
Soyinka became the first African to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1986. He has since gone on to become an outspoken critic of Trump, at one point even describing the President as a “white version of Idi Amin.” He thinks that his critical reporting on Trump was a major factor in the visa being revoked.
At the U.S. Soyinka press conference pictured above, he announced that he was previously the proud holder of a green card. He destroyed it in protest against the inauguration of Donald Trump in 2017. Then he told an amusing anecdote about his once lost green card that turned up eight years later. He darkly quipped that it “fell through a set of scissors.” His loss of green card status has prevented him from being able to return to the US. In the previously vibrant school where he once taught, today he is not welcome to return.
The author’s remarks from a few weeks ago come at an interesting time, given recent controversial immigration policies in our own country. Though barred from entering the country, Soyinka views this moment as fitting into a greater story. He doesn’t receive it as a personal insult.
“It’s not about me, I’m not really interested in going back to the United States,” – Wole Soyinka
His contributions to literature and social commentary continue to resonate globally, illustrating how political climates can impact individuals in significant ways. As one of Africa’s most revered literary figures, Soyinka’s insights into both Nigerian and American politics offer a unique perspective.
“I have no visa. I am banned, obviously, from the United States, and if you want to see me, you know where to find me.” – Wole Soyinka
The author’s comments come at a time when immigration policies in the US have faced scrutiny and debate. Although he remains banned from entering the country, Soyinka views this as part of a larger narrative rather than a personal affront.
His contributions to literature and social commentary continue to resonate globally, illustrating how political climates can impact individuals in significant ways. As one of Africa’s most revered literary figures, Soyinka’s insights into both Nigerian and American politics offer a unique perspective.
