nohf l f':~iz~. thr ~:; ljlcli.h ffr,,~c-!::.i ci!7 . bydisa.ukzn.ac.za/sites/default/files/dc...

~:ioyink :1 ;,n1d t.t-H? Noh F l F':~i z~. ThR ~:; l JL cli"".h ___ Ffr,,~c-!::.i_ci!7_. __ by ~,Jj_ VE-?C:C1 Sotto

Soyinka, it must have b2en somethino of a s hock to th~ Swed ish

Ac~demy to road in the pap~r ~ the f ollowing s t~t~ment by their

l,:1u1··r::i-·.tf:~, 11 Th:i. r; prizi:-:1 is:; not Du1·-s. l•Jh E1t Wf= i-;hould do is t?st,.:tbl ish

our own pri~e : nd wa:i.t 85 yD~r5 bef orR w~ 9:i.ve it tn a

European . 111• Thn u~rcafim is not tot~lly unju~t:i.f:i. e d con ~ :i.dering

th~t Soyink~ has been on the Academy" s list of prospPct:i.v~

c ~ndid a tes sinc0 thn beginnina of the 70~.

It was made clear in a newspaper article that one o f the

th:i.rteen werR present at the boArd me eting where the final

dwc::ision we ~ m~d~. On~ o f th i absPnt member s was Artur Lundkvi ~t ,

who in writin9 d e clared his appreciation of Soy ink~ ' s poetry but

c.pcike ur1·f aVDl..l1r·al:J].y o-f hii_; nOV (! l \ .. ;, t•Jh:i.ch h<'2 c::on ::; id u1r· t:id 11 nE?>:t to

,,;,·,. ~:; inc:.1.pable n ·f judqinq them ,ci t all since• they 1,ieir-E-? !:lt':!')/ Dnd hi. r;

unc:lt! r· l.,":lndir-,q. L.unc!kvi! ,t i !;; on e cif thr! cildt~'.:it and mo,.:;t

influential mombur~ o f the Ac a demy, but this y~ar his views w~re

was able to ~nnounc: u , on 16 October at 1 p.m., to the

inte ,,-n.-,t.ion2\ l p1~(-;.1 ., _..;:, cclluc::t(~d out. si c!(;? th<) dcior (Jf t.h t-;.1 bo,:t~-cl ··-

t·J :i. de~ c:1...tl t.u1·- .:.'11 pE~1· .. ~~- p tic ti V (" ,'tnd ~·J i th pcl t~ t i c: Cl V f . ,~ ton f? S f iii S hi ons; t h t~

c,\-e.hon d1···,: .m,,\ of (·=-· ~:i - tE·:n c:e! . 113

• Thi::? moti•,<ettian lJi:iS r-r-!pec,t r.}d in En~~li s:h, a shrrm

F1-- c~nc:h a nd Ger·man b c:,?-for·r:: ~! :.b.t::1-l!!1t:. o f ques tion!:~ f1~cim t.ht-=:·

·tl·0 ( •m ··L1·1·"-·L· ·t· ·l !··,·ly ·J 11rw ·{; I ltl IJ F .. 3e·lc, t ... .. \ · t_, ~-' . . \ . ,.J • J . L.f .... _, ....... _, I I -·f - - . I .. i "Th e

Fir· i. Z f.: i. !:; a~·J,:11'·· d fc'd t Cl c~n .:.u th cir t,Jh D h ~\ c: hi !,; r·· oot ! .. ; i n b lac k (',f r- i C: a . II

rv.s.hect L1.!h:i.l ' th<:? jou,, .. n :·>.1:i. !:·:t ~; l1u11 .~t..LI thf.? n nw•:; to th ~_ j_1~ r·•_!..;pe:~cti vc~

~ r.>~ p m~""ea-vs ,.., . .::.

p i:t.p r ?t- r--: , l::, ci c: I : Ci :I- r ·,•r C) l : Cc:.. j.J td~; b us ied th~ m~ e l v e

p u bl isher, P8 r Ged i n ~t Wah l 3 t rcim ~ Widstr: nd, wau rubbinq h i ~

L~~tl~~~.1~f S w~dish

: : 11 !:iOO c:Dp :iEis; o + f.k e.1, '. .. i,000 p -=1 p Erb a c: k cop :i.C?. '.:;; o +

r.> eled'iO'nd\ / pDC? ms 1,

c;.!'.-:_'t.'.D .. t ~ .. n cl p q u n A r:!JJ··, .. L'lF\.D_ ..

p o i n ted out b y mos t j ournalistc i n t he S~edi s h papGr c .. Thu

bion r~~h i c: .• l outl ine s p r o v i d Rd in t he new ~p ~p v r a r~icleu ~ u rn

f .:1i 1r· J. y c or· r··f? Ct 1, n ,-: t u 1r·; -1.ll'/ *?.mp h~1 1s i. ;-:. i.n q '.;3o yi nk ·. ' . poJ.itic:,:\ J. .tt:o posih<MS \.\Q o.d.opY'~&

c CJmm:i t mc11Tt, p , x ·t:ic: u l ,:1 r- l y (c:i Lur·:i n tJ t h (.~ Bi::1+ 1~,"'i c:r-i < .. : i s an d t :1c: C:i.v:i.1

l1Ja1r· . Ob vioui:;l y, v-J h en i•;p&?aki n g about ~;oyj.nka on e c:c1.nnot avoi d

!to mc,n t :i. on:i ng ClQ un, i.nc! a.t. t c-0mp t ~-Je1~ e m.:1c:I F± ,!!It. (?.1 uc: :i. d ,:>.t ~ Uqun '' ~.i

, · · ·· -· ·· ,. · r , · n ~ l"' ' · • I · ·· ' r. · · ' ·· .- .., ... - l.l.:JI I .I.Tlc.,J. ,iL .~ t;.1.-1 ,::JC)/l.f1 ·,. c. \ . , i•JflL .lli½:Jd

\..:>Clr.>

~ j "d or = c· r· ] r..~ 0° c, =c 11'!1 = J _. __ ,, , ,:\C: C: UI' " 2t t '=:!

It ~ n~ma.1~1-,: ,·i!::i l F? t h ,d:. Bo C-:?.VE·1-F ci1'· :;, ~-,h o b ,·1-fon-2 gc:ii nq b2.r1kn.q::lt.

v~::.-1 ~: ~=;o y i n k ·-1 '' !:: pub 1 :i. •:::h C?I'~ :i.-A +· b ,... ..i. i"ic- .. !~:h c;u l d c::-: p ,, .. (·1:::: s !.;uc h n c~q .- .. t i V\~

·.1 i. E1~·Js: D-f !:3Dy i. n k a ' !;, \··J OY" k i:.;. Hi ~= only ·F i :\ './D U I'" ~1 1::l l e i•JD1r· d !S i•Je r e

0-b<N\- k i:1"t:l:::!1···c ::::,:;rn;;I ~ t:J Thr~ Man D:i. E>cl, ~·~h i ch ~ c::omp .. °11, .. C~d to t he~ n ovE;il i ~ o -;:

~::: rn:-i"';t l e 1·· :.1nd f;ol 2: h e:,n i t s yn , rin cl c::onsi c! E~r·cc?d II E<. c: ou1r· a q &?DULl l:Jook 11 4

cb.o~~ (AA Th :~ J. :<.n ,;) Ua(J e and :::: t. 1/ ]. e o-f t h 0? other· p 1r· C)~:;(':,• ~·JC)!~ k ~; i•JC)I'" e :~~-< i ti t O b E?

)NS~, h u d VY ;-:tnd 1 1 c:iv c,,r l n ,-:1 dc-::id '' .. !3c:iyink .-·\ '' s pl :·•y .: ::1r-- r i/ too de1pf'.?nd , 0 n t nn

, ~011ric.olQ/\~ ~hs~, ~ ~ NS\-,. 1 ,,, c · ,_ I::> 1r· 1·· I i - 1r· :·· cj 1· +· .-l '"J 1·1 . ,. i n r~ -. I'"" t° i ( Ll J ., ic· ,.. r· • .. , .. I.. Fl I " i J •• " ,.. h ·""' 1·1 d ,.., c · ' ·i f " I: -· ;• •. ,_,....,_ ,;..;:; .;;; ~ .. ,_ J .... , . ,.. • • __ ,=-= - • • . - 1• , -.. ... . LA '-J I t.. I ,_ • • • , .. ... ,_; qt .:;., • ..,-., -..J y . t • ~-t _.,,

&7~J(~?-~,i-~K.~~\. Ftff~. v u r·y inb?.n~!:=,tin g .. {-il'" P t h w .A, t he wo1,·d ::; CJ ·f :-:1 b i :.:.t. 1..•r·

And perhaps jea lous ex - pub l i s her- or \~

a 1' · c~ h j_ ~:; ~, r- 1::J umen t. s (OH E p 1 • ~~ -~:; i on s

r':k (,: Th P '/r0_-, 1,· ... i o·r Gt!.:i.). cthCJrJd i•J.-:;i i -, mC?nt i cln e d by m<J .. :t

~r j CJu1r l"l a l i s; t:. ~; .:..\ s · S".;our c E·! o -f i. n ·f C)I' .. ma t i on ·a;,r· Sc)y :i. n k <-'I '' s b .~c: k t:;J 1·· o un cl~:, .

(On hi•3 <- 1' .. l'"iv;Jl:, 13oy:i.nl-::a w~:.<, int •rviewc.c:i en St.--JL•di .. :h Tel(?V:i<~;icin,

where h~ expressed s urprise that this book had sold so well.)

Gunnar H~rding n ~tur~lly dw~lt upon Soyinka ' s po~try, nnd

quotat ions were provid~d from his own Sw~d ish translations of

'' Ic:l,.:ir11'" c?. 11 :• f1 ~3ht\t.tl

mc,r, ti on E~d So·,,.,- i n k i~ '' ' ,-~ +· t j -[- 1 v·I i,, to c3,,r, g h Cl''" "' n rj " 1c.::.p ·r- it- ll ··! ···, ~j '° · ~ '· · · · · "·•· · ' ,.. . • ~, ,. JJl:I ,. :, I . . l . L.., . ,. ~

I'" ( :,~: (·?l'"J''·(~d to the• ~::;·:111 Ci(1 :i. :··m cl i ... ;c: U !::~:;; ·.cl by Soy :i. n k w :i. n I··-tvth . .!I ••

PGr Wistburg 2nd Jdran Mjbb ~rg

01· .. t:i.c:lf::J. : i r1 thn t.1...-Jo mz1 jo1-- mo1r-n:i.n•J p .. '\p c?r· . .::, c::ovi,1·-in~J much o-f

Soyinl-::3' ~ output , providing biographical :information and

8otl·1 1"'ijdbt-2 1r-1_;i and Bt.~r·· til Falmqvist. 8 n,.: !.:c,cl tl,1 r2 ·! · 1 ::2:~ vJh!!n ::;,.

Swndish company would h a ve th e cour ~ ge to st~ge one o f 801/ink~'s

pl~ys. Rumour h ~s :it th n t the Sw~di s h Dram~tic: Th~0tr11 in

~'3t.oc:kholm L·~ill l'.58' LI ie Fin;t 'E e.i pt-2r-fo1r·m ,--\ play by t;oyj_nktl. ~~ome \ I"\~ clJ2 L'I. t-~ ,

t :i. mG cii..u·· :i. rig the~ ~.:p,-· :i. n q o·r 19!:37. Up to n 01,4 :• The f.it.--J<'\ mp_ ... lll:.:!_(~~J..l.nr:_~!_ ~

2.ncl Th e- ~;t,r-onq __ J~r- c!'!d hoi1>'m k>ecn brui:"1c:lc, ,ut on t h e 1' .. i:"1dior in 1. S'70

in Dec~mber 1986 respRctivel y.

Th i-~ Q E: n (?. I'';··, ]. i mp r·· ( ~ _, ::, :i. on 8..~~:=1r· :i. n T;_) tho ro~ction s o~ the

pres~ t ci Soyinka as this ye ar's Nobel Prize lauren te is th~t of

admi r~tiun a nd rejoicing, both with reg ~ rd to Soyink~ , th o

w1···it! 1r·, ,,ind to Soyinka, th1:2 ·fir· s t bla.c::1-:: (~·Fr··ic:,:1n 1,•Jr-it.l:r· to r e ceive

thci 1=·1,· :i.;::c:, . For~ th ,~ .;: !~~·J Swcdi :;h r ~i,;E,!::1r·ch€'11'· . ; in r'.'.1 ·fric ;:1n l:i te1-·.,::,.turc

it l-'J.:1~::. ~~~1:1~,,·e.:>..t mo ,T1&~nt ~·Jh r:~n th !.? no>..m~? o+ the 1 Ul'"e,;:d:. l ~ !_.•; .:1s

announc:Gci .. ~:>t.Udi •nt r .. ; C)·r (-\ -f 1···:i. C,) l"l 1:itel'' C:\tUJ''n h.:.,vt.: O·ftPn f::H?C?I"·:

"-1\l~ con+ront~d with pr r judic:n d ~ ttitudes a nd incomprehennion. =--=-.,.,; r +-~J \oo

vic:to1r·:1 L•,ihf:.'l"i° ::.:.;oyink;-·_ w ·1s ;':t, ·ar·d c. d thc,i NobE•l Pr·:i. ;:e .

On 6 December Soyinka arrived with a grer t number of

'o i'" t .J. ,·_:{·ti \/(7:? f.:: ~1r1c:I -,-= 11Mi t-:nrj ~.3 ·t:c:J1--· .. :~n 11n1 ,w,, -· ·,. 1 >_,i ( '~\) ht~ct.i c: ~'\lc:~=k :i. n ·th(.:a

~\\:.. c .::\pital of Sv-Jc,.~dt?n. In ,:u·i int '-•rvi e~·J -=r LPnn,,\rt Wi.nbl.:ld, b1~oadc,::\,~t

unique n~s s of the Airic0n ~elf-knowledge and world-vi e w, k~pt \4e..

:int,-,ct. c:l<.;)'.">pitn the imp. ct D+ col<Jniz.,\tion. '~~''! i11L.a <.:t l~so c:c1mm t2nt t-~ cl

at sDme length on hi~ own Cj ]. < t· "'c: , .. "' ·f: o ··- ·J -~,~ +· " C) Cl] ]0

, _ 1· r· ,- '--'-· I :'.\A • -. . - .. c:,-\ .. \·-- '-. I· \Ml i .. \ .......... :;. ~ ~

~~1~~1u. ·~ c-r;;irin:i.dc. .•. , 1,i.;~c:·p ) -f 11 , \ pol itic:,-·l

~ clo....i. rr,l~ 1-1;.:ot kQ. ,:.rlim ·ll ", 1~ h,:1<0; 11 .=u ·1 :i. n'.-:; tinct ·fer

v-Jh e::?r· (-~ t CJ b~~· p C:) 1 it :i c: C.\ 11~,1 11 l Sc.1~'i 11 ka t..tn dt-..:1 1'- lined th t·? imp !JI,.. t anc(-;-: elf

b~ing , ble to s t ri ke a critic~ l st.1nce evrn to the s t r~tegie~ of

one's own politicRl movement or p~rty in order not to become

dor;Jrni::tt:i.c or· "q r..~t lrn::kPc:I :i.nt.CJ t1 mctn:i.-f<~~:tc:i" .. 11 E::ve1--y i;:;i t. u a tion,''~~,

''ciem,:,,nd .3 a vp1r·y pa~.: .. :i. Dnate C:l'-:i. ti quC?. II The~.:',E' .. ,t.atQrnent. .J i::\l''<'~ :1 of

courne , in line with previous pronounce~ents on ma tter ~ of a

a:r e.. U "W u.ii I\;. h 'i S ~= :i mi 1 ;--iir· n ..:°l t LWE~ :~ncl 1··n l ii?.tc:d Lo ::::ev, in l..t..t " 3 C: nnt i n1 l r.:L ;;· nd m::U DI'-

conc e rn -- human freedom Rn d Justice.

?b\..;hco.t [~ quu!::ticin .. : ~'l) f.Jlr " t .: (.cqu,- 1 ly th!=! fcic -:11 pci:i. nts Df Soyinka'_;

No lsDn Mandela. The suppr e s~e d rage of the speaker at the ~\S re r\ \r etnd continuau3 racist attitude ~ o f the white cont inent and ~t thoir

f r.\i 1 ur-f2 to net l'-f~spor1 , i I:) J. y .:1q;·\ in~;. t th !J k1p a 1"· t hc~i d r·· ~g i me ~ Sciut h

to a white audi~nc:2 - black listener~ wnre aware o; thR problems cMcJ- \'\or to

and( n t.~L~c:I 1;;-.t b ·e in :: 01--mc~id -· ,.:md :"3oyi nk;··1 i 11 u :.;tr· :.\t ( !d his a1-··qumu nt _:;

Loe: k ::1, by refurring to Gobin ~au, Hegel,

'-.'ol t il i r-·c::?, ~ rd lj(~/t7 :i. !::Jutcicl to •01 di~tortecl viGw of

Hume ,:.>.n cl

~1 -f ,,·· ic:a and

its hi ~;tor·y. ~3oy:i.nka's; 1 :-:hor-t.ation wa'.-~ cbv:i.cius: <'.·,t:tivc-?. boyc:Dtt is

th,:~ CJn:!.y ~·J~"ty to -fDr·c::1. t.h ·: Wh:i.t(':2 Dpp1,·e~.:~; 01r~.i t.CJ lCJOS.: n th f.?it~ (J l'··jp j

..O; ' · ·t· r. ,,. " c: f·, c· ·• 1 '·= . J\..t. "• • ,..,. l .. -, I / !,i v .. -, th~t African s have,

both to l er3nt and f Drgiving to th~ Europ~~ n thi o v~ ; and rob b er~

~Jho 1, th1,.·ouqhDut thE·? c ~·~ntur-iE-:-1::,, h,::1v c2 v:i.ci l ,,,\t r, cJ t he f'::i-i=1·-ic:c1n

cc:mtinPnt in di-f·h:,r 1:~nt ~·1 , y1-; . But the1'-C? is t~J D. limit to ~ o,uaNO.>./\ CQ •

a(··c-'-lt2tnncn. In !:3C1y:ink .:1''.; lf.c: ·::-. u,,-c.:, t:~cho ._) <, cc;uld bl..: c.iC?t. · ·c:t.i'2d nf h:i:..;

peop l o by violent mean~, an end to oppros~ion which i ~ al s o a

po~sibility in th ~ cont~xt o f tod~y" s South Afric:2. In the

closing sentences of hi s lecture, Soyinka pointed out that to him

tht:· mc)~;t per·vetsiv( i :i.mpiir··,.t.:i.ve ii,; th(~ c-=nd of r .. aci . ..;m ,:.,nd •\fk. Col'\c.lv~,t,

i. n (·:::· qu.;, 1 it y.. "Tti e Pr- i z e / i <:~ th~=! con~;!= quen t P.rl th n:n1emen t. of .it~~

C 0:,1p 1 ('2Hi l rl t :: Ur1 i V Ulr·~; , \ 1 :::u-f f , ... . \\] C!, <'.:t nc! pL','.'.\C: C). '' c;,

At 4.33 p.m. on 10 December, e xactl y in ~ccorGsncL with the

planned programme, n p a cked Concert Hall witnes sed the s olomn

ent r~nc ~ of the Nobul laur~atrs . Soyink~ , ~ , wull ~ lOJV~~ .

,--\~.:; t:-A-e-~: C.o~l· c,

number of Nigerian guests, had chos~n not to wear tcl:i.lf. Thi<::',

j ou,,·n2l i ,_;t <.., !' nJturally nccas ioned mi.ny comm~nt J from th~ <wpr.es~ct ,.~t~ thGi1·· ,~.\dmi.1· .. aticn fo1·· th£? b c?,·uty and Eil e(,F~nce o·f

S.(h L{' ~\- c,0u~& l\liqP.1·-:i.;JnS' ;,.t ti,~~=' .. ~ :\l ~.; o ~ thE?i.1·- t?nvy,

~Gt~' ' . " ~i l ~JI ,c:;.~·J ,E; SC)ITIL''t:h l nq D t an ot-c!E:c·:d..

·[,,~iid ri.n~J -::.a:i.l s

is o ·f t ,t n

For +:.ht l f i1'-!::; t t:i.m .. :in t.h Ei h:i. ,~to1·-y o· i= th?. i'-.lclb'..:!l F',,·i::~ 1,

Ch2irman of the Nobel Committee f or Literature, th ~n presented

,,d c:J,,. c;~ ~;~~ c ~; a.nd the pr· ei.,r-~n t,.,lt ion r; h i.?. ci l:ir.?Pn h t \nd c-id out to r~nc:1b le

thn .. i (?. un·f , 1m:Ll:i . .-- t·· 1tJi:.:.h thL f3vJ ,, c!:i. ~_;h l , ngu.::o ii to fo llc:i1 J ~·Jh;··,.t. ,'\Jt{ s

b c~i. nq f:';Eli.d .. ) F¥, f1,h:··•iR Gyll L1n s t r.~n f?.tnph,, ~;i;::ucl Soyinka'!=-

i::>sc:h :i. L VUmL, n t -:::,. a • his P1f1, .. i c2,n rooti_: ,0~nd hi'c'", ahi.lit.:, to

~~J t 1c-1• ·'--'--!e., E• t i'" 01··, e ;1n m ···, 1" r:>r i ·- l -- <::Cl"' ·i r- k ... /·i ,... " ·- ,,, ·i d n 1" t-· p ,·,d - ... , i... ~ , _ . . .. , ...... . - - . { .l . .. ... - .t . . J . \.· l.) . . . J t . . * • ; •• "·· • ~

l e~11'· n f~d ~ i'\1 1'- it f:~1,· a.n cl cl I'" t\m:, t i. st • '' :1. 0 .. Gy 11 <1n c t c!n :·11 '.::o s pu k E? 1:i ,:11' .. m 1 '/

of Soyi nka as a poet and prn i~ed t he poems cornpos~d in connection

with his impri ~onmGnt. \T\0 i'r"ea

SoyinkJ W3~ thn n aul .~d to r~ceive the Nobel Pri=e f or

s:,h,:,,1,- :i. n t;) iT\ <" n i -F '! ; tf:?.d by '.:in-:,1 :i. n k a , ,:· s h i: h C) l cl out t h i~ b o>: t: ' .. ;

containing t h r medal Rnd the diploma to all his compatriots ~nd

publ :i. _;hn1~ in the Hnll , wil l rem~in in peopl e '

o·r- w,:11,·mth and 1-1urnanf? conc:Gr·n . i nher- eint in SO';' i nkc1 '' s,; ,•Jo1·· l d-vi f.?~·1 ..

actor cl ear ly a:.v~ to tl, i ~ p Rrforma nce 0 l i v ~ l inR~s lacking in

~ Jt/:.!~r. b~C':t::1~~ ~~:; '' .. So~j~-, 1.:-:~ s:,ai c:! thE.d'.: thi? many Ni qE~r· :i i:H1

pl'"E"~i ; c nt in Stoc:khol m c: cn..tl. cl not under- .,d:.,1nd ~·k,y CJgun -houl d h~:1\1<2

given s uch a potent ~ec re t as dynJmite to th~ Swedes rath e r th a n

~d tCJ h :i. :-; YOl''Ubi:.\ d e !SC:cmclant ~:; ~ r i, I; i I I ' .. a COrlC 1 Ud .:!d th ,:,,t {il -f I"'( ?cl l'~ClbC l :• ~;

hop e 1•J.-a !3 to i mprove thE~ quality o f li -f r? f rnr· man ki.nd thl'"OU~~hR t ~J

1-,:rn::>wl c-idt~ L ci+ ,c.i.n :i.nvc~1TU.on :i.n -~:si::-,i?nc: t: ,.1oc t cl (-' i::;t1~uc: t. ivc~. Thi~.; f:i. s ~pr-es~~

al Cl ' 'thE· l u ~~~~cin o ·f Doun ''. Soy i nk .:1/ hopr-::.·bd that ''thu lyric: p hase ''

sn. i r-·c, '' t h.:•.t. L! lui;; ivi:;., bi,,·cJ -- pc..,ace -- Dn ciu1"· p lan E: t ~?t, 1,·th .'11:L

0-.\,oosvd 6\ I~ It is quit~ obvious that the /Nobel Prize to So;inka h a s

writing ~ but in Afric an literature in gener al. Awarding th i s

pr~stigious priz ~ to Soyinka mn~n~ th~ recognition of bl ac k

Afric~n liter nturu ~ nd,hopefully , t he r e moval of prej udic~d

t hinkino in ac:~demic ~nd o t h o r circl us 1 ~ .. Soyink a

i. t i. ~, (-'ff F" :i. C: ,: \ iJ .•. ; t \ ~·Jh O]. f _, t. h :-it h ,:\~ b U(=.~n A V~ '11'' cJ C~c:I t r1 f?

Lb m,~i nt -, :i. 1-i t h ,. .. _t .... h P F'~-· :i. :: c;) :i. .... E3oy ink ... \'' i .. ; :.1 l on cJ :· 'f* :i ~ -~

·i - ·t" ... . --1 ·'- 1·- ,;i" m~i .• 11 .. u l.l"l GII i... ,~ .. -

€>vr F' !" 3' .. ., .. , / ·1· . ,.·_ it.:'... . .

:;·:., 11 Ar-t. LW l_und f.:: V l. !:St : Nobeo:d pr i ! :t.o?,qa1r·r~n s roman 2r· a,,- cL'il i 1) d 11

:• Pt-:-:· l.]. E!

Taq e ' ,on:, rC:: v '"d_l s1::i_p c: t _<'2_n_., 1 7 Oct.ol::H21r :I. 9E6

:~:; . '' ,_-;l kac:I f:?ffl i P.n ..., ~:.f? k r- s:?t E,~r- i,r G! mi:i t tei V,)I' .. 1 Cl :.:ip r e!5!;:;en ~ L. it t e1r at u1r· pr :i. s et

t:lll t:iciyinka'' , r<e1--·~_;t:i.n Hi-! llbclm, D.:iqen-·; Nvl1 f:c!i:_<-!r_., 17 Clc:tobiDr· 1936

Lj ... "Mann c-;>r, + i ck p 1r i 3 <:?t i nb.,~ (Hr·· i. k:.:." :• Bo C:.;."tve-f- ors , l<v t~ 11 ,po,_; tF·n., j 7 CJctober- 1986

5.Sb!f:! (':! .. q,. "Han 1(0!\/(~lr i. ~)Ucl!~n Oquns tucken"!, Bo~::; ~ E! Lindqui s t, Af tonbl a d e t , :1.7 October 1986

6. "1·-li r· L.:i.1:ff CJoun !, jaktr-:·n~; bi. lburna qud"!• [:3unnar Han:·Jinq, E:-: .. Q_rf?. s ~- c-'n ,, 17 Clctobf::i1r :l <?i:i6

7 u !IF bi'" -F .''\d(?. lrna:1 an d Z11·-· mbtc~r· mocle 1-·n -\ 1 i V f'>! t __ ; man n :i !.~kor II!• Pl:::r· W~stbe r q. paa~ns Nvh 2 t •r , 17 OctobGr 1986 ''SDy i. nka -· h·f 1··· ika !.;om b e ~1 r-upp C)Ch va1·-ld .· cl1:2l '', Jdra.17 1'1jdbe1r~~, Sve nsk ~ Da qbladet, 17 Octobe r 1986

El. '':::;var-ta (~ ·fr-:i.kas li.ttr.?r-.':i1· ·:.i. ri:ir;;t:''!, Ber-t.:il F','c:llmqv:i. _,t, (:)1r·!::Jc•t.ut0

, J7 De: t ob i:;11·-- :I. (?86

9 .. l;Jn 1 e !~1cJyi n I,: i:\ :, ' ' Th :i. ::: F' ,:t ~.;t Mu'._; t. 1'.:\clcl r·ci :a, :..: Its F'1-· r~s1:;in t '' :• Nob c.:i l Lecture 1 9 8 6, The Nobel Foundation, Stockholm, p .. 20

10 . Tr n ~ l~t:ion o f the s peeches Q i:; th~ Nobel +~st:iv~l 1986, The Nob ~ l FoundRti.on , p.29

11.R~port from the banqunt , t tho C::ity Hall by Sw~dish Te levi s ion, 10 Dec~mbor 1986

12. ~>E~i..: c.. " 0 · II T t.~ .:1 tern '11r· htm .. ; f 1<.:'1mst i..~ !:;pr / , 1-::l"' i:)1r· II, vJi V!fC:-:t ::::otto, ;:}_yrl 12.'.t~.iD_""_kA Daqb l ack•t !• 1. 7 Oc:tDbf-:?lr l 'i:36

The Nobel Prize in Italy.

Although the decision to award the Nobel Prize to Wole

Soyinka seems to have come as a surprise to the Italian 1..

- · ·--- ·· ·---··-----press ; ··-the --event--recei-ved~--eons iderabl-e---co~;;;~°n5e~l~? -~-~~~~~~-~~ ·--- .. .

the ''panic'' with which the various newspapers were seized,

according to a perhaps rather fanciful version ct- 3J) preseD_

tations of the author were hastily compiled with the aid

of agency flashes, information sheets and copies of transla

- t-ions circulated by Soyinka's Italian. publisher, Jaca Book,

understandably elated, after years of indifference to its

continued proposals of African writers, at an event that

seemed to herald a change in fortune. The announcement was

all the more welcome in that it practically coincided with

the l aunching of the Italian edition of Soyinka's prison

notes, The Man Died (L 'uomo e morto). Only a relatively

limited number of newspapers published articles by critics

specialized in the study of Soyinka's work or, at least,

of African culture and society, although with seve~al Ital ian

universities running regular courses and seminars on African

literatures, languages, history and institutions, this should

surely not have been difficult to arrange. Even fewer

due partly to the surprise factor and partly, no doubt,

to the poor quality of most of the Italian translations

and the difficulty~ (not only in Italy) of procuring copies

of the author's wirk in English - were a ble to present criti

cism by Itali~n writers or by major non specialized critics,

which would, on the contrary, have been of considerable

interest, removing the suspicion that African literature

is a limbo, or perhaps a ghetto, for a handful of specialists

whose ins i stence on the need to beware of reading African

literature with a European eye or mind and of applying western

categories to t he interpretation of African texts is hard ly

encouraging to the general reader.

Given their scope and nature, nothing very new was

to be expected in the way of information about the author

or his work from the newspaper articles published since

the announcement of the award. The presentations are usually

restricted to a few and not always accurate generalities,

together with "personal 11 impressions both on the man - Soyinka

_______ ______ has. __ be.en . .in _Italy_ . ..on .. se:veral. __ occasions ---=---and--0n. _h.is-bo.oks~----- -- -- _____ ,.

Yet despite the limited value of the articles as such, it

is perhaps worth considering the points that most frequently

recur in them as a possible indication of the way Africa

and its 1 i terature tend to be seen in this country; the

imag~~~-- c-!:_!~hes and st~!'~_()typ_es t~~Y. mos_~ pers_ist~r:_1:tl)_l ev~½e.

A brief survey of some of the headlines proves particularly

revealing, since where the article may be relatively objective,

the headline represents the editor's attempt to mediate

between the views of the 11 expert" and the sensibility of the

reader, indulging the latter's expectations or, conversely,

seeking: to shock him out of his presumed indifference by

an appeal to his imagination.

Roughly speaking, the headlines can be divided into

three different categories: African exotic; the African

Nobel; Soyinka and Africa (usually the most analytical). The

key word appears to be Africa . Only a very small minority

fails to allude to the "Africani ty" of this year's Nobel

prize: the yatican daily newspaper, for example, presents a

particular aspect of Soyinka's life and work: "Refusal to

betray moral principles" (~), while the organ of the Italian

c~ommunist party, returning to t he subject about a fortnight

:1fter the announcement, introduces a recent, hitherto unpUQ

l 1 shed interview with the author under the title "Soyinka

~; peaks: myth unites us" (~,'1. , '2., ); and two Milanese newspapers

t·mphasize the competi ti v~ nature of the award, as in "No

H,Jbels for the enemies of Marquez" ( C, '2,1,), or even in the.. =-

!;i,or-ts contest tone of "Greene beaten, but that's n o surprise"

~. -1-'Z- ) .

As is to be expected, Africa and the exotic reign almost

record is always news and the more eccentric '! IJJ,r·mne. A

1 liq better. A series of quite sober variations on the theme

the fi rst African Nobel" give way to the h eady 1,, ...

· ,,-, y J nka,

· 11 I ' I CiJn perfume over the Nobe l" ( F. 1.1. ) , or even "The --

Nobel Prize to Soyinka, the Nigerian 'tiger·" C!, 1. 1. ) .

Soyinka's " tigritude" is high in favour, although not entirely,

it is legitimate to suspect, due to an interest in negritude:

......... __ ''_This __ is ... .the. _waY-... _tbe._ _ ti.ger.....wr.i.tes..'.'._ C £---1 ~1 ...J, . :'Bis _ Afr.i.ca., ___ a __ ___ -···· _ _ . ______ _

tiger on the leap" (here there is also an allusion to Out of

Africa: the title of both book and film was translated into

Italian as "My Africa") ) .

exotic proper and "The rainmaker"

This brings us to the

(no literary allusion

meant) ( :C,1. . -'\, ), which, however, is neatly if puzzlingly -- . ::: - - - -balanced by another headline on the same page c l aiming Soyinka,

on the contrary, to be "The most western of them all" ( f . '\ . "Z. ) , -and suggesting a certain embarrassment as to how this author

should be classified: a "primitive" like, perhaps, Dylan

Thomas' s Tutuola? A westernized African who has given up

all claims to "Africanity"? ~ The most satisfying

"answer" to the problem comes not from t he culture conflict

cliche headline "Wole Soyinka between two cultures" (especially

as the article itself actually proves to refer not to the

clash between African and European cultures but between

Ibo and Yoruba) ( ~· ), but from the synthetic formula provided

by a Neapolitan daily: "The solid Yoruba roots of a cosmopolf

tan culture" ( I-\, 1, ~, ), and corroborated by the presence,

--on the same page , of an "Ogun's voice" ( ~-1.1.), whose slightly

exotic tinge is qualified by the subtitle "Myth, history

and the struggle for freedom"; even if t he mai n headline

of this particularly dense

negritude blend referred

on the leap" c~_.1 .. 1. ) .

page is the disappointingly Blixen/

to above: "His Africa, a tiger

Surprisingly, the articles themselves pay relatively

little attention to Soyinka's theatrical talents, with thee~

ception of a violent attack on the "racist'', "scandalous" and

"criminal" award of the Nobel Prize to so ''boring" and ''dif

ficult'' a playwright (A) that appeared in a woman's weekly . A

number of papers contain examples of Soyinka's writing:

extracts from The Interpreters CJ ) , several from The Man

Died Cf,~">1.)1 ), others from Idanre & Other Poems ("Ulysses",

e. ,j , "Abiku",k , "Hamlet", k ), A Shuttle in the Crypt ("Flowers

for my land", "Koko Oloro",~ ) and the poem to Nelson Mandela,

"No! Disse" ( ''No! He Said"), as yet unpublished in English (~,~).

Thus it is Soyinka the poet and Soyinka the novelist who

"takes the stage" - especially a s for some obscure reason his Italian

• publisher insists on considering both Ake and The Man Died as

"novels" and the reviewers tend to follow suit. Where Soyinka's

theatre is discussed it is its "tragic dimension'' that re

ceives greatest emphasis ( Q). The only comment on his politi

cal theatre is provided by the author himself in an interview _..,. ____ ...... - ..... ·---- ------------- -- - - -- --- --- -- - --- ------ - ----- --- - ---" ----------------- -- ---_....... ___ ---·- ·- ·- - - - ___ ., __ ________ __ - --- --- -

given during the African theatre conference in L ' Aquila

in June 1985 and published, somewhat belatedl y, after the

announcement of the Nobel award (~ ). A further demonstration

of the unexpected indifference shown to Soyinka's t heatre

is the lack of curiosity - on the part of the press - that ..

greeted the presentation, on October 27 in L'Aquila, of

a performance of Death and the King 1 s Horseman, originally

put on in a University Theatre Festival in Liege earlier this

year by a group of students from the University and the

Arts Academy of L'Aquila. As this was the first presentation

of a Soyinka play in Italy, more attention might have been

expected.

Greater interest is roused by the quality of Soyinka's

writing and particularly its "westernness" . Indeed t he author

becomes not only the most western of Nigerian or even African

authors, but the "most western of western writers" (~: 1. 1. )

(possibly an echo of a comment made in a somewhat different

period and context by Wilson Knight). But whereas Soyinka's

assertedly "western" characteristics have given rise to

heated and often adverse critic ism in Nigeria, the general attitude of the Italian press seems that of complacency . In

only two articles is the question pose d in problematic terms.

The first of these points out that al though the interest

Soyinka has roused in western critics is probably partly

due to ''the interest he himself has shown for extraneous

cultural elements", his capacity to fuse the traditional

(Yoruba) culture with western myths and symbols is itself

characteristically Yoruba, and e nds with the sl ightl y cryptic

remark that "as to his ability to remain Yoruba, only his fellow countrymen are in a position to judge" (~.1-~ ~ - These

cond, an unusually thought provoking piece by a Roman journ~

list, is stimulated by the press conference Soyinka attended

in Rome early in December ( see also ft ,11 ~ ) and considers

the delicate relationship between European criticism and

Soyinka's writing from a somewhat differ ent angle ( £ .'2.1, ). -Discussion of the author 's sources a nd a f finiti e s - apart from

passing r e ferences to Ogun - is limited to western authors :

Joyce and Faulkner, most often, but also Pirandello Cf f1~~~3~

• 5 .

the Elizabethans (~ ), Melville and Hemingway ( t ), Gramsci ( 0 ),

Sterne, Proust, L; ndon and Kafka ( ~.1.1. ); an! the last fo~r

surely merit a quotation: "Explicit reference has been made

for this Nigerian recherche Ake more to the Sterne of

'I'ristram-·-Shandy ·-than- to--tte- -Proust -·of·· the · Reche1:-·che-1.ts e1·f-~ ··---------·-··------

In a sense, the Proustian masterpiece was judged to be the

more primitive of the two ( ... ) In this new attitude the

reference is now to The Man Died: the author of the article

is also the author of the preface to the Italian edition one

would . again be inclined to say . that - -Soyinka -i-s . the most

western of western writers, closer to the London of the

Confession than to the Kafka of The Trial" (~-1.1, ). A more

Eurocentric fervour it would be difficult to find.

It was not, however, merely the connections with western

authors more or less traceable in Soyinka's work that inter~

sted the critics. As is evident from the headlines, considera

ble attention was paid not only to the winner of this year's

Nobel prize for 1 i terature, but also to the l osers : most

particularly Nadine Gordimer and Andr~ Brink, whose "failure"

was attributed to the jury's wish to avoid giving a political

colour to the award (! ·, ~ , !__. '1..1. ) , al though Soyinka's own - -stands and declarations on the South African situation are

also noted .. The only correspondence f rom Stockholm reports

"expressions of approval" - a rar ity - a t the annoncement

of the prizewinner ( f. J\~ 1.. ). Al though sever a l papers suggest

that the true motivations behind the choice of Soyinka were k: w~, te..>...s b

in fact extrali terary, only ·lWG"" of the arti cles- t:z.1,rs) wei)'le.. -:::.

openly and consistently unfavourable. Published in an authori

tative Milanese ~ewspa per the ~icle a ctually had ver y l itt~e

to say about t he author himse lf, dismissed as " one of t hose

provincials who overexert themselves in t he e ffort to hide

their country mouse origins and to seem even more artful

a nd a la page than their city cous i ns''. Apa r t from a f ew

"e lderly Flore ntine spinsters '' (who a r e a lso not averse

to the marxist (?) tone of his wri ting), r e aders o f Soyinka 's

novels appare ntly t end t o give up after page 17, a nd while

his poetry i s cla ime d t o be inferior to that o f Senghor, his

the atre is pur posely i gnored a s t hea t re , in ge ne r a l , is

• 6 .

always difficult to read". Nearly half the article is devoted

to the authors the writer considers worthier of receiving

the award: Mario Vargas Llosa and Octavio Paz; although

·---- -~-----.-9_l._q_~-~ --:r;~§.g_jrrn .. J~V~P,Ls ___ tl)_q_t _ tn_e _____ t _rue __ b:u.t.t ___ of_ __ the __ article .··--·----~----·---- ..

is neither Soyinka nor the Nobel jury, but the friends of

Gabriel Garcia Marquez ... In the rather nondescript atmosphere

of the previous articles, the attack had at least the merit

of reawakening critical attention . A fortnight later the

same newpaper bore, alongside a review of The Man Died that

appeared to be a veiled answer to the previous writer's

scorn ( C. 'b ,1.. ) , a direct response by a scholar of anglophone .::

literature who also asserted the value of Soyinka's writing

and criticized the criteria on which the attack was based,

as well as an answer to the answer ( C. 3. '2. ), which remained :.

on much the same level of complacent superficiality as the

writer's original article, even if his attack was now attenua

ted - probably involuntarily by a passing comment on the

"extremely poor quality of the Italian translations" of

Soyinka's work, a point that had admittedly been overlooked

by previous reviewers, possibly influenced by the desire to

say nothing that might mar the generally celebratory atmosphere.

The controversy is likely to continue. A lengthy and

attentive presentation of The Man Died in a monthly literary

review ( c-1.1·. ) , appropriately occupying most of page 17,

together with a profile of the author by the trans l ator

of one of Soyinka's denigrated novels, (c. , 1.i, ) opened with

a discussion of the controversy, seen in the context of

a w.ld.er debate on the nature and function of me: book reviews

in general that has occupied considerable space in Italian

literary journals over the last few months. The ticJt of

the review was a polemical "Shakespeare's sonnet s": i.e . ,

what remains when Shakespeare ' s theatre is ignored, as theatre

is "always difficult to read''. A further indicati on of the

continuing effects of the discussion may be had from the I

appearance, in a widely distributed women's weekly (belonging

to the same editorial group as the Mi lanese newspaper),

of a second attack on Soyinka by another writer( fr. ). ,.,gchoes

of t he controversy wenei s:h;o r ercept i bl c i o s:om'ii} of the

• 7 .

qt:1estions put to Soyinka in tho cour~e of a press confenmce

-G-Fganizcd i n Rome a few cl_g_vS befDP-e the prize gi e ing eeremoD¥-,

More articles, reviews and discussions are thus to be expected,

accompanied - one would hope - by a more meditated criticism - --- -·-- ·- ____ ... ,_ ·- · ·--- - .. - -- -·--- _ .... ___ ., __ ,_ ... _....__,_ ________ -- ·----- -----··------ - ----··- ------- -------·- ·----- --- "'--~ ---- ·-- -------- --------------

and more direct knowledge of the author's work, rather than

on publisher's blurbs, other articles, hearsay and personal

prejudice. Assessments of the author's work, or of particular

aspects of it, are already appearing, or are forthcoming,

in a number of specialized journals : a return to the subject

of ·soyfnka' s fortune Tn· Italy in a year rs time would doubtless

provide more interesting material for analysis.

It seems fitting, by way of conclusion, to glance briefly

at the relations between Soyinka himself and Italy as reported

in the Nobel Prize articles. Apart from lists of his translated

work, Soyinka's connections with this country are seldom

discussed, although he himself has often spoken of his interest

in the commedia dell' arte which led him, several years ago,

to visit Bergamo in the attempt to trace information on

the origins of Harlequin and a possible African connection

( ~ 1~,'l,11 r3--1,~Several papers recall the Agip-Eni Enrico Mattei award,

assigned to Soyinka in Rome in July this year (t:1.1,, P. ~-1., 1) th~ fMll'i Ow> 'jt~ :-_ .:; '

others his participationyat the Conference on African t heatre

at L'Aquila, where he gave the final speech and took part in

an animated discussion Cf ~/li ti.1,f,J.:i., :I, ) , others again his - -presence among the finalists of the Grinzane-Cavour award

for his translation of D.O.Fagunwa's The Forest of a Thousand

Daemons cH.1.11 e,.1. i., ~ 7 t ) , or at the press conference Jaca

Book arranged for the launching of Ake ( ~, ~ ) . The Fagunwa - -translation is itself the origin of some disagreement. While

Fagunwa's authorship tends to disappear altogether from

some comments, leaving Soyinka as the translator (or perhaps

transcriber) of Yoruba oral legends (a misunderstanding

for which the Italian publisher was partly respons ible,

in its attribution of the authorship of the book to Wole

Soyinka, with Fagunwa's name reinserted in an inconspicuous

position in the title 2), Jaca Book deemed it necessary

to publish an insertion declaring its monopoly over all

Soy i nka's books in Italian, The Forest (publishe d by Mondador i)

• 8 .

being a mere translation. The respective rights of Fagunwa

and Jaca Book reinstated, the next publishing news, however,

introduced another powerful competitor into the Soyinkian

arena: the Turinese publisher Einaudi which announced the ·-- .. --- .. ·-·- . imminent appearance of Soyin.ka ·;-s·· ,,··lat~st work" ~. According - --- - ·

to private information subsequently gleaned from an authorita

tive source in the Italian academic world, this is not Requiem

for a Futurologist but the "novel the author is at present

completing" .. .

To return to Soyinka's own presence in Italy, his parti

cipation at the Italian Communist Youth Federation (FGCI)'s

Africa Festival in July this year ( ~ -1-'2., , t. . 1.i.., , ~.1 -1. , ~,'2.,1.) is seen as one of many "signs" of a rising interest in the

continent in general. "Signals from Africa" ( f 't.1-) reads the

rnai.n headline of a page devoted entirely to the various

manifestations of African culture that have recently occurred

in Italy: from the "African cinema week" organized annually

by the missionary magazine Nigrizia to African influences

on modern music, to the exhibition of Andre Malraux's collec

tion of African sculpture presented in Rome early this year,

to an interview with Soyinka recorded in London a few days

a fter his reception of the Mattei prize and his presence

at the FGCI Festival c9.1.1). The subtitle of the main article

reads "Music and cinema, Soyinka's Nobel Prize and the FGCI

Festival, theatre and the Villa Medici exhibition: are these

the indication of a flight from eurocentrici ty or do t hey

merely represent a fashion? Answers from intellectuals,

philosophers, art critics and missionaries" , a nd the article

itself comments on t he motives that led the FGCI to choose

Africa as t he theme of its annual festival, quoting the opi

nion of the philosopher Sergio Moravia: " I talians nourish a

/dual, contradictory sentiment towards Africa( ... ) On t he one

hand, a conti nent only a step away from us. On the other, our

ignorance of that world, a n unknown world, the most unknown of

all" . The author of the artic le, taking the Italian press' s

reactions to the Nobel Prize announcement as an example of

this ignorance, notes that the general tendency is not so

much to "'understand the other for what it is: with its

culture and its forms of expression' as to consider Africa as

a sort of lost paradise.Africa as vertige. Africa as the

________ _________ l.and .. - .oL- .cornucop.ia-.--- Join--- the ... great ... saf ar-i.--- -Ever:yth-i-ng --- is- -

cheap there, from elephant tusks to girls''. The encounter

between Europe and Africa was born on a wrong footing, that

of colonialism, but "no more convincing are those who overturn

the logic, maintaining that Europe is the place of perdition,

Africa that of innocence". S_acralizing African cul_ture (_a_s __ in ___ _

the Malraux exhibition) leads to mythification, to cancelling

out the struggles and sufferings of history. The final par~

graph of this dense and stimulating article seems a suitable

conclusion for this survey of the Soyinkan Nobel in Italy:

"Between curiosity and mystification, fashions and forced

out meanings, Africa, in any case, has become less distant.

'In one way or another,' Sergio Moravia concludes, 'through

the probably superficial pressures of mass media , a closer

understanding of African culture is being encouraged. We must

be grateful for this stratagem of reason.'"

Jane Wilkinson

1 A list of the articles on which this survey is based

is given below. Sources of references made in the course

of the article are indicated by a letter/number cue. It has

not been possible to acquire all the articles that have

appeared on Soyinka's Nobel Prize . I have, however, included

reviews of The Man Died which contain references to the

award.

a_ Wole Soyinka, La foresta dei mil le demoni, ovvero

una libera traduzione di "Ogboju Ode Ninu Igbo Irunmale" di

D.O.Fagunwa, Milano, Mondadori, 1985.

l Tuttolibri (La Stampa), 29.11.1986 , p.1.

REFERENCES

l. Daily newspapers

--- - -- ·- --- - ------- ··--- __ __ ... ___ -- - -- ···. - - ---- -·-- ___ ___ .. _ __. _ ... _ _ ....._ __ _ - ----- ------- ----- -- - -- -·- · -----·--------- --------- ·------ -- ------------ --~ - ---A.

C .1.1.

C. 2..1.

c. 3.1.

C. 3. '2.

~- 1. 4.

F. 1-2.

Gr .1. 1.

Ct.2.1.

g-. 3.1

H. 1.~-

H. 1.'2..

H . .{. :s.

Avanti, "Nobel ad un africano. Lo scrittore nigeriano Soyinka'', 17.10.1986, p.16, unsigned.

Avvenire, "Con Wole Soyinka viene alla luce l'autentica Africa", 17.10.1986, p.14, Giuseppe Bonura.

Corriere della Sera, "Nobel a Soyinka, cantore dell'Africa", - -i7 .10~·-198'6, ·p:3, ·o:teste · Del Buono~

Corriere della Sera, "Niente Nobel ai nemici di Marquez", 29 . 10.1986, p.17, Valerio Riva.

Corriere della Sera, "Soyinka prigioniero in Biafra" (sic), 12.11.1986, p.16, Sergio Perosa.

Corriere della Sera, "Una polernica con Valerio Riva sul premio allo scri ttore africano", 12.11.1986, p.16, Itala Vivan, Valerio Riva.

Il Fiorino, "In piena stagione dei Nobel. Aun nigeriano quello per la letteratura", 17 . 10 . 1986, p. 15, Grace Tennekopf.

Il Giornale, "Soyinka, le mitiche risonanze dell'Africa

quotidiana", 17.10.1986, p.3, Roberto Mussapi.

Il Giorno, "Profurno d'Africa sul Nobel", 17.10.1986, p.5, Guido Gerosa.

Il Giorno, "Ha battuto Greene, ma non~ una sorpresa", 17.10.1986, p.5, Angelo Taiani.

Il Manifesto, "Soyinka, primo nobel d ' Africa", 1,.10.1986, F.B.

Il Manifesto, "Ri tratto di Wole Soyinka. Inedi ti del primo nobel africano per la letteratura", 18.10.1986, p.11, Cristiana Pugliese.

Il Manifesto, "Torre saracena. Il terrore corre sul Nobel", 30. 10. 1986, p. 9, Remo Cesarani.

Il Mattina, "La sua Africa: quella tigre pronta a balzare", 17.10.1986, p.13 , unsigned.

Il Mattina, "Le solide radici yoruba di una cul tura

cosmopolita", 17.10.1986, p.13, Maddalena Toscano .

Il Mattino, · "La voce di Ogun" , 17.10.1986, p.13, Francesco Durante

1.1. t

Il Messaggero, 11 11 mago della pioggia 11, 17.10.1986,

p.5, Itala Vivan (interview).

I .1. '2. I 1 Messaggero, "Pi u occidentale di tutti gl i al tri", 1-=r. IO . 1'3 8t.1

___ .. ____________ .. -----·-· .. p. 5., .. Rober:.to __ l"Jussap_i _,_ ... _ ____ ..... ___ ...... _ ··-···-·---- ___ ........ ___ ______ __________ ·- - -----------··------

:f. -1. 3. Il Messaggero, 11 11 rapporto con la cultura Nera.

.:[ . '2. • -1.

M. -1 . 4.

M.--1.'L

P-1.·-t.

P. '2. -1.

P. 3. 1.

Q.1.1.

Q . 'l.1.

Q.'2..'2.

Gli stessi problemi", 17.10.1986, p.5, Gian Luigi

Piccioli. Il Messaggero, ''Tante memorie'', 6.12.1986, Costanzo

Costantini

La Nazione, ''Nobel letteratura: Wole Soyinka. Grande voce dell'Africa vicina", 17.10.1986, P.F.L.

L'0sservatore Romano, 11 11 rifiuto di tradire i principi morali 11

, 18.10.1986, p.3,Francesco Licinio Galati.

La Repubblica, 11 11 primo africano 11, 17 . 10.1986, p.20,

Itala Vivan.

Il Resto del Carlino, "Primo Nobel alla letteratura africana", 17.10.1986, p.3, Marcello Bardi.

Il Resto del Carlino, "Premiato Soyinka, il Garcia

Marquez nero",17 . 10.1986, p . 3, c.d.

Il Secolo d ' Italia, 11 Wole Soyinka tra due culture", 21 . 10.1986, p.5, Leonardo Giordano.

La Stampa, "Soyinka, tragico e beffardo cantore d'Africa" , 17.10.1986, p . 3, Claudio Gorlier.

Il Tempo, 11 I l Premio Nobel a Wole Soyinka 'tigre nigeriana' 11

, 17.10.1986, p.5, Walter Mauro .

Il Tempo, "Torna all'Aquila l'opera di Soyinka", 21.10 . 1986, Stefano Vespa.

Il Tempo, 11 A col loquio col Premio Nobel. Wale Soynka (sic): era nero anche Arlecchino", 6.12.1986 , p.5,

Luigi Saitta .

L'Unita, "Cosi scrive la Tigre", 17.10.1986, p.15, Mario Galletti .

L'Unita, 11 Segnali d'Africa 11, 2.11.1986, p.13, Letizia

Paolozzi.

L'Unita, 11 Parla Soyinka: '11 mito ci unisce "', 2.1 1. 1986 , p.13, Jane Wilkinson (interview) .

2. Weekly magazines and supplements, periodicals.

Africa "Daring the Abyss": The Art of Wole Soyinka", XLI, N.4, Dicembre 1986, Jane Wilkinson.

--------- ·------ ---- --..1------- ---- -~ --. _._ ·. _ . ..__ ... ___ .,., .. __ _ _ ... _________ ____ _____ ______ .,,. ___ ____ - · ---- ------------- --- ------- --- ____ ,.., ____ , __ _ _ _

C. -{,1.

c.-1,2.

Amica "Quel razzismo liberal che premia Soyinka",XXV, n.50, 11 .12.1986, p.13, Guido Almansi.

L'Indice, "I sonetti di Shakespeare", III, N.10 Dicembre 1986, p.17, Claudio Gorlier .

L' Indice, "Wole Soyinka", III, N.10, Dicembre 1986, p.17, Armando Pajalich .

. ~.. -.:.· .... ---

d-- Marginalia, "Un finto idillio. Considerazioni su una poesia di Wole Soy i nka", I, N.l, 1987, Jane Wilkinson.

Nigrizia, "Nobel nero", Novembre 1986 , pp. 42-43, Itala Vivan

e.,, 1. 2. Nigrizia, "Interprete di esperienze", Novembre 1986, pp.42-43, i.v.

Oggi, . "Incontriamo Wale Soyinka, Nobel del la lettera tura: 'combatto i tiranni neri"' , 23 . 12.1986, pp.35-37, Luigi Bernardi.

Panorama, "Note dal carcerce" , 14.12.1986, pp.19-20, Claudio Gorlier.

~..,,, 1.1. Poli tica internazionale, "L' arte rnarziale di Wale

Soyinka", Dicembre 1986, Jane Wilkinson.

l ,{.Z. Po litica internazionale, Dicembre 1986 , no title), Marcella Glisenti.

(profile,

Rinasci ta, "Wole nazione africana '', (interview).

Soyinka : scrivo perche nasca la 41, 25.10.1986, p.24, Jane Wilkinson

TuttoJ ibri (La Stampa), "I l Nobel Soyinka, una voce dal carcere", 18.10.1986, p.3, Itala Vivan.

N WOUND: £AL IT

in rodi~ /11s,-is16J

centives • But it must be realized L!ir conditions of service, :xpected to be posted to of the federation. The nsfcr may be larger in there have always been of civil servants in the h stafT movemcuts arc verned by laid down rules 1tions. We do not expt.-ct, ce, thaf those civil sere transferred will be desportation to their new

ictime now, loans usually to government officials Jally been discontinued, dably because of lack of ans for housing, vehicles for the improvement of

s as agriculture are now :ome by. 1t . is therefore ut the government should soft loar1s for furniture at en loans for more urgent no longer being provided arcc fesourees. · rnportantly, the time has our government to en- ,

:.s civil servants to develop e of self-reliance. Governle in this respect is to pronecessary assistance, for by standing as J.:Ullt"antor ~rvants who may wish to ms from financial lnstitu- , ivil servants themselves !alize that while. govern~. to the extent of its re;>rovick them with ccrta ·n the time will come when

have to.retire from service >n their own. They do not e reminded that the earlier led making provisiuns for 1 future, the better.

1ment incentives to work>od as a means of improiency and they should con-

long as they can be by the economy. The pre~ of the economy cannot additional financial bur

~ Abuja package. 11 should :d.

~ _,_.--~---.. ~ ----· - -- · -

KONG/ SYSTEM.

TllE GUARDIA~. Monday, Oc1obl'r 27 . JW, t,

,'1£Y DOiVT"' K.NOW ANYTHtNti AWUT Quo,A G~l:'M JN ~,ocl<HO/....M/ . THEY Dcw'r l<l./(VI/

NOT long ago. it was announced that th<! .

Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board h,•d been reconstituted and that Mr. Mike Angulu was retainc:d as its rcgi~trar. Naturally. that piece of news gladdened the hearts of all who were au fair with the working of JAMB under his good leadership. Barely a few days after lhe announcement on October 4, 1986 to be precise it was announced to the chug-

A11gulu' s retirement at JAMB tin of most people, thut Mike Angulu had retired.

How can a- miln whose name is synonymous with JAMB choose to retire at this crucial time when new students are just entering into universities, some of which are yet to re-open?

lt is true that a tree does not make a fore~t nor are one's services indispensable but Angulu had so endc:ared himself

At the mercy of the faithful

SIR. M,ilara Ogundipe-Lcslic

must have spoken the minds of some of 1,s in her write-up t:tkd .. Faith Pollution in the Nation" in your Monday, October 13, 1986 edition.

, t; .. I it narticularlv

begging bowl to look for money even from the dc:vil himself.

A nation that i~ desirous of progrc~s an.d development cannot have the time nor the space for the daily proliferation of religious houses the way we have

with JAMB that he is literally married to his work. His is a hou~c::hoid name and people have

when new entrant~ into un ive rsities arc buw sorting 0ut thin~s wuh JAMB'? ( du 1101 knuw

always sought 10 know hut if h,~ has to rl'tire. I this epitome of discipline am atfuid it ~h,1uld havc and hardwork , a very de- bccn after discharging lightful officer and .in ex- his duties in rcspcct of c,:llent mix.:r; a hum bk. univc.:r~ity frc,hcrs thi, humane. aniculak· and year. Or. if indcc·J Im very induMrious officer term as a rcgi,lrar ha~ who~c dcvmion to dulv cxpircJ. his rctircmcll\ i, above all con~idcr;(- should nol be so sudJen tions. nor any mom given to I

It is pertinent here- to prn~rno,ticators tir i observe that in its many takllcarcn,. Wdl, Olll' is l years of existence. n,>t awar.: of the !!0111p I JAMB quc~tion pJpcrs on wi tlun tlh1~c a t lhc j have ncvcr leaked. This c,1Tridors ni powa. llul I is indc::cd a creJit to if A ni:.ulu's tL'tir.:mL·nt 1, I Angulu and his devoted voluntJry, h-: ~hould be team of worker~. prcva1kJ upon to lini~I! I

The thorny que~tion hi, hu~inle'~,. j rcm.im~: why ~h,iuld he OranJ·1: 1'i\H"Ll', 011il!.ha , I

":::n:~;:·;hi;;;:;:i:; ~x I I I i1:ro th,: nuhl ic colkrs.

VOL. 7• N0 . . 1979 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1986~ SAFAR 19, 1407 A.H. ·. · 25 KOBO

Nigeri~, Turkey sign pact

I By TOSIN FADAIRO_ 8M IYABO OREDEIN 7 AN agreement to provide the

legal framework for mutual co-operation between Nigeria and T urkey on economic. s cientific and technical assistance has been signed.

Or. l(alu indicated that tho agteement include the setting up and running of joint in

_ d ustrial. commercia l and tecl>nical entarprises, the ex· c hange of experts. advisers and training of counterpam that might be agreed upon by both countries.

• •:,, ' ,, • • • ..,,..,.,..,. ~ , ,..._. • ·~-· .. ,,,.,, ,,r,-r,ea ', If•~ .-,...~,-- . •.., " ••• .,~,• ,t1· - ••• •• , _ _ _,..."lff',..,.. ~

Minister of National Plann· ing, Or. l(alu I. Kalu signed the agreement in Lagos yesterday on behalf of the Fedecal

In order .to facilitate the effective impleme;ntation of the

Governmeiit while Mr. Gengiz agreement. Or •. Kalu explained

B lJ R U T U P O RTS Sebykcebe, the Turkish Arn· that the re was provision for the

. . bassador, signed on behalf of establishment of. a joi nt , . . the TurkiSh Government. economic commission.

~ , : . .,_s•p•ea•k-in_e_a_t . t.he_c_•_•e_m_o_n_v., . • £]:1~::~Ar?Cf::

--Bv------- · monitor the trade, economic, CHANGE HANDS timeor as the need arose,to

· . . social, scientif ic and cultural

KUNMI DLAYMOLA relations between both cou·n· tries.

The minister said that the

By TINO BUORO

BOARD ot' directors of Newswatch Communicat·

ions Limited has demanded for immediate establishment of '' a three·man. highpowered, independent judicial commission of inquiry to

.invcst1gete all the circum· stances surrounding the assassination of Mr. Oele G1wa."

Also, the board has urged the Federal M1lita1y Government to suspend and detain forthwith. the director of military intellirience, the director o f State Security Service ($.S.S.) and his der,uty, "in the interest o f fai rplay, and to· prevent any in terference with the panel's work.''

In a fou, -page press statement issued in Lagos yest erday, the board suggested that a ret ired reputable high court judge be · appointed to head the inquiry. w hile an archbishop and a chief imam should be the other two members.

"In view of the involvcmont of the mihtarv. we would not welcome the mclus1on of any me, 1,bcr of the mihtarv or the 9ovornrr:cnt secur,1y appara t\j'. , to i1ltrllr.1pato os members or the panel no, would we countenance the mclusion 0 1 journahst s for obvious reason-.. ,·· 1ts.:ud.

Tt:ie directors -;md (h.> t 1t1cy were d1smavcd 1ha1 ui:, lO rh1s ti me. nc11hcr Newswatch CommuntCiJ/1ons L,miled nor M.r. Giwa·s family had rec eived a condolence rncssa·. ·e from the FedcHa' Government.

The board of the Newswacch Communications Limited, assured that 1he

cause for which Oete Giwa died would not d ie with him.It said that t11e Ncwswatc:h M aq,uine " shall r.onoouo 10

--~ ·

LA TE DELE GIWA

uphold the high standards of excellence, dedication ahd trutt, that has become ns hallmark .' '

"The perpetral.ors of the heinous crime of his assassination may have hoped to silence the voic~c of this great champion o f truth. honesty and integrity 1n the conduct o f public affairs in Nigeria•· , the statement added.

Tt\e stat ement w as signed by Alhaji Abdulaz;z C. Ude. director/aqing chairman, Mr . Rav Ekpu 'director/acting chief execut i ve; Chief Alex Akinyele. director; Mr. Dan Agbese. dircnor and Mr. Yakubu Mohammed. direc:1or .

T HE Nigerian I Ports Authori

ty, (NPA), has handed over the management of Burut u Ports in Bendel State, · to the Central Water Transportation Company Limited (CWTC).

The transfer has alleged I y ;generat ed widespraad concern

among NPA workers most of who learnt about the deal from the authority's internal journal.

The hand-over was reported· ty effected by Delta Ports admi· nisuator. -A lhaji A. Suleiman on behalf of the NPA's executive chairman, Brigadier · M .B. Halidu.

Brigadi er Ha lidu w as· reported to have safd in a speech during the hand-over that ' 'the exercise complementeci the new shipping policy of the Federal Gov8m· ment with regards to inland t ransportation;''

He also noted that Burutu

Port was l_ogist ically a strategic sea terminal. adding that the- change "was that of managers and not of owners· ...

Some of the staffers that the National Concord sPoke w ith concluded that the transfer' would not be in the best interest of the authority and the nat ion.

Ttiey believed t hat the authority had excised one of its " major sources (?f revenue generation" with the hand-ov Bf of 8urutu Port.

.. Although I cannot give you the amount the port generated in tho recent past but NPA is indirect ly reducing its area at operation with this change of·

joint commission would have responsib ilities to promote, facilitate anQ co-ordinate the realisation of the objectives of th

~~~rej::~n~ommission, ] also added, woukl serve as forum fo r thB exchar.ge of in formation and consultatlo between the two countries w ell as identify specific projec for co-operative implement tion by appropriate agencies and enterprises of both coun· tries.

.. ---------------------- management'' ; a top official

He suted that th<! commission would also encourage and facil itate contrac ts and negotiations between ap propriate authorities an organisations of the two cou t ries.

National flown at

,-t-lE Federal Government has I ordered that the national

flag be flown at half mast from today till Tuesday October 28, in honour of the late President Samora Machel "{ho died in a plane crash last Sunday.

A statement by the Chief of General Staff, Rear Admiral Augustus Ai)<.homu yesterday said the government's action was to mourn the death of the

late president and a mark of solidarity with the frontJine

·states. President Ibrahim BabanQlda had earlier sent a message of condolence to the

flag to be

half mast government and peopte of Mozambique.

Meanwhile, the Mozambican Government yesterday an· nounced that Machel will be buried on October 28.

The government statement. issued jointly with the ruling FRELIMO Party , said a

15-member · funeral commi1· sion has been set ~P· It will be

headed by deputy pany leader Marcellino Dos Santos.

Foreign Minister Joaquin Chissano and Defence Minister Alberto Chipande.

• ,:(.)N4Rft'T'i-BL!CKl5 • /" FINf-Si HOUR. ! 11

iWHO CARES.

if your company produces 6 out of every 1 O dry cell batteries in Nigeria?

My play.er ~lays longer on Bristar'

. ·o B -4483 lk•i• 1=41oPhone 90t0t0-19 Printed aod µublished by the Concc..rd Press ot Nigeria l 1m11&d, Concord HouMt, 42 Concord V,.,,ay, ott MurtalaMuhammed A1~port, P . . ~x . • S~AILA M OHAMM ED .

Telex No. 26681 : Concord NG. London Otticl'J: 5/15-:,omer Stree t, King 's Cross, Londbn \/'v.C.I. Telephone: 01 -833-3661 /5. A ctmg Editor: 1

· · · ' · • ' ' ' · , · .. • · • · · • • · 1 1. Adolphus Davis Street , Hkeia. Lagos (All ccrrespondcn.:e to P .~ . EoJt ~ - lkoja) ~ ~l..·~r,d

~,,~ O':t~~ , 7:3 ·, 1~·. • ,.' , • , · , • . . . . ' . ' . .. ' . . . .. . . '.

:· .·-1.. ·- .. - · · ,.- ••• 4 - ·-·-· - - • · ··- · · -

25 KOBO

Reports have It that following the discovery of "juju" in the Government House, _Benin, there have been a number of redeployments in the ·office. "'1ho says the redeployments were not the aim of those behind the "juju"?

NAA BAGS . ' :!

-~ #1.29m By

PRIMUS

/GBOAKA

Ol REVENUE I PROFESSOR SOYINKA

Soyinka wins Nobel prize By WAHEED ODUSILE

N IGERIA's· celebrated and w orld renowed playwright

and poet. Professor W ole 'Soyinka has w on the 1986 Nobel prize fo r literature.

With this remarkable feat. Professor Soyinka thus becomes the first African and

the first black to do so in the 8 5-y ear history of the world's most prestigious literary awa,d .

The Swedish Academy. in announcing the award in Stockholm y esterday. said Prof essor Soyinka was honoured because "in a wide

Continued on Pag~ 21

LANDING and parking fees in

gn currencies from international a irlines .operating in the country have earned the Nigerian Airports Authority (NAA) a tota l receipt of 380,867 doll a rs a n equivalent of Nl.29 million between January , 1985 and

August this year. The sum received by

t he NAA in dollars and British pounds sterl ing were not part of the N38 million it realised from the same source and I he same period in local currency a nd published by the National Concord months ago.

S1a1is1ics a,·a ilablc- 10 1he National Concord, though silent on 1he sum realised 1his September. indka1cd 1ha1

38.000 dollars (N232,000), was recorded as p::arking a nd

landi ng recs fr om 1hc controversial B~ ing 741 in Nigeria Airways co lour said to. have been privately wctk ascd b)· a d irtt1or or the airline on . behal f of the na tional carrier,

Contd. on Pax.t 11

When malaria fever catch you · run one time

to get Resochin ·

Suvvort_ .~ovt. Aiklzomu tells ,,. ... ... - --_., · · , _.·banks·~·

Ku lonii-Olubi and right. Alh8ft. Umoru Muttalnb, the bank's mana,qin.a directnr Phfl f(')' YETUNOE ABOABA.

~--- 8'y·--- -CI/RIS MA,\IMA H

NDIGENOUS banks in oh< I coumry h:sw· 'iccn told ,o idcn1ify thc-mwh·c:s wi1h 1hc:ur,ir.11ioos and obj«thts of the FC'di:ra l Go\(~rnmcnt.

ThC' Chid of General Staff. R tiH·Altmira l Au g us1us Aikhomu who gave l hC' ad,·icc ycs1crckt)•, said 1hc sui:i:«s of 1hc prcs~nt adminis1r;uion 's ·cconum1t programmt would ·dtpcnd on t he pc:rforma ncc of 1hc bank ing sc-clllf.

Rcar-A.dmir:Jl Aikhl>mu was ddh·cring an adiJrc\ S at tht opening ccrcmilny of 3.cti, nic\ 10 m3rk the 2.Sth anm,·c:rsa ry of 1hc Uni1cd Bank for Africa in Lagos. He s.tt<l I h.:rl! had been com fl la rnn abo u 1 the \."tlltH1hu1n,ns tlf 1hi: b.1 nk1ll'! SCChH to the na tilm 's C'\:Or\l>m) .

.. Thi:rc arc genu ine fears 1ha1 the bankinK sectors had

'continued on Page 2 1

1 , , ,,w• ., r ,, •.i ,, .... ,..,, , f\t • c , ,,, , , , ., ,, .

go for Resochin ... go Bayer

• ,1·~ \ •~ ... ~, :._• . l . ·: ,,r _' ' / ; \.t,,. ,, ·.t l , · , , ! . . ••. •, • ,f ·.,l, • • ,•-, 1 ,', "°;) ,."", ,-_ ._, l1. • I • •,• ' ~ ., ~ \ ' ,l,,,.':, ."t,." I ·~·

u UXPfP ll&K«MINCli .. ·e·ut·1aitt e:r fiir rzsb tit¥ 1111 ezBr" t x; Gr½ r

NATIONAL ~ONCORD, Friday, October 17, 1986 Page 21

Continuttl from Page I

cultural perspective and with poetic ovenones , he fashions the drama of existence. "

Professor Soyinka, 52, has long been regarded as Africa 's leading playwright.

Soyinka and colleagues yesterday backg,ound, particularly the hailed him as a writer who concepts of Yoruba relig ion used the English language and social philosophy. Wole

CLASSIFIED.~: AND. ENTER~INMENT

publications are "A dance ot and his Yoruba tr ibal Soyinka has .depicted the '. r.OI I II\JIN . . THE WEST AFRICAN

the fores,s,,. "The Lion and background to portray the p light of man on eanh as both the Jewel, •• • 'The road,•• plight of man on eanh. creator and destroyer.·• "The interpreters," "Kongi's "Soyinka uses the English H arvest .. " "The ' trials of The celebrated aulhor, language in it s most original AKINOELE: I, Miss Esther Brother Jero" and the spent much o f h is t ime in the form, bringing through it a Oluyemi Akindele hencefonh controversial "The man l 950& in Btitain. producing perfect knowledge of its own wish to be called as Mrs. died:•• some of his first plays at the syntax but enlivening it with Esther Oluyemi llesanmi.

• Royal Coun. Thntrtt in all the vigour of Yoruba Fprmer documents remain Known for his ·~!..ondon, an establishment, idioms,''headded. valid. Schools Management

outspokenness and anti· noted fat its · innovative Board, lkeja and public take

PICTURES CO. l TD ..

CINEMA·

FRIDAY, 17TH OCTOBER. 1986.

SUPER SURUi.lf':c: J . 6 & 9 p.m. "LADY GAY" A s pecial love film. N 1.00.

Ho attended the University of Iba dan where he read English . He later became a profess or of comparative literature in the Univenity of lie, lie-lie. a post he resigned recently. ·

corruption crusade. Professor approach to th~ theatre. Also yesterday• note. Soyinka does noi mince encomiums were showered CASINO YABA: 7 ~ 9 p.m. words in his suppon for Eldred Jones, professor of . . on Professor Soyinka across ONANUGA: I, form erly · An action packed Indian fitm.

He ia a visiting professor of drama to many colleges and universi t ies includ ing University of· Ghana and Sheffield University In England.

human rights in Africa and the English Language and the nation for his latest known as Miss Oladepe Ra. Nl .00. world in general. lit erature at the University of ~i~~~~vement in the literary shidat Onanuga henceforth

He is currently the Sierra Leone. in a_textbook 0.!' w ish to be li;r\own as Mrs. president of the lns.ernational Soyinka's works. said "using The Nobel Prize is wonh Oladepe Rashidat Adecko.

Among his numerous· Theatre Institute in Paris. h is Yoruba CUiturai 21 O,OOO dollars. Former documents reniain

Professor Soyinka's friends .,... ______________________ JI valid. Ogun State l-teatth

--=-----:=----__.__--~ N1.2'nm re'"enue Boardtonote.

Banks . transactions would depend on ,v, II' ' .the pcrrormancc or lhc Ccmul

Con"nu-..1/romPage

1 .,Bansnt ·iktut·,oannsd. other banking Continued from Page 1 withdrawn by the au lhoriiy a.s

"' _, only the Federal Govcrnmenl not _civcn to 1hc cco.nOmy: . 111 wish 10 appeal to ,all with o u t manaaemcnt• s has exclusive rights over .the :nough from ,he weallh and au thorised dealers in ,he SFEM approval. . actount. profit w-hich i1 amassed rrom to play the game according to Investigations which &ave an 11 would be recalled tha1 th~ the system over lhc . years. tbe rules." he said, warning insight into lhe recovery made ' NAA has no share in the NIOO

OWOKADE: I, Sabainah Olubunmi Adesola Owokade wish to be called Mrs. Sabainah Olubunmi Adesola · Ayan<lipe. NEPA Directorate Abeokuta please note.

.. There arc allcga1ions that punishments await those by Federal Govcrnmcnl sincC airport levy imposed on c-specially from 1he indigenous lhat flout the rules. 1hc ·in1roduc1ion of domiciliary iravellcrs outside the country. ADE6~E: I. formerty known businessmen 1ha1 financial O He also enjoined Nigerians account in the counJry last 'Managjng director · of the as Miss Wosilat Adeoye ass iuancc rrom the banks had not 10 use the pretence or year, revealed ihat unll.c other auniority, Group Captain hencefon.h wish-fo be known no1 been cncoura&ina,,•• he SFEM to charge exorbitant pa rastatals tba1 make dcposi1s Bolaji Dzvid had, last June. and addressed as Mrs Wosilat said. prices for their products or in forcian cllrrcncy at the Iold airport correspondents Sola Adeyemi. Former docu~,

The chief o r Sl.1fr said dCSpi tc services. 0 11 is a viCiol.lS cycle Central Bank in the domiciliary during a tour or Mun.ala ments remain valid Ministry government cffons 10 corrccl thatdoesnobodyanygood,tl',c , account , the NAA's fu nds arc Muhammed Airport, U:cja, .ofOefenceat"ldpublicnote. thi-s anomalies by leg islation market woman w·ho paid into • contingency that 1he au thority had tabtcd a and sectoral allocation of ·mreasonably in1,;rcascs ihc accoun1. . request ror a share of 1he HASSAN: 1. formerly known crcdiu, 5ome banks have pricC'S of her wares is al the This dcposh. che National revenue accuring on airport as Saheed Adeniyi Hassan con,inucd "10 ·· nout such s a me time unwiuin&l y Concord learnt, d.nnoi be levy from 1hcaovcrnmen1. now to be caUed Saheed regulations and instead opted compelling her landlord to 1---- ---------..;...---=--====-J 1

. Adeniyi Oduga. ,.Former do· to pay financial and similar increase rem paid by her. She cuments remain valid. UBA pcnol1ics." ends up the worse," hcsoid . MODAKEK. E SOCIAL CIRCLE, IBADAN ·

RC'ar·Admiral Aikhomu Chairman or ihc UBA, Mrs. l TO, and general public note.

called for improvement in th< Bolo Kuroriji-Olubi in her PUBLIC NOTICE services or banks, slrcssi_ngJhat address. appealed co bank the 1ucccss of 1hc Sccond•licr workers to ensure probity 10 forci1n Exchange Markt• enable SFEM to succeed.

VACANCY FOR •Finished Artist •musuator/Visualiser

Our new advertising/PR firm requires additional Mnds to handle new business. ·

Applicants Cor t he positions of Finished Artist and Dlustrator/Visualiser must possess either work ex· perience or relevant degree or Higher Diploma in Fine Art from a reputable institution.

The successful Finished Artist must be aware of t he importance of strong graphic solutions in the com· petitive market while retaining a keen eye for typographic detail. The illustrator/Visualiser we are looking for must be • good concept per :i:on •. full of bight ideas wilh An excellent marker technique.

Opportu nit.ies for training are verJ g~d. So is the •lary. BuL more important ia t~e y•or k autonomy.

Applic-nlio.1~ 11hould be directNI, with C.V. tn: ( '11rn<" liu.11 Tay '1:1nK.:in,< U irt.'dor CT & t\s-.ociuu Umi'c ed P.O. Rox :JOfH.

§ ~ILlcre,_~808.

This is to inform the General Pubtic that the above named Society/ Association is applying for registration under the La_nd (Perpetual Succession) Act Cap 98.

The Trust ... are: 1. Mr. A.O. Olatunji 2. Mr. LA. Olarawaju 3. Mr. O.B.A. Onigbinde 4. Chief 1.0. Ajayi 5. Mr. A.F. Olatoyo

Any objection to this registration should be forwarded to the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Internal Aff1lra, lkoyl, Lago• wilhln 21 deys o f this pubtication.

:sGD.: (A. F. Olatoyel.

General Secretary.

··VACANCIES (11 H.N.D, B.Sc. M.Sc; N.C.E. graduales Lactur"" in

(al Acc~unting (b) Marltering (c) Business Administration· Id) Insurance (e) Computer Sciences lfl Theatre Arts (gl Education Administrations. (hi Catering Stud;es

• (ii Electrical Engineering lj) Electronic Engineering lkl Fashion. Design

Past Experience Asaet and New graduate are wafconie'

For Dare/~ Conlltel:

OLATUNDE: I, formerly known as Mrs. H~en Olatunde wistr to be known a s Mrs. Helen OlatunbosUn." former documents rem3in valid. Ondo State Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development AkLKe talite note.

DOSUMU-DOCEM.O: I, to,.' mer!y Miss Kafayat Acleyanju !20:'Umu/Docemo henceforth wish to be known Its Mrs. Ka-•. faya!.,A.deyonju Bello. F.c,mer documftnts . rem4in valid. Public toke noto. ·

· VISA: r. formerly known as Mr. Akadiri Oluwole Visa now

w ish to be known as Mr. Abdulkadir Oluw~le Isa . Former documents remain valid . Public and Nigeria Law School, Victoria, Is land please note. ·

ADENUI: I. formerly known. as Emmanuel ls hola Adeniji wish to be known as Emmanuel Witty Adenijl. All former documents remain valid . Abeo kuta Loc al Gov'emment ploese note.

AYOPO: t, formerly known as Oluwaremilekun Aioke Ayopo w ish to be known as Mrs. OluwatomilelaJII • Ajoke Ade· biyi, Fo,mer .C,cuments remain val id . Teaching Service Commission Abeo· kuta take nota.

REGALEBVTAMETTA: 7 &9 p.m. "BLACK MAGIC" A sensational film . N 1.00.

CORONA LAGOS: 7 & 9 p.m: "NAAG MUNI" Fully packed with vk>lent actions. N1 .00.

ROYAL LAGOS: 7 & 9 p.m. " HOTEL PARADISE" An American love film. N 1 .00.

REX SAGAMU: 7 & 9 p.m. "AU BABA" A nerv,1 break· inglndianfil~ Nt .00.

QUEENS IBAOAN: 7 & 9 p.m. "WAR OF THE BOUNDARY" An action packed wa, film. Nl.00.

REX .ONDO: 7 & · 9 p .m: " AMAZON" A super thrilling film.Nl.00.

P,£N PAL CLUB

J OIN THE "WORLD PEN.PAL CLUB" e<tjoy <••ding inter· national books. ·Find inter· national friends and ttue k>vers, ·exchange gifts, visits, cultures etc. Enclose serf.

· addressed stamped envelooe

to: ·The Registrar. P .0. Box 1361, Marina. Lagos.

PETROL STATION DEVELOPMENT

DO You have an uncompleted Petrol Station ebandoned due to lack of funds. We have the finance and expertise to develop it into a Mod:em Service Station. If you have genuine 1.11nc;f completed documents write to The CoOnlinl'tot P.O.' Box 12857 Kono. '

FANTASTIC OPPORTUNITY

GET Directory of U.K./U.S.A. UnivMSities that offe< degree courses by mail, apply for

• your own copy with N1O.00 cash/uncrossed postal order. to: H. U.C. of Nigeria, Ahm> du Beflo· Wey. Sox 8286, Kaduna. Send seff addressed atamped-envek>pe with your orde-r.

. ADMISSION ON SCHOlARSHIP

Rlm1x ln1tltut• M•lron Road, Ofokoro lyan1 M •Iron Bua/ StQP

UDOM: 1. formerly known as LAWMANS Institute o f Tech· Miss Enobong Da niel Udom nology Aiyegun Village lb•· now wish to be known as dan hereby inform ell intend· ' Mrs. Enobong lsong Ekere. ·ing stude-n1a to appeM for Former documents remain interview before . SchOO re· vahd. Univers ity of Nigeria opens on 20th O<:tobef

off Abeokut.a Expr11u Roacl. P.M .B. 2111111 , lk1)1 ~901 - ~tate ••

~kka.nore. .. -~ .. •. ':!!~~~ '':·._""../

--~-~~~ ~ =-- -- -: ·-: . . . ------r~~-_....__ .. ~""-f,---_,.,__,- -. . :-. ... ,. ______ _ ... - ~ .. ---·~ ·-····· . " . ----= ....... ,_, .. . .... .. ~

--- ·.·,r/f· ... ~~'o\-r.i_. .. . ·-:,

.. -~-~-·---·-·

,,"-'\'I\.- ·'· l' ~-.,. -i'> . v\' \. \.~: ~··· .. :· . - - .-

:'-'.~:/fqwards a.better life for the people 1r·* VANGUARD, WEDNF.sDAY,OCTOBER22, 1986VOL3NOti28-3"K

. . i l • ~ ~ : \ • :· ~ ' , , .... ." ·. ·, . . r • • • , • • • t ·, i . • ,

Dele::G1Wct"~s ·:tragic lllUrder: . . -- -

By Jossy Nkwocba ·

l ... the euphoria

• ~I : ...

. A ddcaotioo. ,of late Mr. Ddc Giwo's family in Bendel State orri,cd Lagos yest-enlay and JA:rnunacd that Dcle's corpse 1hould be bro~ht home- for buried.

But .Dclc's junior brother n:sid~nt in Lag05 d.iso91-ced, insisting th,,• ... c remwns must be committed to mother-earth io the federal capital •

By Sia.ka Momoh Tunde Giwa, the junior

brother who's · a pharmacist and works with Nigerian Hoechst told Vun9u.i1"d at Ruy Ekpu's Talabi Street, lkeju residence: that ~is mother reque~ted through the Jelt:gotion rhat che corpse be brought to their Ugbckpe·Ekp,~ri village for buriul.

He urgued cb1.1t taking the corp5e home "will mean my mother's death.

"Can't you see wb<u the news of Dcle's death h..is already done to bc:r,'' Tundc: askc:d am;d~t tears a$ he sllowect our-.reportcr the photO-'Jraph · of his

I collapsmg mother being helped by Joumahsts tram the Nigerian Observer Newspaper .

, "My brother is not an

I Conurci.u id 011._j'ag11 8

t:<>J.1mJ11 I

... Police ~-"· ...... ;,,...._ ___ _

..... ~ ......... ., .

Jossy l'lt<wocna · and Alex Edema

.., .,.... JJ:"' II """ ...,. II ....

(of my aw.ard) has -NOBEL priu laureate, been turned

Proi: Wole Soyiul,;a 11

• _ • into tlie

• . ' . •,..j, l • • • - · O,· ' ':\ ~-- . ·: ' \ '· <:. ;, : . t

• , , • ' : , ' ,,, . .... <;._ •

• ~l. · ·~- ~ . '." }d l . -.: .• , . ..,.-,-.: .

' "',~::,,:,~, f -- " . ., ·-· 1 , , I

get autopsy report

Hy foich:id Ai'i}iJ/,ho ----------fomented tu P~sldent a S /''I, es W 1, t lz lbrabit11 Babanglda yesterd.ay rhot the 1n-a'l,...dnr ,,..., ~ enphoria of his wot·ld- •· 11 r;i;; , • • • VJ

. • . ::._ . ,. . ,. 'Jn,:-'I . lt,_ ,.,.... ' "' . ·'"'[·· .,. ;- ·•. . t ) ·_.-,.._" . ,· . ·. ~ ~ I ' ~ ,~ • ··,4,,/.,!t..,. I ~)' -~ .. --~... ..... .. ~

llU-: l.ugos Vnivt!rsdy 1·c11chi11g Hu.~pital ( LVTU) yest:: .. duy

acclaimed ownrd · has · G • · been turned into ashes · · 1, ·W a !j) J * Presidet1t Babangida b •ari th t h ,, · with Sunday's· tragic . ,., -~ " ng ft 011c OJ peace . . r,:::·· ye .. .,ruuy, .killing of Mr. Dde Giwa, !I . · · . ,

¥· - . I

!=~.:=~- of. . : . By.Tope.Awe Babangida runs for pea~e In _a voice laced With high PRESJDENT Ibrahim Habangida ran a ra.:e for

emot1uns, the celebrated I peace )'. i tenJay at the l'tational Studium in Logos P;0 ywnght told n~wsmc:n at where he rccch·ed tlie United Nations Torch of 1\1.>w~·watch premises: · Peace.

''.l have just co~1c .in after ·The Presid,;nt dad in track suit was the vanguard of

He held ~loft the Turch of Peace and was enthusiastically cheereJ us he received the Umted Nations symbol from Niyeria's 'loriithon runner, Abbas Mohammed.

President Babangidr who was drenched in swear ofter, seemg the Pres1dcm and ·some AFRC men,bers and his personal aides who were also thunki?g him for the i in ~rock suits rn run a 400 metre race inside the stadium. expression of Joy shown by -~ . _ ____ · -

I ..,._ \ l ( '-:'[n----r.-. .'\-,--· ------the i:,wpk on the award. But . · -~: · · · ,."f>· ' r' ,,•~-e .... · ,· · · ·. ·,

Continued on Page lJ Column,/

. . . }j • . ... .. •. ~ ~ I •I• ' . .-{"'"-'-, .• ..L ,. ..... .. , ' ~, I told him that the euphona ·• " • :· ,? • . .. • .~ . 'i.. : , ._ f, ./~..1J: t · -~ , ( t,·, . , . . . ;'. . . . ' .. ,. ,10s . been turned 1ntn a~hcs ' ,., . I 'l . •,11 ,~. /l~ 1 ' > • 1· >, · ' :, /.t;,,::r.'~ · · · •• · t1 ti ' ; . h -h . ., ... ,, . \ ' " . ii/. • , ! . - . • : . ' • ' J + J ! ~

\, i ,i 1e rr.urucr, ut~. enng . , \ . , . ~ . -1 ~· ,. · • . · .. '·•·' ••• · .... • • I,. • • ~ i t ~ ... • \ .. • ' • of Delc (riwo. I told h:m that i ' ' , • • ' · , • • : ·• ·• , · • , , : ,' '- ,-~·;:,•,,...-~,,.., ,j

• :·,:,. ; ill- ,•'.. . ~ --· '> ' l . • .• ,t t,...7l~_,., ,. ... Icamc:todemund'ust•ce" · •:.,>"" " · ~: ,_, _. . ' t .• . '! ·~, / ~, ·., •, ,. , · , . .,, . •

) (\ J ', ?. t, ~ { , ,....,. ff.,I , ,I I i \ •; ,-•' } t .\ I ~ '1; ' ..-; ,_ • ' V

hof. ooymko hod cnrucr · f, • • •• , ~ • P ..:;.• . · -·~ \ : , , , · . . ;, b l d . ,. ' ·~ ' ' 1';Jo, ' ~ . -~ -~ •• • ' • , au e Wllh tears at the: ( ,; . ' "· , .... · '. "' \;, •. ,i; ,· • • • •

" ~,.... ' ..... } . ~ Newswatcli boardroom· I :· .. ,:_ ·. ,· ~ , · , . J. ~ ~ ! . .-~ INDIAN mm,.~ter of , , . ' ,. , ' t ~ r ,, '"'' t · ... <ro,s;_,....,... £ whc:n ne looked through three \\ · '7 ~, i,; ... ~

8 ~. State for xternal

g,)ry colou1ed µhotog;aphs of , .. ;~~- · · , v,.-· "·i~-~ ';:,,/ff,.1 l ,· -~1·• Affafrs, Mr.· h'duurdo . .. • • .,,,, • I ' ' ,.. I ' l • the Sunday tragedy and t~tr, . ,;, Jfj . , , .,,1·11 •::- :1 • • a e,ro 111,10 rs curr.,ntly

4 ,~ ...., A;' ~ • , ,t P' t o • 1 -wrote on the cond<>lencc h :•",,i,_,"' .-: ·· t l't,,~1,,,11:;{. -. J v,sttmg 'f,m:.za,w, culled ~-, ,.. . ' • ,, • , , r-·· ?a.;.\ w ;. rcg~ter: "We shall not rest ni~ • · ;.•, .,, • ', 'I.• , :t,l,,) ~"'1 . _.. ~ • on foNner T,m:6unfo

'. fl ., .- • '\·"'~ ' \ · ' j'" "' It ... ,(J ,, • t . . unti! Justiceisdone"! ~;if · ~· .-;• •i 'iti!~ 11l i , .. ,i·i. ~.11.ll'< ,. .t " ~·>t- , t .'~11,;,,!.t . f .. -.J' pres ident, Jui, .. s

. ~j . . .,,..-lit. •. ,t ~ · " ~ • , ~.,~ :,. \\t>l-..-' <-: ., 1,,'} ,. ~,,,. N · He~mdthurheaskedthe .. · ,·. r] ~ -1.r -~. ,..,,~,, r.1,, ._.1;:-... ,,,, _, , -,:•· , · , -~:;.· - -~ .,,__ yerere ,n l f ' ' ' • ... _.u ll'," ..._, ... w• \ t,I "'-i[•,- ~- ~i J. "' .. 'n ' J .: ... ;_~~ ·

pre~1dent1oseethqrnostune ~ i" ~ ~ - : •. :{ "._~·• t'-',t·~;t ·~~/ ~-7~,;~·{ ;: '_ .. . ·~.;~· _ .. ._ Dar-es-Salum lust I t. . . . •-:.:,, .. • '11 ~~- ,q • -fli.~ l,t ·"' " • • -~ ~-<'-- • .,,.._ --... . .:: ~. -""'- •r1. ·d ,,,

JS t: t_ Un!Uf1led lll bl ,ll:Jlng . ~,_;,\r. , • ·, , ff':-;; • J ·,f+ ~lf.if"' ·'t . ~1_r""'"''"'llr4i~l~"'~f .c , IUrs a.,• • the killer) tc, book, oJJinq i.,;l~~~- "' ,':·:'.C~ irr~,r§ ~,~i~ir,' ~ i_~; ~\,.,." ~~;' , ., Here! Jul,us N.yerer-_e-

' • '• ' " ·· , \>- · i 1· ,:; " ·-~, i,, ·· ,· ,,1>-~·9 , t · ~· · · ;-,,......_~ (left) discusses w1tl1 /us

Con,,,-,~tdo:-,Pc.r,o1l1 · ~·-: l,t~ J t~ Q" --f ~·~\'\¥-,., .... ,-vi~ ~-~~;,•-rt\" ~ -~;,-.- ... ' :- :-.{ td · h . 11 ~ I 1 -~"',~ ,., · \ •'"--·,. fr-.:. ,.., . . :,. ll,llii•"..\f-l•'tl ~· .-.J., .. ,. ~., . ,~ gues urmgt ecu.

h:mdcd over lo the p·JUce, doctor's autopsy ~pore on the corpse of the Jate Ne111swa1ch 's chief executh·e, Mr. Dcle Giv;a.

The report which emerged from Monda)

~_-, m orn_ing '_s m<:di c9J ! e~-am111alio11, was ,, dt·sp:Hchcd to fhe bgos

Slate Pulice Comm:md by Professor l:.rdc Amnl.u, LtrIH.'5· chil!f · m~uil:11! dirtC(()(.

--~;a.;•;-,=;.··"i''&w7*•r-iQ

My fother w.,~ her.- 10

see you thjs rnor1\mf.J. H~ :suid he wunls lbc ba.lnnce of my bril.ie price in l>Ol.LARS!

vO !..tlln . . ,~-. .-.," , ' ~ .. ~,,~~ ... ~ .. ~~~• ~ J: ..,.. ._ 1,~:•1Ja.~ dU u ;,, /1s::h:ffitrffl)f.5t:l,$i)'f:< i

· · · ·.- ~ ·:~,;;; ·:~_'.-t/;~,*~.-:~itd~~~fa~~;\il1~· -:' , .:;;._,_~., ti'4~~.:-... ..,s::"f-~-~-~~:;·~:rJ.~~ ,~~-~~~·~1-~'~ 4:~·;_,. ... 1 · h ~ :,~}t ¾- ·,=.· "JA'·'i .. }~t~u~·., ;_ , , :' ~-__ :.-<: ~-->t'.~{;11\'~;~ ~~/, f;;, 'it,,., ~ {!;;;.:~ r' tiltt; wJ.~ (t.(t, im ~1~· f· ;·;i. -~ l ,. ·nl l ~ JJi,( ,<;·;,.iH}iJrl{t..,~~ ni'1,l.\~_; ~t ~ HjHr·n,p . · -r I . ' ·-'. !I~~ lr.,lt.tVf:'~~ ~'j.Jj~~S~:,~t

. . ·_"f.;· . . .. , ... _ / · , . . , . · : s,!·~- .-,.,, •>-1, - - • • • .,., ., . •. · - ._, • , .. ... ...... \.t ·. tw:.:.mtt:?' ,,·£-Mtit#a>W~*-'f..!!¥.i .. t"!'.?"~.~~~f.S~.

__ Yj II

Continued from Pa_Qe I'

the race told the spectatorsttbt inspite of the effort of the United Nations, world peace was still elusive. · Accordin~ to tum l't:uce should be more thun just the

absence of wur, arguing that it should also imply the _guarantee of diqnified existence for humanity.

He nou:d that events oround us do.tly poilu to the need topromote harmony because violence und conflict bnng misery and grief.

President Babangida mentioned the dastardly killin!l of lv\r. T~le Giwa whO nc: said was an Clown m the prune of life throuah the rno~r wicked and heinous means.

• "As we mourn the, unumely death oi this young Nige~, let us rededl.cate our.;elves to the promotion of peuce ana hnrmony in this ~reat nation of ours." he ti.mher adv1sed.

Cnntinuedfrom Page 1 Soyinka that "the president himself stared at the horde of shared my concern and gave mournful newsmen, ·adding: me an assurance that ''It is a tragedy for you and everything will be done the nation!" towards that end'.',

A rullen Sovitlko said that he was however very apprehensive of the circumstunces and scqucnual events leading to Mr. Giwa's death.

He insisted thm 1hos.: who have been implicated in any way must be brought to book no matter how highly placed arni wid that · tht: k1lhnq ~howeJ that nobody is ~ufe.

l)ep1:ty editor-in-chief' or Newswau:h, ,\,\.r. Ray tkpu

.,1ssured Prof Soyinka that ··we will stop at nothing at digging out the !acts even at the co~t of our lives".

"All the culprits must be hrouyht to book. If m:ccs~ary, hdp · must be ~011yh1 from outside", ht: sugqcs1cd, and

Family Continued from Puge 1

indiviuuol os su.:h. Ifo is a 11<11 ic!llul hero and so ~lwulJ be buried in L u90s where rcuplc can easily co!! to ~ee his yra.ve. If he is token home he will be

1:.ir~uen;' Tunctc: utMca. He said it was true tnat all

and sundry would follow the family home for the burial but that after the burial rites Dde Giwa would become u man of the past.

lnspite of his explanation, his uncle said it was the family's wi5h that Ugbekpe-Ekperi should be Dele Giwa's final resting place. . Tunde Giwa however, suid he would go home before

. Friday this week to muke his stand known to the family personally.

He said Dele Giwa would not be buried this week.

Prayers for fate

Ukiwe Continued from Back Pagt heading for his Abiriba home town in Imo State.

Before the cars a rrived the airport, a number of plain clothe security men besieged the Presidential lounge anJ lo,:l,.cd up th<' main · entrance to the lounge, appan:ntly 10 shu1 ol f I l11: h,'lnlc o r newsmen there.

·As part of the meas ures to keep CammoJure LJkiwt:'s departure from public glare, his car ~id 1101 pass through the n~a111 g'.11e into the Pre~1denual lounge.

l\1.achel Continued from Buck Page

in r ... 1aµutu to elect a successor to Dr. Ma.:hel who brought i11 depcnJe1H.:e to !'vlo1a111b1quc III I ~75.

Alst> yc~ter<lay , t he comru1,-r g,:un , IU;\1 j0i11cJ the long list of companies ,,·i1hdra,\ ing 1hcir bu~inc~~, from the apariht:id cndave.

An 18M spokesman who announced the move, described it as unfortunate bu1 ncce~sary in the face of 111111im~i1 effort~ 10 di~mandc aoartnc1d.

· Uni\' on t-1onday another Amcr.ican firm General l\1101ors announced ils sudden wilhdrawal from South Africa.

Bishops Continued from Back Pa_qe co111i111H~ in ih ta.-.k · of rckmkss ~.:arch for the 1rn1h .

In anorhc:r con<lulcncc message, Rivcrs ~1a1c Governor Colom:! Anthony llkpo :.aid h..: re-.:..:i . c<l new\ or Dd.:'~ dcati1 1,11U1 ..i gre;it ~hoc!,.

The ~o,•i:ruor I l'lil,,ri.c,I ...... . " '-' hh tkalh !\!;-~·,1a h;id

J ,, r., I

Myf whe1 par

The house remau na.go o.rea. Doors, g arc all wider lock. effect of the expl remains "ivid on the window which is pw l:O"vered with a new linen. Some of his I meticuiously stack sheh.cs, cun be see, the outside. His three in all • Jay st: entire atmosphere The premises is de·

But in Ruy .Ekpi. next door, call< alreudy filing in o.m. For the mo11 perhaps for som come, it will re1 home for the D fomily. Billy Gi" ycur-old son of 1 who delhered , l ur,:el is here.

"He lh·cs h Ruy Ekpu. A lcu'\.eS for the • st·dny a few Hi\ cs worJ~ to tltul l-'u11_1114'Jrd

he ullowt:d t,

llilly. Sum.: mom,

.:01.1.:~ in - rd, (i iwu frnu L .hJ,1~. Billy ~ roi.1111 · upp,11 .rhc hu1hrvom sl i ppc:rs, h Joru1:nH u I'-'• unJ u brown wolks across C1 11J 111(1-s ; rt: 1'.11 ion, w i.

~co1 woi1i1 J cp re~ ~ l'd s~·mpu thy Wulllall•l'.0, runnin4 ll'·

~ i,, r.. ~

~---· ... ),

. . ' . ~

Zentralafrika _. ·.-:- : :-~~- ... -.. .-:.,.'..)~: ... :-.·~_:\._:·;~,,-;

wechsel wie nachher. Zu_deich wurde die Bewachung ~!es Schlosses durch Polizistcn und Gendarmen aufgel·oben. Es heiGt, den Beamt.!n seien die Rauber-undGendarm-Spiele lastig ge·.rnrden, die Bokassa mit ihnen veranstaltete.

Ohne afrikanische und franzosische Helfer hat der f.5 Jahre alte Bokassa den .-\bsprung wohl nicht ins Werk gesetzt. Franz6sische Freunde des Kaisers finden sich auf der auGersten Rechien. Das bringen das Leben und die Geschafte in den ehemaligen Kolonien so mit sich.

Giscard intervenierte vergeblich

Dem Publikum drangen sich groteske und graG!iche Erinnerungen auf, wenn der Name Bokassa genannt wird: die von Frankreich inszenierte und bezahlte Kaiserkr6-nung in Bangui am 4. Dezember 1977 (die Giscard seinem Schiitzling vergeblich auszureden versucht hatte ); die edelsteinfunkelnde Krone, c:ie sich der einstige Unteroffizier der Kolonial-Infanterie nach dem Vorbild Napoleons . selbst aufs Haupt setzte; die Jagdeinladungen fiir Giscard, der dem GroGwild · zuliebe

Horrorbilder aus dem Kaiserpalast den' zweifelhaften Gastgeber in Kauf nahm; die einheimischen Diamanten, die schon dcr Finanzminister Giscard rnn der Reise mitgebracht und verlegt hatte und die fur den Staatsprasidenten im \\'ahljahr 1981 zu Objekten <.:iner ,.schwarzen Magie" wurden. Da sind weiter die Horrorbilder, von denen man r:icht recht weil3, ob sie einrnal Wirklichkcit waren: die Krokodile , die in ihrem Bekkcn auf Opfer warteten; die Lcichenteile im Gefrierraum; unbezweift:lbar: die erschla-

genen Kinder und Halbwuchsigen wiihrend der Unruhen 1979, deren Zahl ein Dutzend, aber auch einige hundert ausmachen kann.

Uber all dem Bizarren wird leicht vergessen, daG es in Zentralafrika um Geostrategie geht. Mit dem unblutigen Coup vom September 1979 blockte Frankreich die -EinfluGnahme Libyens im Staat Bokassas ab, sehr zur Erleichterung seiner afrikanischen Klienten. Frankreich unterhalt auf zwei Stutzpunkten 1500 Mann und eine Anzahl Kampfflugzeuge und Hubschrauber. Bangui ist die wichtigste Nachschubbasis filr das franzosische Truppenkontingent, das den benachbarten Tschad gegen das weitere Vordringen der Libyer schi.itzt. Von Bangui starteten die Kampfflugzeuge, die dem Staatspriisidenten von Togo im vergangenen September bei einem bewaffneten Einfall von Ghana aus die erbetene Unterstiitzung brachten.

Oberst Mansion, ein Offizier des franzosischen Nachrichtendienstes, steht Gene-

Franzosen bleiben im Land ral Kolingba seit <lessen Machti.ibemahme vor fiinf Jahren als wichtigster Berater und Helfer zur Seite. Er nahm auch Bokassa bei seiner Ankunft in Empfang. Die fiinfhundert Mann der Prasidentengarde sind der wichtigste .,stabilisierende Faktor". Aber wichtiger noch sind die U nterstiitzungszahlungen aus Paris. Geplant ist eine Volksabstimmung uber eine neue, demokratischere Verfassung. In dieser Phase kann der Staatschef den einstigen ,.Kaiser", der eine gli.icklich i.iberwundene, blutige Yergangenheit in Erinnerung bringt, ganz und gar nicht im Lande gcbrauchen. Weder lcbcnd nuch tot.

F. A. Z.

((-1--- I I. ,_ /'• ,,;

•. , ... .

Fritz Schatten

Soyinka: Nobeipreis an einen Afrikaner Der Entscheid des Stockholmer Komitees ist unerforschlich·, oft ratselhaft. Um so gro• Ber mag die Genugtuung daruber sein, daO 1986 zum ersten Mal der Preis fur Literatur an einen - eruptiv begabten -Afrikaner

· ging. Der Beitrag, den wir dem ,,Rheinischen Merkur" entnehmen, wurdigt den Nigerianer Soyinka auf Grund personlicher Begegnun• gen.

Nein, so laGt sich Akinwande Oluwole Soyinka, der sich Wole So

yinka nennt und den seine Freunde nur Wole rufen, so laGt sich der Nobelpreistrager 1986 fur Literatur nicht erfassen: dal3 man ihn ,,in der Eiseskalte Europas" einvernimmt, in einem .,fiir unsereinen ungesunden Psychoklima", welches auch dadurch nicht gemildert wird, da8 da afrikanische Freunde seine im Friihjahr aufgenommene Arbeit am Theaterinstitut der Unesco in Paris begleiten. In solcher .,Fremdheit, die sie immer bleiben wird", wahlt Soyinka vorgestanzte Worte, verharrt er im .,Linearen", das er in seinen Theatersti.icken, Gedichten, ,Romanen, erst recht in den Eigeninterpretationen seiner Essays so schroff ablehnt und durchbricht.

\Vole Soyinka ist nati.irlich ,.glucklich und dankbar·', als erster afrikanischer Autor ,,so hoch geehrt zu werden"; selbstredend nennt · er den Kobelpreis eine ,,Anerkennung afrikanischer Kultur und Traditionen". Doch die schlanke Gestalt Soyinkas wirkt dabei steif und starr; im tiefen Schwarz seines Gesichts bewegt sich nichts; der l\lund iiber dcm dichten I3art zuckt nicht ironisch-selbstironisch. die Augen zwinkcrn nicht, um anzudeutt:n , wie

schnell sonst Witz und Schalk in ihnen aufflackern. ·

Wir haben - zuerst 1960 und dann noch zwei- , dreimal - einen ganz anderen .,\Vole" erlebt, und wir konnen uns vorstellen, wie er auf die Ehrung aus Stockholm reagieren wi.irde, trafen wir ihn im Yoruba-Dreieck von Ibadan, Ife und Benin , am besten aber in einem Dorf na-

Das Dorf als ein ruhender Pol

mens ,,Aiyero". Dort, in diesem imaginierten Ort seiner engeren nigerianischen Heimat, hat Soyinka 1973 mit seinem Roman · .. seasons of _Anomy" , also in e iner ,,Zeit der Gesetzlosigkeit" , tollwi.itige Hunde und Schakale losgelassen ( ,,Die Plage der tollwiitigen Hunde" heiGt die deutsche Ubersetzung, l 979 bei Wal ter in Olten/Freiburg erschienen). Schwarze sind an die Stelle wei/3er Schur ken getreten; sie bilden das ,.Kakao-Kartell·', eine Doppeldiktatur der ,.neuen Macht" und der aus Europa/Amerika i.ibernommenen Wort-BildGe.wait von Kummerzwerbung uncl Politpropaganda. Die fcste . tradicrte Welt cks Afrikaners geriit ins \Van ken . Am Ende , nach dem \Veg <lurch cin ,.dantisches Inferno" , hlciht cinzig /\iycro als

~:wswwn )

verliiBlicher Platz: das Dorf, die Gemeinschaft, bewahrt durch Ogun.

Ihn hatte schon Leo Frobe-· nius auf seiner Nigeria-Reise 1910-12, bei seinem Aufdekken der Ife-Kultur ini Yorubagebiet, gefunden: den Gott des Krieges, des Schwertes, aber auch des zu friedlicher Bestimmung geschmiedeten Eisens. .,Soweit richtig, Ihr deutscher Forscherfreund", sagte uns Wole Soyinka in Ife; dann wandte er sich um in seinem Arbeitsraum nahe der neugegriindeten nigerianischen Universitat, auf Bronzen und Terrakottagfiguren hinweisend, Zeugnisse allesamt der grol3en Ifekultur, die sich nach 1200 n. Chr. entwickelt hatte und deren ganze Gr6J3e und Einma- · ligkeit erst bei den Funden von 1938 hervorgetreten war:

Ogun -eine afrikanische Gottheit

,,Alles das ist Ogun", sagte Wole Soyinka, ,,und Frobenius hat gedacht und gesagt, solche Kunst kann nicht aus Afrika stammen, da miisse es etruskische Einfliisse geben. Aber Ogun war, Ogun ist eine afrikanische Gottheit; nur in Afrika kann es ein gottliches Wesen geben, das einmal gut und einmal bose, einmal kriegerisch und einmal friedensstiftend ist. Nur in Afrika ist Ogun denkbar, und nur Afrikaner konnten das schaffen, was Sie hier sehen."

Ogun hat Wole Soyinka nicht mehr losgelassen; auf dem Horizonte-Festival in Berlin rezitierte er 1979 ein neues Poem, das die Doppeldeutigkeit und Doppelgriindigkeit Oguns abermals anklingen lieB und die Zuh6rer vor Riitsel stellte, die so oft die Rezeption des Werkes von Soyinka begleiten und er<chwercn: Mythen und Al-

ien, die keine , ,Aufkliifind,.n . \Vo rte und

dem Altenglischen, aus der Yorubasprache oder aus einem anderen, nigerianischen_ Idiom stammen konnten oder zusammengesetzt sind.

Chinua Achebe, der andere Grol3e der nigerianischen Literatur, hat \Vole Soyinka vorgehalten, er stifte mit seiner allseits gerilhmten Sprachgewalt - der LeedsAbsolvent und He-Professor soil ,,spielend 11 000 englische Worter" beherrschen -,,blol3 Verwirrung". Das war eine billige Retourkutsche. Zuver hatte Soyinka Chinua Achebes Romanepos ,,Things fall apart" attackiert (.,Okonkwo oder das Alte sturzt" heil3t die deutsche Ausgabe bei Suhrkamp). Soyinka bemangelte, Chinua Achebe habe ,,nur dariiber gejammert, dal3 das Alte zusammenbricht; aber auch, nachdem das Alte vergangen war, fallen unablassig Dinge auseinander". Wale Soyinka, dessen Literatur gerade dadurch Tiefe gewinnt, daB er das Unvergangliche afrika- · nischer Kulturen - Ogun, die Mythen, den Baobab, die Rezepturen des Babalawo, des ,,Medizinmannes", die Riten und Tabus - vor der Verganglichkeit zu bewahren versucht, war da auf dem ,,Imveg"; wie er spater selbst zugestand: ,,Ich wollte nur die Gegenwart sehen und den Menschen fiber den Kulturbruch hinwegschubseo. ''

Angestachelt wurde Soyinkas Iiterarische Aggression durch den Streit um _sein friihes Stuck , ,Dance in the Forest". Zu den Unabhangigkeitsfeiern Nigerias 1960 in Auftrag gegeben, wurde die Gala-Auffiihrung in letzter Minute abgesagt. Wir haben dann an der Uni\'ersitat Yon Ibadan cine der vielen halblegalen Auffiihrungen gesehen, die ,, \Vole" selbst inszenierte: Ein Hollenspektakel , in dem die Masken tanzten, freilich nicht die der Heiden nigerianischer Fri.ibgeschich-

--~-------

~ .. ~ .. ,.. . ,. .. -·.. . . . -. . . , · - ,_ - ~, ~ . , . -:: , . ""'-' '! .. ;, ,. , • - : · .. ·. . . .

• 7,~P ,f.'·~~> ~-.... \ .~ -~:: :(,-'~~~i --~--~:::i;_:;~•_, ~-.- ~;:~ ·~ .. • '•' •, ' •

Leibeigene, Unterdriickte, Gefolterte, Enthauptete. So-

. yinka wollte.,. . wie er sagte, .,zeigen, daB im neuen Nigeria alles wieder so grausam enden wird, wenn nicht Weisheit und Humanitat die neuen Manner leiten". ·

Spatestens 1965, in seinem Roman ,,The Interpreters" (deutsch: ,,Die Ausleger" ) machte Soyinka deutlich, daB seine Hoffnung schon zerstort war, der Aufbruch gegen den Kolonialismus werde ein ,,neues, anderes Afrika gebaren". Die nigerianische Hauptstadt Lagos - und in ihrem Getriebe die Gruppe der fiinf Hauptfiguren, die .,interpreters" des radikalen Wandels - verkommt zu einem ,,Amalgam alles Zerstorerischen aus der Welt der

Bericht aus dem Gefangnis

Weil3en und der Welt der Schwarzen"; der Afrikaner reagiere darauf ,,blol3 schizophren"; aus ,,Aiyero", dem Gebundensein im Dorf und im Stamm, in die Stadtslums verschlagen, mit ,,europaischen Slogans und euro- · paischem Brot" versorgt, von ,.Landlords ausgepreBt" und in Gelegenheitsarbeiten ausgebeutet, verleme der Afrikaner , ,sein Lach en'•, ihm bleibe nur noch aie Grimasse.

S9yinka selbst schnitt Gri-. massen, den Politikem zuerst, .,allesamt Geschaftsmacher". Als die Biafra-Sezession der Ibos losbrach, wurde Soyinka, als ein Yoruba, dafiir bestraft, daJ3 er den BUrgerkrieg als ,,unvermeidbar" hatte heraufkommen sehen. Zwei Jahre Jang, bis zum Oktober 1969, wurde er eingekerkert. Wer ihn danach wiedersah, fand ihn gezeichnet. Die Stimme wurde schneidend , die Ironic zurn Sarkasmus, der Spott zu Hohn. ,,A Man Died: Prison Notes"

tot") heiBt das Zeugnis. Eir: ~ Horspielfassung des \VD R. 1970 aufgenommen, reduzierte die Anklage auf d .. ; Zwiegesprach des Haftlir.~s mit einem schleimig-korrupten Politikerfreund, der s:c:, beim Besuch des Gefangr.'s· ses als der eigentlich Unircie entlarvt; der Haftling hat die Verstellungen und Verdrehungen der Politik durchschaut, der Politiker muB sie fortsetzen, will er an der Macht bleiben.

Der Roman, die H6rspielfassung, die Gedichte aus dem Hochsicherheitstrakt von Kaduna aber gaben, \\ie Soyinka sagte, ,,Hingst nicht die ganze Holle wieder, die ich durchgemacht habc--. Weil er ,,mehr erfahren hz.t. als ich mitteilen kann·'. at· tackierte Soyinka von da ab. in einer fiir einen afrika::ischen Scbriftsteller beis;:iielloseo Scharfe, neben dem Militarregime in Nigeria die ,,vollig entarteten" Diktaturen Idi Amins, des ,,Kaisers .. Bokassa, der Herrscher \·on Aq uatorial-G uinea.

Mit immer wieder en.:?tiY hervorbrechender Lebenslust und einer fast ungeziige !ten Betriebsamkeit - heute \"ew York, morgen London, ~bermorgen Paris - iiberdeckc Wole Soyinka, so sagen seine afrikanischen Freunde. r.ur tiefe Traurigkeit. Das 1,·ill man nicht glauben, 1•. c: nn man miterlebt, daB S01·i;;\.;i, in schallendes Geliichter 3t.:S

bricht, weil in ·Nigeria wieder einmal ein neues Sti.ick '- erboten worden ist , wie i983 das ,,Requiem fiir eine :1 futurologen" . Das ist eim: w:rbelnde Groteske, in deren Mittelpunkt . Soyinka de n

wissenschaftlichen \Va:1.~a~·er" Godspeak geriickt h:it: der hat . ganz exakt das E;;de des nigerianischen Qi\1.)()m; und die groBe \Virtschai>\,nse vorausgesagt, wird ;,b~_r von Eliah, se inem .. \k,il · um" inmitten eincr ,, ::·e1:tlichc~ Seance ubertrics-:. in-

: • . • 1: .. .

. Einc: WDR.

.1, redu-

: auf das H:iftlings

g-korrup-, der sich iefangnis-t1 Unfreie tg hat die

Verdrc•

< <lurch-: muB sic

an dcr

Horspicl-:hte aus 1eitstrakt ben, wie gst nicht :der, die

habe", 1ren hat,

:in""' at-n da ab, afrikani-beispiel-: n dem eria die ) iktatu-~isers" her von

eruptiv ,enslust :ii.gelten tc New 1, uber:rdecke :n seine ~. nur as will

wcnn ;~yinka ·er auswieder :k vere 1983 en FuJC wir-deren

den 'ahrsa· ct hat: , Ende booms ,ftskri· . aber Mediiffe nt· .st, in· as En·

-12/86

. ---- <

Politik in Afrika

de des Magiers prophezeit: Gods peak wird zum Opfer seiner eigenen .,Kunst" der Zukunftsdeutung, der Gefangene des von ihm selbst, fi.ir sich selbst entwickelten Systems der Yolksverdummung.

Soyinka dachte-natiirlichan heimische Politiker, als er die mit aller sprachlichen Kunst und vielen biihnentechnischen Raffinements komponierte Komodie selbst ins~nierte. Doch er wurde schweigsam, als man ihn kilrzlich in einer Diskussion in Paris fragte, ob nicht auch dem afrikaniscben Literaten das Schicksal des ,,Doktor Godspeak" drohe. Soyinka ist jedenfalls niemals mehr dauerhaft nach ,,Aiyero'' zuruckgekehrt, er hat den Ruf an das U nesco-Theaterinstitut begierig-schnell angenommen, und spatestens bei der Preisverleihung in Srockholm am 10. DezembermuBte erseinen Lesern erklaren, als was er denn seinen Pariser Aufenthalt ansieht: als Zwischenstation, als Exil?

Da sind, eben in Paris, schon andere Schriftstelleraus Afrika, die dieser Frage ausweichen, solange es geht: der Kongolese Henri Lopes, der in .,Sans Tam-tam" die Fassade der Volksrepublik von Brazzaville einstflrzen und sich dann als Diplomat an die Unesco delegieren lieB; oder

· Mongo Beti aus Kame run, der in Rouen unterrichtet und immer wieder in die Hauptstadt kommt, um mit den anderen daruber nachzu.sinnen, da/3 die Wahrheit , die er in einem Roman enthiillte, fortbesteht: ,,Bei uns sieht es so aus, als habe eine Yerschworung beschlossen, uns filrdie nachsten tausend Jahre zu zerschmettem."

In Afrika haben, wie gerade am Schicksal und am Beispiel des Nobelpreistriigers Wole Soyinka fatal deutlich wird, Geist und Macht, Literatur und .,Entwicklung" 1icht zusammengefunden . ioch nic.:ht? •

Symbol des Einpartelensystems: Kenneth Kaunda (auf unserem Foto bei einem Treffen mit der niederlandi• schen Konigin Beatrix im April dieses Jahres).

Robert van Lucius

,Neue Welle" bei lntelektuellen

Der weise altere Mann erziihlt eine Geschichte: Der sambische Pra

sident Kenneth Kaunda sci aufs Land gegangen uml habe einen Bauern gefragt, wie es diesem gehe. Schlec.:ht, so <lie Antwort: Im letzten Jahr habe er noc.:h zwei Jackcn, Lwei

Hosen und zwei KUhe gehabt, nun jeweils nur noch eine. Nun, antwortete der Erfimler des .,sambischen Humanismus", im Nachbarland, der Yolksrepublik l\losambik, gcbe es vicle ivtenschen, die hungerten und nackt scicn . Durch sein Opfer babe

der Bauer dazu beiget daB Sambia Mosambik helfen konnen. Der wiederum fragt den P rii ten: Oh, sind uns die M, biker also im Sozialismu aus? Der, der diese An, te in Arnoldshain kur: dem todlichen Abstur;mora Machels berichtet war vor gut einem Du i Jahren einer der fiihre Theoretiker des ,.Afri schen Sozialismus".

Nicht nur dieser schichtenerziihler" A Rahman Babu, ein Jangj · ger tansanischer Minister spater fur sech.s Jahre vormaligen tansanischen sidenten Nyerere ohne richtsverfahren ins Gefan gesteckt, hat sich gewanc. Nyerere selber hat vor e gen Monaten Skepsis gez gegeniiber dem von durchgesetzten System ostafrikanischen Tansa1 einem ,.Wunderland der P gressiven". Bei einem ( \ der Volkswagen-Stiftung t

terstiitzten) Symposium der Evangelischen Akader. Arnoldshain hat die Crer der afrikanischen Politikw senschaft das Einpartei~ stem in Afrika, Korruptil und Yerstol3e gegen Me schenrechte auf ihrem Kon· nent und in ihren Heimatla. dern in solcher Scharfe veru teilt, dal3 manche der a nw, send en Deutschen eir. .,neue Welle" im Denke afrikanischer Intellektuelle entdeckt zu haben glaubten

Bei elem Gesprach ging c um Demokraiie und Einpar teisysteme in Afrika. Diese Thema war bisher nicht nu in Afrika weitgehend' tabu · auch in Europa gab es in der letzten Jahren offenbar keinc· grul3ere wissenschaftlic.:he Studie dazu. Jetzt hatten ir. der Akademie gut ein Durzcnd afrikanischer Hoch· schullehrer aus alien T e ilc:1: des Kontinents d:is politische System ihres Heimatstaat.:~ analysiert, gdolgt rnn ~- im: r Kritik cines deutschen \\' is-

,.':.._ •• - • ' ._ .. . ":" .. • : • --i .. • ..... . • - - .-r *~ . #. ~ ·,e • • - ..... ~. ~ • ~ · : P' . ~ • - ~ ·:. ~· . • • ' ... ... • • ~ ~- , , • • . . . . .

SOYINKA, L'ENFANT TERRIBLE, NOBELISE

Des son rctour a Lagos rour arrrcmlrc la nouvelle a son reurle, le premier rrix Nohel de littcrnturc africain. declare, dans un style qu i lui est proprc : « Ce prix ne rwus appartient pas. Ce c1u 'if jlWI, c' est fonder not re prop re prix et a/lendre quatre-vingt-cinq w1.1· pour l'allrih11er Cl un Europeen ». On nc sait cc qu'cn pcnscront lcs jures de !'Academic royalc de Stockholm qui voulaicnt, sans doutc, par !cur choix, ccharrcr. unc fois pour toutcs. 11 !'accusation d'occidcntalismc qui !cur est souvcnt adrcssec, rnais ii cst clair, rour Wolc Soyinka, quc cc couronncmcnt n'cst pas un mou.vcmcnt de c<cur nature!. Cc scrait plut6t la pcur d'ain1cr. . Au dehut dc ccttc annec, trcs precisemcnt en janvicr, a ccttc mcmc rlacc, nous aprclions de nos vo.:ux fer.vents, cc Prix rour un ccrivain de nos somhrcs latitudes qui rcstcnt le dernier carre interdit de Nohel de littcrature sur la planctc. Les <.lieux c..le la litleraturc nous ont agreahlcment surpris en ccttc fin d',mnec. !Is l'ont fait pcut-ctrc rour se faire rlaisir. rarcc que toutr.: l'n:uvn.: de Soyinka charrie des sortilcgcs ct des rilucls mi !'on voit des divinites du rantheon Yoruba SC

mcler aux nouveaux dicux rredatcurs de l'Afriquc. Wolc est un Jc !curs fils, « /'hfririer des mythes, des rites et des rraditions cult11rc:l.1· Yoruha "· II y a duns scs pieces, commc duns scs romans, Jans sa roesic aussi. un cocktail rcussi Jc toutcs lcs odcurs, de toutcs lcs coulcurs ct de tout le hruit de l'J\fri4uc anccstralc. Soyinka. l'cnfanl lcrrihlc. Le pourfcnc..leur intraitahlc de la corrurtion ct de l'arbi trairc. En 1965, ii fit irruption duns une station dc radio pour dcnonn:r le truquagc des clcctions. Cc courage de tirnbrc-rostc lui vau<lra son rrcmicr crnprisonncmcnt. Ses tentatives infructueuscs pour recom:ilicr le Biafra, scc.:cssionnistc. avec le rcstc ' de la federation nigcrianc. le COIH.Juiront en prison Jc l967 a fl)(1lJ. Dans un lrcs beau livrc. « Cet lromme est mort », ii evo4uc ccs annecs dc cachot ct lcs tentatives J'assassinat auxqudlcs ii survivra ct son irnaginaire dcrnule la longue procession sfrulaire des esdavcs e 111.:haincs Ju golfe tic Ciuinee ct de C,orcc tbns bquellc ii prend dcsormais place . Mais le momlc qui su it la vic culturclle ct la chose littcrairc de notrc continent a d'ahord dccouvcrt Soyinka sous la . casquettc de l'oppo~anl farouche 11 la N0gritude. le chef de file d'un groupe d'111tcllcctuels africains anglophones qui rcprochaient ;1 kurs frcrcs l'ram:ophones que nous sornrnes, d'etre par trop assimilcs. par trop remplis dc la densitc des Blancs ct d'etre. en quclquc sorte. des ,, IJ/ancs en contre-{'l'"fllt; "• scion l'heurcuse fonnulc d'Emrnanuel Mounicr. le p0rc du personnalisme ct fondateur de la revue « 1:·.,Frit "· C "~st dor'.c unc qucrelle. un pet it combat de J!.OSier cntrt: 111lcllci.:tucls noirs africains de colonisation ~tillcrentc. qui a rondc la cclcbrik dc l\:criva in nigcrian . Sa rnrmule : "_I.<' llgrc· /1(' proc/111111• /JU,\'.\'(/ tigri//1(/('. /I l>o11cli1. 111,· .1·11 /JTIII<' c•/ la 111u11gc· " a fail fortune au-dcl.'1 des fronti0rcs du 111icrocos111c liltcr;1in.: afriL·ain. Mais cc sont ks

\ __ .,,

etats gcncraux de la Negritude qui ont dist inguc l'a:uvrc dramatiquc Jc Wolc Soyinka par un prix qu' il rc<;ut £1 Dakar, en 19~6, (j'etais a scs c6tcs) de scs mains largcmcnt ouvcrtcs sous le grand rirc ncgrc de satisfaction. Critique Ju concept Jc la Negritude, Soyinka n'cn est pas moins un ardent continuateur « dont toute l'il!uvre porte i.J suspecter d'erreur tous ceux qui /'on decrit sous !es 1rai1s d'un detracteur de Senghor "· La rcponsc de cc <lcrnicr, au lcnt.lcmain <le l'attrihution Ju Prix, lorsqu'on cvoqua ccttc vicillc qucrcllc, fut trcs simple, trcs doucc commc la formc <le sa pocsic : « Negritude, tigritude, decoulent de la miime pensee. Ce sont deux concepts complementaires ,,. Aime Ccsairc, le pcrc du mot de Negritude, va pl us loin dans son analyse ct rcmct hicn les choses a leur place : « Negritude - tigritude, c'est un simple jeu de mots. Soyinka, l'impetueux, a lance un mot qui a fail mouche. Pour employer une image, je crois qu'avant que le Negre ne rugisse, ii a fa/lu qu'il commence par dire qu'il pouvait rugir. Done, pas de tigritude sans negritude auparavant. ,, C'cst clair ct net. No comment, diraicnt lcs anglophones. Le plus prcstigicux Jes prix littcraircs Ju mon<lc a un Africain, c'cst le sacrc de l'hommc noir. Le N0grc colonise qui est parvenu a s'invcntcr unc expression originalc surgie Jc son genie proprc, a l'intericur mcmc ct sous la domination langagicrc etrangcrc. Et 4ui t.lit : J'EXISTE. Jc survis a mes <lecornhrcs. Jc transccn<lc !'accident colonial. Jc colonise la languc du ma1trc et jc rcconquicrs mon cspacc immemorial. Ccla rneritc un grand coup de chapeau. Un coup Jc chapeau a un grand crcatcur que prolongcnt des voix africaincs, voix Jc confrcres ct J'amis. D'ahord Ju Congolais Sony Labou Tansi : « Son prix Nohel va avoir une portee douhle : d'11ne part, le monde va enfin comprendre que la liuerature africaine existe et q11 'elle exist<: ailleurs qu'd Paris ou a Londre.,·. IJ'c111tre part, ce prix, pour nous autres artistes et ecrivains africains, est tri:s important, car ii va nous aider dans notre lulte contre la censure t!ans tous /es pays. Enfin, par rapport c} /'ensemh/e du continent, ii est plus important d'avoir decerne le Nohel cl un frrivain noir plutot qu',i 1111 ecrivain hlanc .wd-africain. Et Cl.'[ evenement aura, a coup s1ir, de.1· repercussions mi:me en Afrique du Sud». Et puis, un ministrc. L1urcnt Dona-Fologo. t.lc C6tc-<l'lvoirc : « Notre continent, pour des raisons que plus personne n 'ignore, est rest,• trop longte1111;s 11rhitraire111errt <!l'arte du del"'t c/'iclees qui agite le monde. Les pesarueurs coloniales, !es dijjicultes {I s 'inserer t!ans /es rese1111x internationaux de /'edition, /es prc,juges "" toule nature, n'ont pas toujours pennis 11 plus ,/'11n cle nos ecril'ains de connaitre 11nc no/orietc• 11 la mesure de son talent. Une lire 1/0lll'C'l/l' .I'

0UVr£' 1/Vl'C fe f}TiX t/e /i(IC'rtl(/lre (/Iii 1•ie11/ c/'etrl' allrihlll; 11 Wole Soyinka». Wolc. le magnifique. Soyinka. !'an.lent. TJ\frique-mere vous saluc bien tous ks dcux.

PAULIN JOACHIM a

f tV(;:__ (./, fl.>-\- ·1.·,L(. r~t f I , r-1' ,"'---

·cama·······P"'*""'"· ~4-4•---- · · '""'Qq,,llill.,Q~~ ,., ... - ... .., .... :111, m-... r:lll,,,r:lll~lll·"'--"1111; a4P ... 'IIA""4-4'11.Q"'i9_ .... ,......._..,. __ ,_..,$k .. j ZC __ .., ____ .,.,-a ....................... ...... .,..,...~__...,_, twi.-:-:n-· -

' l f f '

I [ I l ;

i • i

---/ ..

~ ., fl"

" .y 16 .. is di l_y ,.,. us in

>cl cd bo he .Ir/ ,. >ly Ilia

re, nd lhc )ff

or ha1 ...,.. olll(I

• -~ . \ .

~w;_;i;e you the first part \.I til\\h·'-'.ntl.D ·2.-.: ~ 1~·d c, /I';, -'-i illisi L.-,~ CQ_

of the report last Thursday: I th 1· • 1 • -f:1}2\~~;;::: :: n . ·.. e 1~e !~ ~;::i~~~~g --1,-~;, ~1 .. ·tr~~-umversal ad1·! historic event in Stockholm , . ~ and as usual> done in the inimitable way only him could wn·te it.

Only in Vanguard!

everyone that all was not lost. If one could not afford lhc "white tic and tails" there was still th; convenicm alternative of "'nationaJ tails! 0 Hjs desire 10 disP3rse the tedium of the situation, J must say. was promptly "fulfilled-.in

THE aocle or -drns (or remar~ed someone who robust and deserved tlw pRW•tatloa «ttnooates probably had a green-white- laughter''. or tllc No~t Award• ts and-green tic to which he Odia Ofeimun epitomizes ,(>«lilt i• th• cu~ of i was very. mucb attached. the soul of imcllectual lflll~ - "w~lt• 11•, or Someone else explained exubbcran« by his lifenali<>Hl d,...." .. ~nd thor~ quite reasonably, 1ha1 style. A mouth 1ha1 is haAxs a talc. t"rom thr enough fuss had been made always hungry for 1rill•1 or 1h11 lal•, ii Is m·or 1he matter; and instead discour,e, and lips which iN,itabw lhat 1Mr~ would of iA·as1ing our time, why 0Y(rtlow wirh smiles· an ,_,II' aom• or lht didn' t ,., make a bee-line impish humour ~eas~ned cbar.K'lrrs whose prewn .. ·c- for the ~hopping cen1rc with a fa inc didactic flavour ro~ an unfor2~Uablt be-fore ii was 100 la1e? inces1ianll>• blurring 1he line par1 of,~ op,ri<nc,. Al that point, ii became between levity and grace, ·

As a de;.:ription of quiie dear 1ha1 1he and in which "lhe described formal -.car. '"\\hil.: tie" of ,t~tcmcn1s were being made h.:com.:s 1hc prescribed ... ~O\.lhC' mi::im, .. morni(l~ in c:arncst 9 and so one of the I ha,·e found myself Uri.!,,·• '"'i1h 1:iil-i:oa1 and all officials \Cr )' gently quming above from - the: acme of 1,;aemoni:il i::-..plam.:d the connotalion Ofeimun's "A HandJe·for appard for men... as of ''white 1ie'' in ... ·cry 1hc Flu1is1"', a collec1ion of ••• StocJtJ,oJm had1t~ wil••NMI ,uqtJJiiO di,11nc1 from "'black lie" pr<cisc 1erms. He firmly some of his poems. There is . . b, which denoies .. , .. ening . added that ii was a passage in 1he title poem r<hgion, and generated "horn I had °"'° dre;s" loosely referred 10 as ,·onsidercd, in his ,.-ords, as which slirs dis1an1 echoes of mutual respec: and joke a commorei "dinner jacket" . As far as I "de rigucur" on ihcsc Wolc Soyinka's Nobel fondn~s, e\"en. principle, occ-0 am concerned. all thal is occasions, and thal !he lcclure, "This PaSl Musi For insiane<, lhcrc was There was ,Y,a, "stri.:tly for the birds" and outfil could 1'e hired from Address lls Present": "Lei our lady of "the People's who had ff<Nl&t those who wanl it •re some people who were very us praise those who will Repu~l!c", Hadja Bilikisu, Paris. The tint he welcome to it. It would, in competent in such matters·. banish poc,,s from ihe lhc Ednor _ o r !he Sunday saw Wole Soyinl:r fact, !>~v<'" -n hardly The clarification gave People' s Republic." Triumph, Kano. Only a few Yemi Lijadu. :n_ noticed excep1 1ha1 some or little 'relief. What? Hirl" a S.:rious lircralurc is member., of _ihe dclegaiion drove a Land '-'• us acrually believed thal ii dress? No way I Al 1hat considered oulSide the had met her In_ person un til <lro,·c a spQrls vh meant no more than it said point, J could no fon@cr province of a .. had:' '.\he gen1Jr 1mpmged on our rode a scOQJer~er - just an ordinary tie, laugh over the matter. (.which is no less than what 1 \:,IJn\ciou~nc~~ •. in tolera1ed m)flna :,o,hite in colour. Some risible · si1ua1ions consider myself 10 be) so we St_ockholm. Wtllowy, and circumstan= ""'

Al first. it looked lil really do "lie 100 deep" for will leave all 1ha1 10 winsome '° every way, she me into some I good fun when some peopl mirlh (if you will pardon . worthier practitioners like exuded a fresh fragrance of cr . .. you know,)a; began 10 enquire about 1h, my Wordswonh.) Yemi Ogunbiyi, and our lcmininny wh,ch the se\'erc ,-, has never eca--,ct nearesl store from whicl One cann.>t begin to own Sina. All lhc same, we Q. they could acquire that litti< name these comrades who do not mind being / was t l h l i1em or herbasdeshery, a almost got "tied" up over considered unworthy or- ru Y ovenv e mef.• good white lie. Some even such a simple matter of praise, WC who cherished mov,'ng simplicity and staf',~~ wondered whal was wha1 10 wear. Bui Odia the presence or pocls in the u signiric.antly unacceptable Of~imun shall be named, "People'~ Republic" .,. of o,if, the 0CCasion1 SWathet;f ..Z, ,.._; ,n a cream tic, or maroon - for it was he who threw DOMUS Ho1el, h l ' eye~.--ailer_ all, a lie was a open the noodgatcs of Stockholm. t e 9 Ory of fr~:1neS$ O~ a ( i tic. Dis Oy1bo people don laughter wi1h words or 'J , come with their wahala", great cheer. He reminded :,

adhcr::11ce to hc:r rclis"ious doctrines could yet no1 efface. Once in a while, flashes of an astute mind and sterJing professionalism broke through her serene l.'harm - lha t was whc:n we were reminded thal lhc lady 1s an cchtor ... and an editor

I L .~ ..... mere names to each other,

·-7"-:--:---- -_:;_ .. ·,,!:i~~-!:!!~·:=:::'!·b.--,_!!ltl&l.a .. JJ•I into a dose relationship Wol, Soyi,.b: ,1, which revealed shared ""°"l~d.. . . n o uther time U learnin_q so interests : across lhc

divcrg.:nce : of tribe or

i) an edi tor. Almos! every young

blad.: w41 ntcd to know who she was from me. But I too owe ihe Stockholm trip the pleasure of seeing her for 1hc first lime, and held her somewhere between stark awe and genuine fondness.

While new relationships were . born, a contrasting i:xpencnce was also created f_or me. Various aspec1s or a h fe which has taken its r,,rm and ton-:' trom 1he 4uality of its p b l rcla1ion,hips, were fo rcefully rc..:allc:d wilh the prc)encc of some individuals with

me. But a il th quaner or a cc

Then there Abiola !rel Univers)ty of wa) one of in programme c Half-hour" . 1nd his repcr some ilaliaa was sure that lani; were a, m tunes in tho! ch then, I did no; w of lialian. J of l bi how many f as !n able to put MC H ye1, when I h w everybody th A

classic Sw, en! hr ailed eve my translatio· newspaper s~ Soyi~t:1 l~ S!· should depriv h reputation (a but Professor e my l'rstwhile ~

.:r AtJJA-:.::tR

the limelight ot lversal: adulation

J lyin_q h ea d g ea r, flaming colours; we floated on to the wide steps of City Hull us thou_qh issuinq forth from · ·a

~b~J.;,,_ __ was not !4~[i:i~:iiill!'?.r.:---.~.:'.' .. ,'."·~,-~...,--".--~------7 hi!' calmly infor med

,1.,,:~r.1,lm : Jcl nt"\C:I 111111.·" 1.·d ,und 1111t.' ltL1 · 11!

1 1,tlll(hl\,IUI 111h1,.·,·. ll, 111111}!

lltllll). I '.\· .1: t··:,101:1.:ll l .

llan1111g: c.:ul(lu; , : \\,' 1l~;;,t,:ll ,111 10 the "-id!! )1t,· 1h 11, 1 ll\

Hall a.\ though i,~uin~ l\ ,1th IHlm a rainbm\, on 1ht d,l)' '.'.ligcna ba,~cd in l h L· limd1gh1 o f univc r al ;idularion,

ot afford , >\·· . cvcryon~ 1hul my Swedbh d tails", J&F.i wa, probably no better than ill the "'{, .. • my Greek! . a,ivc of And there wa., Kchindc -tis desire Adcoshun who p1i:kcd me :dium of up in dpwntuwn S tock· 1us1 say, . · holm. whik I wa!'t ln lht tlfilled in ~:.~-:" company ' of Frank Ai~-deservcd lm~okhuede. We all uscJ to

The prc\cnlalion '.i"( on I he same st rc«: l some !wo decades ago a fter whil.:h \\C' were forced into the

pltomi1cs .tellccrual his life-

that is ,. for ps which nilcs; an ~easoncd ic Oa\'OUf ~ the line grace:.

described ·ibed".

.«:,,· .. diaspora" of 1hos.c who wl!rc looking out fo r a heller lomorrow. That lomorrow was today, but as

\'.l'remoni() o f the Nobt:I .\kmorial pr izes arc attcndcu by 1he pomp and ...:iri:um)tam.:c betiniug · lhc high..:)t a\\au.1s for merit knO\\ n 10 man. The prize!. arc ric rsoually handed over 10 the winner!-! by 1hc King himscl r. When it came to \Vole Soyinka's turn 10 r~L"li!i\-'C his award, I fell a liUlc il~h in Ol)' ri&ht C)'C; then 11 ,pread co the 01hcr oye, and I knew that I ha u allowed 1hc occasion w gel to me. I could not help it.

I mys,lf from

andle for lf"("tinn nf ;, There is itle poem echoes of ; Nobel ·ast Must nt": 0 Lcl who will

·om the .epublic.:• urc 1s ;idc the

"hack'· unwhatl I be) SO WC

that to .iners like

and our

· ... St!>clt/ro/m /rad ",_.,.u,iJ,reued anything like iJ!

religion, .and generated · mutual respcc: and .. fondness, cvc-n.

whom I had once shared a joke a common friend or prindplc, or even a prank.

There was Ytmi Lijadu who had nown in from Paris. The first t ime l ever saw Wole Soyinka was with Verni Lijadu. Wolc then drove a Land Rover, Y cmi drove a spons car, and I rode a scooter. Why they tolerated my humble circumstances and admitted me · into some of their, er ... you know, good fun

For' instanct, there was our lady o( " the People's Republic" , Hadja Bilikisu, .. . the Editor of the Sutlliay , Triumph, Kano. Only a few members of the delegation had met her in person until she gently impinged on our • · ,on~ciousness in Stockholm. Willo,.y, and winsome in every way, she exuded a f~sh fragrance of rcminini1y which the severe C has never ceased to amaze

: same, we d being I was truly overwhelmed by the 'Orthy of' • • 1· • d k d• •

cherished moving simp tcity an s:tar . ,g~,,y octs in t he .~th . . h d • . ,lie" ... of OJ e occasion) swat e .. ~ it were in.

Hotel, "the glory of fre:hness of a dream" about !:k me is filled 1gh1s. The :minds ~t,c f Ois late Id man of .crs and >rial 1aste. crs of the fhc son's tp~rance qual ity of l renew the

his sire's .slrain of

tents have manner for ir subjt\:u

over-all or the t. In one.. rip brought who were

more tn3.n each other, rtlalionship :d shared ross the

• 1-, ..

- ). adher:ilcc to her rdi8ious doctrines could yet not efface, Once in a while, nashcs of an astu~ mind and sterling professionalism broke through her serene charm - that was when we . were reminded that the lady-, · is an editor ... and an editor is an edi1or.

Almost evtry young blade wanted to know who she was from me. But I too o·::~ :h: Stockholm riir, th~ pleasure 01 seems iu:r 1·ur the first time, and held her ,;omewhcrc between s1ark · awe and genuine fondness.

While new relationships were born9 a comrasting ~xpericncc was ah.o created for me. Various aspects of a life which has taken its form and tone from the quality of its past relationships, were forcefully recalled with the presence of some indh·iduals with

me. Bui ail that was over a quarter of a century ago.

T hen there was Professor Abiola Jrele. of the University of Ibadan, who was one of iny artist~ in a programme called "Youth Half-hour,.. He sang cenor Jnd his repertoire included )Orne Italian arias. I never was sure that the lyrics he sang were as genuine as l he tunes in those days; but ,1,~". l -:i~~ ~,.., h1'""" ~ u:ord u, 1 L&llan. J ot l(U wunucn:u how many fasl ones he was able to put across me. And yet, when I had convinced everybody that I spoke dassic Swedish and enthralled every one with my translation of a local newspaper story on Wole Soyinka in Stockholm who should deprive me of my reputation (and audience) but Profo»ur Abiola lrde, 0· 1 • c-rSl\•:hi1r " · · ·· i.~n

,,c grinned a l one another under a 1t:nt1'h!ra1ure of "below zero", grey hai r on une head, ~rey beard, everywhere, we mu!l>t have: wondered ho., muc h ··bcnc:r" il ha~ all turned out tb be, after all . llccau,.e we said so liulc about the present from which on the other hand, we so volubly addressed the pa,t.

There, in th• very spot where Erne~t Hcminiway, Rudyard Kipling, Winston

The ladies who came Churchill, Bernard S~w, along to Stockholm had no &rtrand Russel, problems at all about their Rabindrath Tagore and mode of dress. Give a other immortals had stood, Nigerian woman the was a black man , a Nigerian opportunity of dressing up, like me - and that was why and you do not need 10 tell I, myself was here in thi, her what to wear. There was ha l1owcd moment, looking -Mrs. Francesca Emmanuel down with one hundred lookin& delectably elegant, million pairs of eyes ... the as usual. And there was eyes were too many for one ?rofcssor Bimpe Aboyadc head, anJ ma)·be tbal wu who has reta ined her quiet why they itch«!. aUu;c From her T w~ tru ly overwhelmed broadcasting days, al0I\• oy the moving simplicity with that quain1 :!ignificd and stark dignity of the grace wh!rt, 1 have always oc,asion, swatched as it ~und rather fetching in wero in "lh• glory and female acadc!'mic~. l w~~ fre:i.hness of a dream". ·1n compl:tely_ bowled over no 01her place is 'such - a when she addressed me as a gath~ring ot gllttuini former 14 CO-worlc.cr"! intdtc..:rnality tvcr encased

So, the ladies took all in one golden pa~eantry. At that business of dressing for no other time is learning so the occasion in their dainty ennobled that even royalty stride. Not for them the pays it such humble mystery and the mix-up of homaRc, I saw gemus .. white tie" . They just TCl.:C"i \'C' high ;u,;clairn amJ swung out in their gorgeou, l.nowle,Jgc enthroned. a~ray of natjonal auire. So From 1hat uniqucnes~ dtd the men too, once we was disiilled the matchless got over the problem ot' our qual ity of ihc Nobel .. nalional tails" . :xpui~nce.

-l!!l!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!'!!!!'!!t .. ,~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I

The presentation ceremonies of the Nobel MemoMI prizes are attended by the pomp and circumstance befitting the highest awards for merit known to man. The prizes are personally handed over to the winners by the King himself

!!I' · - 1""N.IIN .I. .. ~ar\1"'"1 · ·~-· ., • . 'l

·~ D -Ill llJ:!• 1,,11 1li,11 l"\IM

Hri ..1n ... ""'' \ Cr)

hWI ind <:al, th• prit, 11.u• Oftd 1.•ut in~ ,;;.. haw l'al

""' nil pu ,... ,, lm1 pro Ab too WCI bro ... .. dill she ccr En >ht wh het ma rct

I pa: h"' I ex gr, ho u, .\I

4 ., a fl

ha t,, m co w b,

1 ;, Ii w A ~i

" i!' ' d ~

I y .. " "' ))

.. .., :w :w a

a: he ra ,al

!UC nd

hat . ia

--------~-~--,,

From tl1e lofty appf-(: 1.------------------i posed no great terror to · ::: • all me immediately. In fact, I Our own JOurn 8ID guru, was almost singing, or

B• . L th • wwatling gaily as we. 181 awrence, was ere ID trooped into the opulent

Stockh. Im th d th Li foyer of the hotel. There 0 , . e ay e on were some rumbling•

· th J L' about "conversion" and got e ewe the "rate in dollars", but

Today we bring you the ~~~/idh~~ to:rch tt'l: fill'st part Of the report of the Nigeria~. I went as far u

to obtllll1 the number of

Nobel Literature Prize ~~~:::,· ~:=;t":0~Y ~:k &Ward to Ollr OWD W oie and s~p into the ooft

h sumpt.lousneea of my Soyinka, done in t e palatialchamber•. . } B• • And then the content• inimitable way on Y 181 of the earlier rumblinga · uld •t •t became a bit clearer, as I Lawrence CO wrl e 1 • got the full impact of the

Onl • y .. -,.,,,,waMJ rates. Nine hundred y m ---a-.. 1<ronen came to about 130 dollars, ... hich is about four hundred naira.

THE NOBEL EXPERIEN ,.. le

. ~ . .

laureate to exceed thirty. In fact, Wole Soyinka's "family, friends and publishers" (as described and enumerated by tne Swedish Pressl all came to about 27 in number.

ns, people?" ael<ese Pressman, nu

"Oh, becau0 P couldn't really b:;j hundred million, 1

Tony Momoh s: 1

without any h~~ Qt

r " GN111t SFEMI I haatened ting THI: _.._ w...- having won tlw palm lot' - ra.n, actually - to tha :oo: -Mata.ANw• the category , of Jobbywherelfound~ta· pal u,,. .a.l "':hi.tpt wl Literature. h d a number of the mom ra 110 bl• • die n. deieption a of our delegation looking

claaM _ _._...._ N,J'aky u it. Leader, a bit down u the mouth. ter, We_S7_,_.._ Prince Toe( Momol\, the In the end, ,_ tN .-di. -7 ---- Mim- o Information. accommodation• that·

away r... &tcadrhehP Howev•, not all the were more suitable to our We ......,. .... tM __,, ,.... able to plabian poaition and ~ hela,. _. .W arty in the retmue which purse were found for us in ~t,aU.-. wH ·1od1ed In the a hotel called "DOMUS,"

., up'• :baa day -'OQ' I

n. a..·., &lie Nellll --. It - not our "hich wu promptly reMamorial Awarda falls wiah to d•act the christaned "Tha P~le's into -,b' wi.t. la "tM ........ la fact. 16Verai Republic" by the Minister w,d of tM ~ •-b•• of the himaelf. Sun" • . It i&,....-w,l • dalapUaa vOW*i to stay We were all agreed that Howeva the Preoa had "You can VOi ~ -lOdt, wWda ~ wtda llim a& tha Sberaton at the rigl)t_ roval rates, also in&ted the size of that. can't you tha ...-.-y ·. ol ... tmoap tblck and thin - offered by the Sheraton, the official delegation to a first time ever.:. poi a.&Jl ol ~ HolNI -' fl.- - IICCOWlta. only princea and their "plane-load" of delegates. It waa not the oiaaiy ~ lll9L 'D1t Ulh,p ~ did tend to courtiera • of the inner The a.ctual number waa. only time ·. t La,d ~ - - iadl • - ndlar I.bill latar OL circle., ... truly entitled· of cow-ae. much leaa than Minuit.er bad L~ ai.-. .~ AU ~ .aama, · the to ouch paradai1ical that diaplay the a,aulllae , ..._. - aulwada hold on ea:ornmodatlona That embellishmen, t · he bad

L...<.--L-~- - ·- _.._ -.,. • • __ , ·•· grasp11·0

n1'flca11•e j>&>lsn, s.-. -- •. . ..... II Stockholm WU ...... y notwithstanding, ....., aw, ~ ~ "• • t:.!--el tM ,~; •• ~ L. -'~ - for ua. 'nl8 name of Wole mem ~. 9t Ill' -- _ ,,,_, -- ,_ ....,..nue Soyinka had been on imp< ,._ ... Anaa ~ ._ tM alrpart. - bad many lips last year ... hen h A . ' n H to I»~~- ... -i!ilaformedby alocalpollwuconducted T, ere was an merrcan .· ~.1~', whidl WI •- ~ •omdalolthaembuay·tofindout.,bowaamost n. CCOrd1·ng fO my inl"orrpant, In b- .. _, ._. · ji: diat. ll ~ ooc ua no likely to win the Nobel ., J' · ·

~ ~~~=~f=-.~9:-t~ r:t. Jc;,rw=.--~~.: Wole Soyinka as the most Jo ,1::1!!

tri<at a,# - •• --~ • ,- die ~ That not to be his year, obstacle between him and th lO~

lt hi el ol

~i.°eru~~~:oo:~h "!: prize. The ·~Americans" th ~: ;:~~c~he ear~~~ ... ~ decided to narrow down the a ~,1g,

,__ .... _" ....,._._,..,. .. .....,. ··muterot1etteni''hardly the Nigerian writer by offetini med ,_.,, _ --• - Ill a-, --. came up fot" mention at / / • criti, .- i:-.-::::--: =..:-:=-... l ......; ail But rus name WU award Which WOU d prOC Q/lll ·one

---·-- ... - ......... of ...... already welJ.known ind / ,.. ·, a cle,•er.·~ n,as, ... - ...... :....- - -.AoN.v.-,..,...,_,d various copiea of his •• oca wrt er... •,. \\, ~_!.. - - - .. -i----edi,or works were on display in ··ctam,1 .,.,.th ra,·nt praise ••• as '!l,nhr(, ":;:,:;, - - -. Ila _, __ ,.,_.,.ofladia" the bookshops as he n J'

~---·- -- emerged triumphant this A11cl t/1af, •1•enf on m)' men'iu l,c,?I ., ,.... .......... • .. -.1c ***:caw-.,..-., thty year. ' . ., _..,___ ._ _."' - "'""" Furth"rmore, a lot of / fh ga Ve hl0lll an r1 WQ 1 \ \ hl< •---•--.:: ::::.,..,.~ ... -~!'O: interest ' i• usually shown 11 ' 1Y ey . . •• ! ,.,;,,

i.e•h• ;:::_,:-:::.,.,__ .. ~':..-:".'.!:...~,. .. ..,a, ••• , taurea,., every y~ar. The " ll'est Aji·ican•· l·11g is 1 \ m,·a

mo, .- - =-=-- ... --....,, ..... .... ..,,..,,. by the Swedish Press in ci(afiOll deSCrtbe(/ htm GS Q '; \are• co.f..,......_.,_ -.. iw.« •--~'°tw--.'1.(-n , Th•\i,.i lho l.'ll lour.ags o( uach • / / I T

iS into rea*n aw. ,in.,. T,_.. • 1'C*f' IOC,d J~ffit'nt number a nd description of -... , ~ .ibo1 t,ctlalf ~or,n.....,;,_ Md Pild r--. I l'lqUn( lhal 11\11 the train of honour to . l - - T h al,o

9d,eot ~t~.:.-:-:a=-• ...-c.a?.a. ..._laPfWlll:Jll*ca11ftl')'. s, toc.kholm i3 <iiluted upan- 0 £ t he Nig:cr10:i par ,Y w1:ts m 1ss1on: e Ma,. ·- ...1 .-.w-t •" ..... .. - h ••. h (~nough to t,TJVt! nse to rlelt?gal1on, . _ ,ew,i~ ,.,..nr .. .,. .,.u.- .,_...;;; • • .::- t e- uwl.ii:fit of L e _,, . . .... c xcitcmc.1t ~::, l hL• :":~ht!v d~f~J· ~hn .hlem~ nwicic>ul aa,tlllpl '° .,. :::,wemsn peoplt: am~ \Al ............ • J Si

u1d anc,1con1....-1Howma:,:;::: ~ reflect the colour of the cxtun t t.hut. • ont! rise _to one l:ving to ~ Mlt1' 1M rna =n•,nw • occasion. It is not usual j,)urnaH::,Ls u~lu,>d Lhe q u: ,s~~on to uuing i1111? l~~~ for tht! number of Lhe ~1inisLcr ubouL1t . M tn1s tr.r p

,our~,. a,ftlnlf ,,_. wor1d Jtt ~IN'. 1..-. friends. rolatiVt:ts and well• "'But whv did you hriug prompt a ru1W1 11na1cs

\ -~ C

wishers accompanvin)( 8 il!i mnny as nhouL for ty l ho optm m1,.\n

_ _,m.s:E AU Li L .~-..;., . . "":'Z.::..:;::"'--~-~ --~::--:: .. ~~=::-:;-:::==-=-::::-=·-:_ _______ _

Nigeria

I The Prize I

A glorious day as Soyinka receives the Nobel

N,1hd hunour..:cs were ushered onto the rostrum by pre-sdect..:d clas~ical music pl.iyed by th..: famc.:d Stockholm Philhar-111011ic Orcheslra ... Akin la .. from" Africa11 Sui1e·· hy F..:la Sowande was played !O lwnour !he African laureate. That was anol her first in thl! 85-yt:ar history of the Nohd award .

~ 111- !..'.r,·:11 l1<1111n1r 1:-. 11<1w formal. ~ \\ ,,k ..,.,~ inl..a. 1h..: African ma:--1.:r

o11 111d:q,h11ri.: ,:xposi1ion. now \\'t::ars 1 I:,: t11< 1,-1 1.·,11..·,:111..:d 111.:dal for li1c.:rarv , ·,c.:lkncc: 1hc· t'J:-:<, Nohd Laur...-atc.: ro·r l11c r:11ur...- .

I 1 ,1 a, a ,pc.:..:i:tl day for 1111.: Black r.u.:.:. I he·,·, 111kr111..:11t uf !he.: N,,bd 111..:dallion

:i nd .Jq,lt1111:t to Su~ inka was gr1.·c:'t<.:d by !-!" '":d clk·.:r. From 1h...- most dis1ant h:1111k1 i11 1h..- aboriginal forest m the 11.·,·111111g ,i1111i,:k: of- ZL~luland. From th..: r, 11.·I..~ ,-hnn.:~ of 1h.: ~kditt·rranean to 1'1...- 111udd,· liltCfral o f ~·lada!!ascar. t\ , ·:"I l.'llf'h;,ric throng of Afri~an!-> c..-1..:-1,r:11<.:d thi, inimi1abk prominence uf . \lri,-.1 in 1h..- wnrli..l of le11..:rs.

II 11;1, :1 !.!lorious Llav in 1he Swedi!->h 1.·::pit:1I. I k;e then.: we~e fr iends and n.: l:1t1t>1!'. p11e1~ and philosoph1..•rs. It was a p r,1111i111..·n1 pa1 aJ..: of language mav.:ns. "d1<1lar,. arli~ls ani.J inquisitive well,, i, h ,:r, ,,f p.:opk of letters. The: 1cemi11g :iudi..:11.:..: had come to be a part of iai,1,iry. They hall assc.:mbku tn cclt!-1,r:111..· 111 :--:, ibd Prize winners.

Bui 1h:..: IL>n1!\ was on Sovinka. That lla,, u11,k:r-iand:1blc. Aftl!r~;II. itwas th.: 1ir,11i111,: :, 131:id:man was bt:ill!! u~her..:J i11:,1 lilL· r;!r\' immortalit\'. No man of lli.1ck p i!.'.11i'c·Jllaiion hmi c.:vt.·r bc.:c.:n ~o i11 1 11nur'-·d in thi: 1-i5-vl!ar histl>rv of Th..: :--.. ih..:I award lor intelkctual dis;inction. litHl .

!'he ::d111ir;1hk .:k\'ation of So\·inka 111 litcr.a1y Parnassus look placl:' i;l the 511-, ..:ar , >Id Stockholm Concert hall. ! krc.: \\;1, :rn as!\c.:mbla!!c uf cullurl!d ht!:l?,tnity .:ager to partidpatt! in the j, , ,,H_h p:l>CL·t: dlll!!S. And here too was !, 1:1;.: C::r! Gust:1~ ()f Swedc.:n. a rov,it ..::::inc w:..: . !1..:1.kt.:kei.J in the radiatill\! !1 :, ! r·.: u:" 1,1,,n .1rd1i.:al puwc:::r. -

In r hi,, •rn:1111c1ued chambt:r of cha11-,!, ·1·l:,r,. 111aj..:~tic colour and clas!lical p :1•:,·:11111 ~-- l'ri >k!\~or Lars D\·lkri-.tcn ;1 r,,.,..: iu i111rndu..:..: Sovinka. Ti1c Swedi-ii 'Lh,1!:o1 who is ;; memhc.:r of the S·.,·,· , (i,h ,\c,u.kmv and Chairman of th..: ·-:,,!,,:! Cn1t1111itte·e for Literatun.:. u.:,. -: d 1..:d So~ i11ka as an adept ,trtist l!iftc.::d · , !lh lite rary \'L·rs:1tili1y. 111! no1eJ 1hat :--.,,\inka h." 1h.: rar.: talentofaccnmnm, !:>1111 •: lii..-rary di,·ersiti.:s . I k p rai~..:d :I,,· ~i:~ni .on litc.:rary m:1st1.'r for hi-1 eru,:i: .· ,. :u,.._-p.: il ity and his Lkcided intdli· ·. :: .. ·,· lt1r 1111:rint! his rich am:es1r:d h.:rit-.. :·.- . !,:, • . ..:d ,,n l'rint.:val tr::idition. wi1h I

::: .: ! .1,;·1,,,,·an cuh 11r.: . ·,, ; )~ ikn, rc.:n (c.:nnin:11<..'d hi~ p:1r:1-

. · :,;:;:,,· U1Cllllll lll11. a rt:\'L' rL'llti:il a·.,..: j . . ·-- ------------

d..:,,·L·nd.:d up,111 the.: !!alh..:rin!!. ,\\·..: . 1101 .1 11a1ur;il h..::1l'in!! :ould ti.:' hc.:,;rd. A qui~·:-.c1..·11t p:ill ha,i muted 1he aui.Jic.:nn:.

ThL· n 1h1..' ~i!!nal \\'.IS l!i\'t:n. So,·ink,1 ro,c.: for\\'ard - to recei~·c the t'hlhd laurl'I from !ht! Sw.:dish monarch. And hc.:hold! .-\ prnl,H1g.:u ..:motional ap~ pbu~t: tJ~hered him bc:fore the ro\·al prc.:!->encc.:. Th..: dd.:anin\! O\'a tion ,~·as lltK1>ntn>ll:1l'k. Th..: blir;din!! flash o f camc·ras in1c:::nninahl\' illum(nated thl! , ·a!->t :1udi1oriu111. R~la1ions. friends . li te ra ry contemporaries ani.J numerous ani~1s fmm 1h.: world ot letters jumped inm the air. mui.Jgei.J c:ach other among the..: :uslcs aml shou1eu praises amidst !lawless array of chairs in a profuse

• Soyinka: Winning tor all

di~pl:1y of concerted euphori;1. E v..:n the humble 1:oure:ite pla vrd to

!hi.: joyful thrnn!!. He !!kefullv ho~l'Cd 10

!he: 111~111bers of th..: Swedist{ Acad.:nn· and NPbd foundation. And . turninc t~ the jubilating audit:nc.:, he thrust t h.: 1

priz.: fo rward as if It> sav. "It bclon!!S to you all. to .-\frica anJ the 131ack ra~e:·

lndc:..:d thc.:y took it as "their priz.: _" For Soyinka's gc.:stur.: was rcsponi..lt:d to hy wild ac.:daim and hnisr..:rous jc,y .

Th..: oth..:r nin..: winnc.:rs of the C0\'L'ted priA· 11h,...:n·..:d a !->imilar proc..:eding. in th.: 7-l-mi11 111e colourful inrdlectual cuuda vl! whiL·h is hd.l annuallv as a testi111Pnial of 11u1~tandirn.! huma,; a chie,·c-111<.:nl. This year. apart from Soyink:1·s pri/.<.! in li1era1urc:. 1hret; reopk wer.: hunour..:d in Ph\'!-ics . thr..:c in Chemistry. 1wo i11 1'111-~inl,>!!\' a nd i\kdicin~. llllt: ..: :u.:h in ..-.:(,110111i~~ ,111d peat.:.:.

,\1111d-;t 1h·.: .:u l,Hlrful baroque ;1111hance di.:t.:o ratc.:d wi1h llowc.:rs. 1h..:

Soyinka . ;1pparelkd in a native Danslriki mall.: of ,hu-Oke. was one of the fiv..: laurc:rr.:s spt!dally privileged to g.i,·t: a b rief stat.:ment. The multitakntcd arists saw himsdf as the symbolic intcrlocuwr between Europe and Africa. He.: thu;, vit!wed Sweden as the incvitabk in tc.:rsection between the two worli.Js. He said further: "My creative mus...: is Ug1111. the god of creativity and dt:struction. of the lyrics and metal-lurgy:· .

In a light banter. Soyinka wondered why Og1111. his mythic deity. bestowed <H'. ii Swc.:LI..: the inventive secret of dynamite.: rather than a Nigerian. But then. he rcconciks his mystificatiion. saying: "Someclay. I suppose, we will unravel this mystery. In the meantime. however. w..: ,viii content ourselves with saluting the v isions which make our presence herl! toda y a positive event si nce it was A lfred Nobel's hope that the most terrible knowl.:dge can improve the quality of life for mankind. That also is the lt!sso11 of Og1111. that essence of the warring uu:rl ity of human nature and we join in t hc cndc.:avours that the lyric face of th:r t d.:miurge will triumph in our time. !->narring for all times that elusive bird - pc:rce - on our planet. earth."

n EFORE the.: Nobel laureate conferg m..:nt. Soyinka spoke to the international community about the evils of th.: Boc.:r Reich. He described apartheid as "a child of those centuries of lies, distortion and opportunism in high places c:vc:n among thc holy of holies of intdkctu;II objc.:ctivi ty." Soyinka equally dcn11un.:ecl ct:kbrated Europt!an philosoph.:rs like 1-kgel. Locke, Montesquieu. 1111111.: and Voltarie for peddling radal sup..:riori ty.

Soyi11k:1·s 32-p:r!!t! accc:ptance speech was dt:dicated lo jailed Nelson Mani.Jda. thl! South African nationalist leader who has bc.:en incarc.:ratc.:d more than 1wo d..:.:ad..:s. In a very impassisoneu ueli\·cry . Soyink:r critizied the hypocrisy of !he \Vc!->t<.:rn world :rnd at once invoked 1h..: u 11i\'cr:-.a l brnthc:::rhood of m:rn. Said hL·: --or thosc: impc.:ratives that challenge ,1ur h.:ing. our pr..:s..:ncl! and humane ddinition at 1his 1iml!. none t.:an be considc.:ri.:d mure p..:rvas ivi.: as thc cnd of rat.:i,lll. l hi.: ..:rauicatio11 of human incqualit~ :111d 1h~· di,111 :1 11tling of all th.:ir -;truc-

tur..: .. _ B y Utllman Shodipe

1'111 : ·\l·l<IC', \ .'- liL;,\K l >l,\:-i l>ECE:-OIBER 15, 1986

' . I •

. ' .. ' . .

:1 l . . ' . - i '. .

.. 1· '. . - j

C o n gr a tu 1 at i o n s !

Wole . Soyinka winner of the

1986 AGIP INTERNATIONAL PRIZE "ENRICO MATTEI"

for humanities

· has been awarded the 1986 NOBEL PRIZE

for literature.

LITTERATURE Wole Soyinka a passe deux ans (de 1967 a 1969) dans le~ 9f::Oles nigerianes~ Dans un livre intitule « Cet homme est mort » paru aux editions Belfond, le Nobel 86 raconte l'univer:s ~a,rceral_ et denonce l'inhumanite des regi~es oppresseurs. Bingo a cho1s1 d e~ra1re pour vous quelq~es bonnes f~u11les de I' ouvrage, ou I' on retrouve le lyr1sme, la truculence et I humour de I auteur

« CET HOMME EST MORT» Woie Soyinka a passe de~x a~s au s~cr~t pendant la secession biafra1se. ~ _aout 1967 a octobre 1969. II ya poursu1v1 son combat et approndi sa reflexion politique, mais ii a du surtout y affronter Jes monstres de la solitude. Cet homme est mon. paru aux editions Belfond. raconte cette lutte coritre les fantasmes destructuteurs de l'univers carceral. Comme les ecrits des Koestler. Soljenistsyne et

Les sirenes ont commence vers guatre heures hier. J'ai suivi Jes bruits et imagine tout un reseau chaotique de mouvements. II ne semblait y avoir aucune direction particuliere et je me suis amuse pendant un long moment a echafauder des hypotheses. Ce n·etait pas un signal d'alarme. ni rannonce d'une catastrophe naturelle. Ni une invasion des Biafrais. Tout au contraire. cela faisait penser a remoi des grands ceremonials. Je me posais la question de savoir qui c'etait. Un dignitaire etranger ? Un comite de rOUA ? Je diagnostiquais une rencontre ir.ternationale~ une delegation pan-quelque chose ou une calamite protoco1ique du r,1erne genre. Certains arrivaient par I:. route et d"autres par avion. certains :;'etaient perdus. echoues quelque part Jans rimmensite du pays. Cette iaee etait tout a fait sensee. Les sirenes etaient la. non seulement pour les guider vers des lieux ou ron pourrait facilement Jes trouver mais auss1 pour avertir les citoyens que la ville appartenait. grace a rexcuse que constituait cette 1mportante invasion. aux gardiens de l'ordre public. La « psycho/ogie des sirenes ,, a ere transfonnee en run des svstemes de coercition Jes plus imparables. non seuJement ici mats dans presque toures !es communautes de notre continent. Les casseurs de Banda ont rendu phvsiquement memorables les risques · et les peines 9!-1~ comp5>~tent les c_onsecrarions ae la s1rene. J at observe la version senghorienne aux voix douces en procession dans ks. arter~s de Dakar. Et. chez nous. f ai vu u_ne fo1s pre~ de la cathedr:ile. sur la ~tanna. le cortege motorise de Gowon fain: halte. les gardes du corps bonJir. ttrer et catapulter un ch;iufieur Jans la bou_e parce que son vehicule et:iit kn( i rc!_ag1r Jl!.X ::iprc: ls 1mperic:ux de IJ sirene. !',,on qu 11 n c:uc pas compris i Qui

Mangakis, ii denonce l'inhumanite des regimes oppresseurs. On retrouve dans ce livre I eblouissante maitrise d 'un verbe qui se plie aux demandes de la colere, du lyrisme. de la truculence, de la satire et de !'humour. Nous avons choisi d'extraire quelques bonnes feuilles et notamment le chapitre 24. Wole Soyinka y narre le mariage du general Yakubu Gownon. chef de I'Etat

oserait ne pas comprendre ? Mais la mecanique n'obeit pas toujours aux intentions et l'homme etait la, malmenant le demarreur et le volant lorsque le tourbillon s'abattit sur lui. L'imbecile ! II aurait du abandonner son tacot et filer. Cela se passait dans les premiers mois ou Gowen consolidait son pouvoir. Plus tard, ces deploiements publics cesserent. Le cortege passait avec une dignite sereine mise a part cette petite fausse note qui prenait en charge le coupable et le faisait s·evanouir dans la nature pour quelques mois. avant qu'il ne revienne - s'il en avait la chance - plus triste et plus sage comme le Vieux Marin de Coleridge. Le mal-gagna. Un sous-commissaire de police qui allait donner le coup d'envoi a un match de football s'ad1ugea une escorte de quatre motards et de quatre voitures chargees de policiers antiemeutes. A -Shagama. un medecin consultant de l'h6p1tal universitaire diagnostiqua trop tard ce symptome un peu particulier. Le cortege s arreta et Jes casseurs en uniforme 1ui infligerent une correction. Le mal gagne. -II y a. d·e le soup-r;onne. une secrete rivalire e prestige entre Jes dictatures surtout parmi Jes nouveaux arrivistes. Combien d'heures. avant que je ne passe. toute circulation est-elle interrompue '? Encre Banda. Mobutu et Go-won . ii n·est guere aise de choisir. Je Jes ai tous vus a-rreuvre. Senghor evidemment appartient a une classe a part. Mais !es sirenes n·accueillaient ni ne raccompagnaient aucun visiteur sous nos cieux. E tres continuerent tout le jour suivam. et · vers le soir je sortis pour demander au garde quel grand evenement nous valait ces bruits . Cho~e ~trange. c·etait a nouveau un visage inconnu. - Yous savez pas ? Gowon se rnarie.

nigerian a l'epoque de son incarceration et de ses rapports avec ses ge6liers. ( ... ) Si vous parlez a cet homme, leur a+on dit, en parlant de Soyinka, ii ne faudra pas vous etonner de vous recrouver en detention a votre tour. C'est un homme intelligent, c'est un homme important, mais c' est un homme dangereux ... »

- Grand bien Jui fasse. Cest aujourd'hui ou bien c'est la repetition ? - Non, ii s'est marie a Lagos. <;a, ici. c'est pour nous qui n'avons pas vu ce qui s'es_t pas~e a Lagos. Dans d~u~ jours , ii va a Zana pour une autre ceremonie. Je ne comprenais pas. Une coutume locale que je ne connaissais pas. - Non. c·est pas <;a du tout. Tout le gouvernement vient ici pour la fete. Et tous Jes gens bien de Lagos. Ils commencent a Lagos, et apres ils viennent ici. Ensuite, ils vont a Zaria. Cest la grande tournee. Faut voir tous les soldats qu'ils amenent pour defiler dans Jes rues. Tous Jes metres. tu trouves un soldat. D'un cote l'armee. de l'autre cote !'aviation. d'un cote la marine. de l'autre cote la police anti-emeutes ... Tout. Merne la prison defile. Aujourd'hui. avec sa femme. ii rend visite a un soldat blesse a l'hopital. . - Et ce sera la meme chose a Zaria ? - Sur. Mais je sais pas encore s'ils vont faire une autre fete au Biafra. II se mit a rire sous cape et s·en alla. Le ton etait nouveau. Une note suavernent. delicieusement dissidente dans la marche nuptiale qui remplissait les grandes orgues de la cathedrafe de .Christ Church ou-je savais . sans qu·on me J"eut dit. que le mariage avait ete crlebre. Je me de!T!anda1 si_ l'e!ite p rivilegiee dans sa sufftsance n avan pas apres tout sousestime ces gens-la. Y en avait-il d'autres '? Ceu£:1a rneme gui se taisaienc avaient-ils le meme sentiment ? J'envoyai un . mot a mon agent de liaison : " le i·oudrais avoir des co11p11res de journau:r: rnr row ce qui conceme le mariage de Gowo11 "· Mais avant que !es coupures n·arri\"ent. le meme gardien m·apporta . le lenJ.: · main. un exemplaire du :\"ew Nigaian . - Regardez vne. Ccs t vous done les -

---t•~ la penombre radieuse des exces du import:i.ntc dans ce numero. Le garde ne pouvoir ·central. -ravait pas vue ou n'y avait pas attache Mais le creur de cet homme. a !'esprit et d"importance. Umuahia etait tombee. Et · aux sens · engourdis, etait present tout le jeune marie victorieux I'annon<;ait aux entier dans cette revelation fin:i.le si peu imirs dans !es termes suivants ; la chute edifiante : la prise d'une fprteresse red'Umuahia arrivait malheureusement . belle, ou meme du plus petit hameau avec quelques jours de retard, car on defendu avec · arcs et fleches au cours avait voulu la Jui offrir en cadeau de d'une guerre civile, n'etait pas pour lui la mariage ! J'attendis qu'arrivent mes cou- somme des yies perdues dans· les deilx pures de journaux. C'etait main tenant la · camps, ·des mtitilations ·et des. sacrifices ,seu le nouvelle qui m'interessat vrai~ p'etait maeme :pas le pesant dilemne et ment. Je desira1s la verifier en la les decisions angoissantes des hommes a confrontant ave·c d'autres reportages .. 11 sac.rifier .mais: .. _ un cadeau ·de mariage ! . n'etait pas impossible que ce fut une L'exaltation d'un lien personnel et prive erreur de citation. Je pouvais sans doute entre . II.ii et · une · ·quantite inconnue aller jusqu'a avaler !'arrogance d'une n'entretenant aucun rapport avec lui. e lite qui participait a !'extravagance Seule une mentalite de dynastie feodale nuptiale de ce zero dans le processus avait pu concevoir une telle irreverence, deroutant de l'histoire ; je pouvais negli-_ · seule l'ivresse du pouvoir avait pu vomir ger les idioties posterieures que je de- · une grandiloquence aussi repugnante sur · couvrais : la corruption deliberee d'eco- le· grand sacrifice de la nation. -Iiers impressionnables dont !es precaires : .Je dus bea1:1coup·au mariage de Gowon. facultes de jugement avaient ete exploi~ . · Le garde vmt q~elques heures P!us tar_d tees par la machine de !'Education rep!e~dre son· Journal. ~e Je lu1 _tend1s nationale pour !es encourager a rivaliser ma1s 11· ne _bougea pas ; ii -attenda1t m~s dans la creation de souvenirs de cette commenta1res·. . insolence hubristique ; je pouvais par- Je leva_is !es yeux et me mis· a rire. donner !es assauts de servilite du gouver- -:-- ~1a1s qu'est-c~ que· vous_ voulez que nement de l'Etat de Lagos et la nai'vete Je dis~-? .. : .. · · .· . . : . : · de son chef, Mobolaji Johnson. person· Sa v~1x .~e:f1t abrupte :· · .: . : . nage aimable mais qui n 'etait vraiment · .;,_ 11s_ d1~en(~ue ·tu as fa1t' quo1 ? . pas dans son role et qui avait cru de son Surpns_"; Je' finis par ·repondre : devoir d'immortaliser une honte qu'on - Mais vous avez du l'apprendre. Ils aurait mieux fail d'oublier, en rempla- disent que· je voulais acheter des avions <;ant le nom d ' une grand-rue par celu1 de pour ,01ukuwu: . . · Yakubu Gowon en l"honneur du maria- - C est vra1 ? Tu as fa1t <;a ? . ge ; je pouvais rire, c'etait une de ces J'etais -decontenance ~~ le voir s_e muer sinistres plaisanteries par laquelle !'his- en interrogateur. Je ma1 l'accusatton. me toire compense !es derangements tempo- demandant ou il voulair en venir-.- . · raires de la pensee rationnelle et de la ~ _Ils no_u~ disent 9ue tu n'as pas avoue, sensibilite humaine. je pouvais rire de la mats m01 1e ~onna1s ce gen_re_ de chos~. photo de Go won prise au cours de sa .. J e- veux savotr pour de vrar SI tu · as falt reception de la haute societe a Island . <;a. · · . . . Club, photo ou on le voyait, rayonnant, -Je l'assurai· qu 'i_l ~·y ·ava_it rien de ·vrai diriger un orchestre au moment meme dans cette a_ccusat1on. . . ou une ville nigeriane etait devastee : · - Tu as fa1t ~a. Je sms content s1 tu as Yakubu Neron ~Gowon au centre reac- fait <;a ... Moi. · j'etais ici quand ils ont tionnaire des classes oisives nigerianes commence a tuer Jes lbos. 'J'ai vu de mes pendant l'incendie de la nation. Tout yeux. Les actes que·ces ge~s ont comm is, cela. je po_uvais yaccept~r et dava_ntage Dieu _ne pardonnera ja11:ais .. Quand j'ai encore . Meme I 1mpress1on d'un timbre · vu que ce salaud venatt .faire la noce cornrncmoratif pour le maria!!e ! Deux yanla-yanma. afors que.- nous on est la a annees . d'un p(?uvoir qui 1ttait pour ·souffrir ... Enfin . Dieu ii' est au ciel. · I'e?sen11el une h1stoire de genocide, de· II y e_ut une lo'ngue pause : je ne savais haine col_le~ttve. de destruction et de guere comment reagir. C'etait tellement ·guerre CIVlle. mais cet individu, si soudain. tellement nouveau aussi. Etaitcor:fiant dans so!1 isolemerit. assez hu- ce un espion de la surete venu prendre la main. !Out ~e mcme. Dieu rnerci. pour temperature de l'incorrigible '? Et puis se preval?tr de _ses droits mantaux une nouvelle question abrupte : quatre mo1s au moms avant !cur echcan- - Pourquoi tu jcunes comme c;a ? ce_. 7t pourtar:it tclle~ent a~-dessus de la - C'est difficile £1 expliquer. d1s-je. ~1se:e h_umatnc et s1 peu ltc a el le qu"il - Non. dis-moi. Je veux savoir. J'ai vu 1mpnma1t. des timbres com1:1emoratifs personne fai re <;a avant. Pendant des de cette. tnsondable corruption et les semaines et des semaines. J'ai ente ndu le lanc;a1t d un geste royal dans toutes les chef dire que tu etais pas musulman. que am?assades_ du pays. C'etait pousser tu etais pas chretien. Tu crois en Dieu. vr~!me n~ _101~ !es.choses. mais je trouvais Pourquo1 tu te fatigues. Gowon. ii est la qu ti_ rn etalt d unc ce_rtame manic:re a jeter !'argent pour :i.cheter du champa, po_ss1hle de passer sans tns1ster. Jc pou- gnc. Les hommes meurent au front ct toi vais :H_t nbuer cc gcst~ au travail_ des aussi tu veux te tuer pour rien . Pourcourtis,tns sc_rviles qui emoussc le Juge- quoi '! ment _du ma1_trc de fac;on non ncgl_igea- n y avait longtcrnps que je n'avais pas b1e : 1h g.rav1tcnt autour du pouvo1r , et parlc a un etre humain curie11x a un le sent, :1e n1 de leur 1mportai:ice existen- esprit incertain quant au se ns des not inns ce. cr1 !al duns une _vie,rar_a11leurs vide . qui n·app;irtcna1cnt pas au mond..: habi-ne p · ... · ··- ·· · · ... , ,,,p ' '" '" ! • •• .,..: fue-1 1 r" ....., .• , ... ,, ,. .~. .. . . .. 1, ~ 1, . ... ~ ." .. , , ,.

du ge61ier. Je lisais le mecontentement · la conscience globale, meme si elle etait vaguement personnelle, de la necessite d'accords sociaux egalitaires comme norme de toute communaute d'etres humains. Je me mis a mon tour a lui poser des questions, essayant de sonder son insatisfaction. II paraissait s'offrir mais je n 'etais pas sur. - Tu sais; dit-tl, avant que tu arrives, le chef nous a rassernbles pour un discours; Chaque fois qu'un nouveau arrive, surtout quelqu'un d'irnportant comrne toi , ii nous rassemble le matin tot et donne des instructions. II nous a dit que tu etais un homme dangereux. II a parle longtemps. II a dit : si vous parlez a cet homme, rneme un tout petit peu, ii ne faudra pas vous etonner de vous retrouver en detention a votre tour. C'est un homme intelligent, c'est un homme important mais c'est un homme dangereux... ' Nous Rarlions. Je continuais a le sonder, mais J etais deja sur de lui. Je soulevais des problemes susceptibles je le faire reag1r. Finalement le lui demandai s'il serait de service _ a la Crypte pendant toute la semaine. Non, repondit-il, seulement jusqu'au depart de Gowon. Les

. prisons organisaient leur propre parade et pour cela tous les anciens combattants devaient etre presents pour exhiber leur~ medailles et leurs decorations. La plupart de ·mes gardes semblaient etre des anciens combattants. Le lendem·ain serait probablernent le dernier jour ; le spectacle nuptial etait attendu a Zaria. Mentalement, je tirai a pile ou face. · La decision etait previsible. Je n 'avais rien a perdre. · . . Ma premiere lettre, le test etait inoffensive. J'envoyais un poeme et demandais des livres. · - Je VOUdrais que YOUS me postiez c;a, lui dis-je simplernent. J'avais fabrique l'enveloppe moi-meme avec du papier recupere. II la regarda, la retourna plus1eurs fois dans sa main. Je n'arrivais pas a lire ce qui se passait dans son esprit ... jusqu'au moment ou ii partit d'un grand nre. - . Vraiment . c'est toi qui as fait l'enveloppe toi-meme ? . Je lui montrai d'autres objets de ma fabrication. 11 en avait entendu parle par !es autres gardes, mais de !es voir de ses pro1_Jres yeux... ll renversa la tete en arriere et se mit a rire a gorse deployce. - Je vais poster c;a pour tot et si tu \'eux t:crire encore. demain j'apporte une vraie enveloppe et du papier. - Je n'oubltcrai pas ce que tu fais la. lui dis-je. - Mais ii faut que tu ecrives tout demain. Apres-demain !es choses recommcnceront comme avant. Mainte· nant. personnc n ·a le temps de nous fouiller quand on sort. Tout le mondc s·occupe du mariugc de Gowon . Je souhaitai a Yakubu Gowon de nombrcuses autrcs Junes de miel . Et avec le! papier a lettres qui me restait . je commen~ai a cclebrer l'evenement a ma fac;on . Le mariap,e de H11111ho. Je nc pouva is faire rnoins pour une ooscenitt: :1 layucllc j<! dcvais tant. ,r . -j .. .,. Ht~fcnri,1 lC)~6l

cam _,w· r !CTI Jf1~

LITTERATURE /

·' · . ' . ~ ..... · .. ,, ''. -.. ,

,. , '-,

·- / I C'nt un homm• int.iligent, important mais dangereux, ::fisait-on de Wale Soyinka a/ors emprisonne. (Photo Louis Monier).

:gens disent que v~1:1s vous battez pour les

\petits? _Nous. 1c1 on s~uffre. On a cemande une augmentation. on ne i-a I~ as. L'arriere_. la coi:nmissioi:i Wilnik dit ~.u·on n_ous_ I a pave . <ja fan deu:x ans 1q u·on n a nen eu. ils d1sent gue c est la p.uerre . qu 'ii faut _attendr~. Que tout le inonde fait des economies. Nous. on peut pas paye~ !"argent de recole. ou acheter des umformes pour les gasses. Laguerre. c·es_t la guerre. mais ce type.

.-.•ou;;oolSP7 '"~

ii amene tous tes gens bien de Lagos a Kaduna. ils commencent par jeter notre arnent par les fenetres pour le manage. Qu."est-ce que j'y gagne. l!)Oi. a ce mariage ? Est-ce que je va1s coucher avec sa femme ? II s·e loigna et s·assit pres du portillon, apres ravoir ferme a clef soigneusement. It se re leva et revint. - L.1i trop bu aujourd'hui . je vais dormir. Si vous entendez du bruit. vous

cachez le journal sous l'oreiller. Je le prendrai quand vous aurez fini. Ce travail ne va pas me tuer. Je vais dormir. Si le chef m'attrape. ii n'a qu· a me vider. J'ouvris le journal et apen;us la photo ct·un petit fuh rer suffisant cntoure de ceux qu ·on appelle les " dignitaires focaux "· y compris un certain nombre de ces emirs autrefois tout-puissants. Mais il y avait une nouvelle encore plus

.. I Al (

. . . . . ~ ; . . . . . . . . : : . ' ~ - . . . . . .

. . . . \ ' .

Ake Les annees d'enfance

de \Vole Soyinka

Ake - nom du village ou le narrateur a vecu son enfance -. c·cst le regard que Wolc Soyinka jctte sur ses onze premieres an-111:cs pour ecoutcr les murmures u·un passe resurgi dans la connivence des puissances c.le l'imaginaire ; c'est la magie d'une Afrique en transition avec son cortege de personnages inoubliables : l3ukola , l'enfant aux compagnons invisibles ; Moa-meme. le parasite gentleman ; Pa-Ac.Iatan, le matamore herisse de gris-gris ; et surtout Chretienne Sauvage, la mere de Soyinka, figure dionysiaque d'une enorme vitalite. Avec Ake, l'enfant africain retrouve enfin sa memoire et la litterature universelle s'enrichit d'un des chefs-d'ceuvre de l'autobiographie.

Editions Bel[ and

Les interpretes de Wole Soyinka

Le lecteur de cet important roman va etre confronte a la modernite d'une ecriture qui, peutetre, dans les premieres pages, le surprendra et le deroutera : paroles multiples, visages et situations divers et nombreux qu'apparemment aucune « histoire » lineaire ne rassemble et signifie. Que le lecteur se rassure, le sens ici se constitue de ces morceaux de vie epars, et de leur organisation savante, peu a peu la realite humaine de cet ouvrage prend une vie intense et une grande profondeur. Qui sont ces « interpretes » ? Ce sont des gens qui, a leur fai;on, traduisent le monde dans lequel ils vivent, ils le re-presentent, le donnent a voir ; mais interpreter, c'est aussi chercher et devoiler le sens d'une realite humaine. Les personnages de Wole Soyinka sont lances dans un monde - une grande ville africaine, lieu sensible de l'Afrique en mutation -dont !es significations n'ont plus !'evidence traditionnelle. Le monde tremble, ii a perdu ses assises. Ces interpretes sont des chercheurs de sens, recherche terriblement lucide et passionnement vecue, ambigue, en tout cas, comme !'existence de ces etres qui s'affrontent a leur condition et a leur destinee.

Presence Africaine

Vies melees de Leo Lorenzi

Environ 4,5 millions de personnes vivent en France sans etre Frani;ais : les travailleurs immigres et leurs families. Its reprcsentent tO % des salaries, 18 %

,--\\bit: Soy i n ka

. \ ~; I

11:" \'.'-.I !·.\ IJ' 1 '\.I :\'\.( I·

rccn : -· ... -·, I , ~_.-); : . . :;. -~ ~ i -.; ' .. i:7,,;;i

Pou,· -~"lson _\la1ull'la

/\ I • M .: P II".\

• . ... _. .. ,, , .. 1 , . . .. .. \'111 · .. ,

11 1, ,,, • I< • ••t\"'I li.,_r ' .. . \I

T '-' • I'> I . .. ,, ,0 • 1~1.,. -t • 11,•

I O"'·o11 1 ~ • • , ,,-ll\flU ;

des ouvriers, constituant de fait un element structure! important de l'economie et du tissu social. Ces chiffres posent a notre societe des questions majeures tant economiques, sociales et culturelles que morales. Questions politiques aussi : a l'heure ou la crise s'aggrave, !es travailleurs immigres servent de boucs emissaires, le racisme etant banalise dangereusement. Ce sont tous ces problemes qu'aborde Leo Lorenzi. Dans un style vivant, utilisant le portrait et l'entretien autant que l'approche socio-economique, ii nous convie a une reflexion passionnante sur un sujet d'une brulante actualite.

Editions Socia/es

Pour Nelson Mandela Quinze ecrivains saluent Nelson Mandela et le combat dont sa vie porte temoignage. Espace laisse libre dans l'approche et ouvert a la plus grande variete des formes, ce livre ne se veut ni cri, ni prise de position de circonstance , mais poemes (Adonis, Edmond Jabes. Severo Sarduy), fictions (Olympe Shely-

~ • • ••••

IMMIGRtS ET RACISM

· G~J~ KGl\.NSO? , I • •

Quenum, Helene Cixous, Nadine Gordimer, Mustapha Tlili), es-sais (Jorge Amado, Maurice Blanchot, Jacques Derrida, Juan Goytisolo, Hemer Muller, Susan Sontag) et theatre (Kateb Yacine). A les lire , quelque chose aura peut-etre change, comme un approfondissement subtil de la conviction. Alors liberte se prononcera en toutes langues Mandela .. : « L'Afrique a desormais le visage de Nelson Mandela eerie dans /'A vant-Propos de Dominique Lecoq, ce visage emouvanc que la condition penicenciaire a fi~e et que /es racisces, vou/ant effacer /'homme avec le temps, one definitivemenc offert a l'hiscoire ... Ne d'un dialogue avec Mustapha Tlili, souvent repris par la suite, ce livre s'est construit sur /'invitation que Jacques Derrida et moi-meme avons /ancee a des ecrivains pour qu'i/s s'associent a sa redaction. Le lien s'est noue, comme al/ant de soi, aurour de la personnalite exceptionnelle de Nelson Mandela et de l'Afrique originaire qu'i/ symbolise, par son exigence particu/iere de liherte. D'autres ecrivains ont salue /'ini-

LU POUR VOUS riarive, qui n 'onr p11 y prendre part. comme Samuel fkckc((. Salmon Rushdie 0 11 Chrisra Wolf . D'ores et deja ce livre mnsriwe un cvenemenr qui, par la dii-ersire et lo quolite des contrih111c11rs, n 'a pus de preddenr duns /'hiswire de la /iuerarure.

Editions Callimard

Tchad vingt ans de crise

de Guy Jeremie Ngansop

La nomination le -29 amit 1978 de M. Hisscne Habre au poste de Premier ministre avait fait entrevoir les prodromes d'une reconciliation nationale que tout le monde appelait de ses vceux. Ces espoirs ont ete dei;us. Le 12 fevrier l979, profitant d'une bagarre au lycee . Felix Eboue de N'Djamena opposant eli!ves sudistes et nordistes, !es partisans du president de la Republique (Sudiste) et du Premier ministre (Nordiste) s'affronteront ouvertement. Ce sera le debut d'une guerre civile dont le Tchad ne s'est t0ujours pas remis et qui. aujourd'hui, « entretient /es miasmes de la guerre etrangere ». Guy Jeremie Ngansop expose dans cet ouvrage ce qui, a ses yeux, constitue la trame de la guerre civile du Tchad. D'autre part, ii est le premier Africain non Tchadien a tenter d'apporter des elements originaux au reglement de ce drame qui, au cours des deux dernieres decennies, a fait plusieurs dizaines de milliers de victimes, pour la plupart etrangeres aux combats auxquels se livrent les factions qui tentent de confisquer le pouvoir a leur profit. Par son effort d'analyse, comme par sa reche rche obstinee d'une solution, Ngansop qui va jusqu'a preconiser la mise de l'Etat tchadien sous tutelle de !'Organisation des Nations-Unies ou sous tutelle dc !'Organisation de !'unite africaine (OUA) et !'elaboration d'un authen tique « Plan Marshall» de reconstruction en faveur des Tchadiens, contraint le lecteur a une salutaire reflexion. Aussi se prend-on secretement a esperer - sans doute contre toute esperance -que les protagonistes du drame qui continue de dechi rer le plus vaste des Etats d'Afrique centrale, anciennement fran~aise, viennent a mediter cet ouvrage. Car, comme le note avec pertinence Ngansop, le conflit ne peut trouver son terme que par la volonte des Tchadiens eux-memes. Ce n'est evidemment pas nier le poids des ingerences etrangeres. mais apprecier a leur juste mesure la gravite et les redoutables consequences des querelles byzantines qui ont jetc les dirigeants tchadiens les uns contre les autres.

L' H armar!an

ii ~ /'f<f6 l 1 I -

proach of his art 1• · he handled iL. It was clear r------==:.:.-=,==;,;;;;

•• .,ll!ll!l!-.ill!lll!II that not all the members II of the delegation could obt&in the ticket to attend the presentation ceremonies, a situaUOn that could have generated

t\ personal report by

aome dioquiet wiLhin t.he Bisi Lawrence body of Lhe party. But the

·_nominee, I, who saw

· 'formidable the coveted

~· thereupon "'1t appeal of

rfng him an :, ibim as a .·:ruse to

~ 'tis ·;1 were. : 9ftntor, was · tltt'ar<I whose

' !I'~ ... * ·q writer of

Minister looked oa the a...:---------~~!!!!!!!!!~ positive aid• and aou~t . For iaetanc.,, I wu sLNngth in a n adaptation informed (not too reliably • ~i.cwarly

0PJ"""•ive

of the triumphant words I must admit! that t~ i,:::fy~on. In spite of its of Julius Caesar. was a ;ubtle ploy even Tb

"We are glad, at lee1t, this you, to leuen Wol,, at encounter, thatweallcame." heoaid. Soyinka'• chancee of however, made me more "and even if we did not all winning the award. It curious about what seam· - beca~ .. we have won took me no time at all to ed to be the general notion the prize, we all debunk the idea. though that the award of the conquered!" my oource sounded Literature pri:u ia alway•

As it hap~ed, we all pltueib.le aoough. He was affected by the o.xtent of saw - even. •.f ..,me did ~ 1tudious type who ran the appeal or appreciltion only on tehw1s1on. 101<> me in a bookehop in of the wnt.ers considered

The Nobel Prizes of downtown Stockholm for the award. That of 1986 went to ten and proceeded to feed ro~ course may be an laureates within the five !fitb the following mush. additiooal uset. But it cate~""' - three for ~ waa an A..-ican would . seem that the PhyelC8, three alao for !"'aunee, according to my empbaai~ hAll always been Chemistry, two for inf~t, who saw Wole on tba high quslity rat.her Phya:iology or Medicine. Soyinka •• the most Lhan the wide appeal. on a!'d on~ each for formidable obotacle Lhe scholarship ovM and Literature and Econornlc: between him and the above tbe popularity. Scien~. Then, is really ~ove_ted P.riu. The _The fourth Nobel no_ pnzs for the Social Amepcana' Lhereupon !'.,1terature laurels, for ~<'88, . ?" discip~ decided to narrow down ,nst.aace, ,......, abated by like Architecture or any the appeal of the N~ two peorie. Frederic

other 8;ft form. The Priu writer by offering him en Mistcal o .. France w~s for Literature therefore award which would honoured. for hia poetic •t&!'d• .. rerreeentative, pn>daim him"". "local" p~oduct,on which as 1t were, o the higbeet writer .... a clevtt ruse to fa,thfully reflects the recognition for anistic "damn with faint praise", nat~ral. a~enery an_d ucoUence. as IL wen,. And that, went native spmt of h,a

This fact confe~ a OD my mentor .,.,, why people ... " The other "~iue ribbon" aura on the they gave him• an award winner wa.• _Jose Literature Award. though whoee citation de,,cribed Echega.-ay Y Eiurg,rn of each~ is held to be tlie him. as a writ.er of "West Spain '.'for bia brilliant 8Q\W of any other. The African" English. compoa,tions which ... romance and the glamour Although I really was hav~ . revived the great of the ."Literature Nobel" aot in a poeition to put tradit1~?" of the Spannish combine I<> make it tJw ouch clever footwork drama. ni..t wes aa far moat coveted becauseiti6 beyond our Yankee biick aa 190,. Alexander JD&IIY a time won by friend,,, I felt that the Solia~onitain, earller someone who baa scenano wa9 a bit far- ment:'ioned, was \.he communi~ted with

8 iac.ched. Fortunately, 1 laureate. for 1970. The

very wtde readership, rsmembered that ac,,ent •• on excellenc:,,

80:'" l:he boundaries of Alexander Soliezenitsin, •

nd hos been consistent

mtlonality and barrier• of who wae honoured for the through the years. ~age. Unlike ' in the 0 thical force with which l~ our laureate, Wole other di~plines, soroe of no has pursued the Soy,nlla, the elements t~e winners in the indispensable t raditions ha_ve been happily mix.ed. Literature clas• bad of RUSSIAN literaLur lhs creat1v1ty springs become worid-fam_ou_• . .. " I pa•sed th: ron1 the weUs of _his before_ the award. Thia •• information on to Lhe cult ural and classical I.be prae with which most fellow who had be n to hcritbge to model a noble people can identify, the call me hie "friend~ thua '""J"'1.••• Lo inhumanity one they can touch and be ,enninsting what I found an_ miustkc lrom th• touched by. ,.,,,....,.....,...--.,,..~ .urty approach of his arl

It ia therefore not - · totally surprising that there have been auggeetions that subUe manouv res sometimes emanated from certain quarters to en~nare t.he prize. Such "manouvres" would indeed hove to be verv "subtle" indeed. The ~~~.:.:.-..::.:; .:~ : :-:~ "'' :~.:! Founc.lu~ion urc tuOhl

~t rict. 3hout any torm of . no aiu of the "lobuyini:", and lheir Ill. which he lCrms mnkc them ·~. gave virtuully impt-rvious t.o \. • particular only Lht! mosl ~t.hical •le which Lhe intlue11ccs. BuL il is slill a ·: provided a hum..an in~Litu l. ion

...,...., ~hrouKh a,lmini•Len.-d l,1· human ..... __ .__

-----~iiil~\i\ii\il~~-~~~i;n~w~h;ic~·h;__~be::•in:i::;·•:· ___ .,· ______ _::_:.:::::~:::~:.::~::, ___ ..,j

l'O. -p Tribe. lliffa4 , ...... o, ... lllecH ..i. ..

rr 1 films, those ,,,, comp now. and le this: I they,

n,. capet lawyc etc. E of the

Sot lhati lhat ' -I b lhem

'~""" rha, 1 Fo

f<>t -

.. ,: .. i '1

Kol ag, sh4 so,, ser. voi pOJ,j

pa.ssll

m~~I imp~, (Ho• dCICO

1n· r,i1i,;/i 10 :Ir'

10,ta N,

f;onl/ Sci;c had tribe- . med crili1S

·one n,,sfl

Whdr in" l

I ,:;I: :-r.l>m~ arc \e

Av,ards

The Lion Gets the Je\Nel Soyinka receives Nig!ria's second highest national honour

T h·e man sat unmoved as if unconcerned, his unblinking eyes fixed permanently at a distant blank

space. No amount of encomiums lavished on him by the orator seemed to penetrate his light creamy skin. Nobody saw hi~ teeth. As President Ibrahim Babangid;, and others sparkled and beamed amidst elaborare and rousing red-carpet reception, the man at the centre of it all, re-

. ': . ::-ffiain~~vjsibl~~ . · · ~- ----- ... ---,~=:.,:~-i: ffii~~~ne--=tttatoi'~ffoetk mrii5i- ~,,. __ ,·-:.~ .--a->; - .. .. a":''"'-"= ·"an 'eminent schola'r, a consumate artist.

I. From me to you: "It playwright of distinction, nove 1st, ex-cellent .satirist, road marshal extraor- took a Nobel prize to dinary, advocate for freedom , justice and recognise the jewel' fairplay, activist of rare conscience, a connoisseur of the rarest wines. a fine patriot, a beautiful human being and a man worthy of high honour anywhere in the world," his eyes shone and his lips quivered.

Wole Soyinka, 52, the first African to win the Nobel prize in literature, was at his finest war at the occasion of the formal

misgivings about certain policies of the gOYernment, the happy cx-casion of the award of a national honour was not the best time to talk about them. He said he was "very happy" with the national honour because it was given to him by a

posiiin• government, "a governmcnl which listens, a government ·which ha~ identified its commilmenls to fundamental human· rights."

- By Anietie Ust1n

conferment of the national honour of the Commander. of the Federal Republic, CFR, Nigeria's second highest honour, on him. Despite his acknowledged international accl2im, it was his first national honour back home. It took a nobel prize award for Nigeria to recognise its own precious jewel.

Back. to the Root

Perhaps, this was the issue that played a tittle heart-breaking game in the minds of nearly 2,000 Nigerians who watched the 90-minute ceremony. Perhaps, this was why the man sat undemonstrative of the ecstasy that usually engulfs those invested with - such. high national honours. Babangida, who . .awarded Soyinka the honour and decorated him with the insignia of the medallion was virtually short o f words to describe Soyinka's achievement. He said . he was "particularly delighted" that Soyinka won the Nobel prize in his regime,and described the prize as "the most powerful and thunderous reb•.H tal of t'.,e claim~ abroad that the black man was intellectually inferior." Ht! said the fact that Soyinka won the Nobel prize over other l~rerary giants, who have English as their first language, showed a "pr,.:;itive proof that the black man can hold his own in :al(! spheres of human endeavour." · :·'.d '·;,;

At the end of the ceremony Soyinka spoke brielly to .~)r)"{Smen _ ami~st handshakes and hugijljl~ by relauons and friends . The Nobet!pureate, who has consist,:;ntly said that the Babangida administrat ion is the best to happen 'to Nigi:ria, said thousll,he may have some

National media day 'kicks off at Abeokuta

A beokuta, Ogun State capital, was a fitting choice as host to the inaugural National Media Day last

week. The first Nigerian newspaper came off the press there more than 100 years ago. ln•Ji!ed, the occasion marked · the I 27th .inniversary of /we lrohin newspaper, the first Nigerian newsp.aper. The cream of the nation's media, active or retired, gathered there under the auspices of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, NUJ.

The seminar lasted three days. Its theme lectured on the dangers and difficulties of Nigerian journalism. Linked to that was the idea that the press was afflicted with the "br:ng-down syndrom," an impression Olatunji Dare, mass communication teacher at Unilag, pooh;,oohed in his paper as not being necessarily true, "Only in those instances where the interests of the press and those who hold the levers of power do not coincide, does one find the press playing a militant, oppositionist . role," he said. The press, according to him, is an instrument for the legitimation of the dominant culture in society. "[t has a ~-csted interest in law, order and stability.' '

The more ceremonial part featured an exhibition of newspapers, most of them

now e)ltinct and the "Award o f Roll of Honour." Both took place, Wednesday, December 3, at Ogun State Hotel. The ·old -newspapers were mounled by th e National Archives, Ibadan, at the. veranda oCthe Banquet Hall. On the stands were !we Irohin, African Times, The Lagos Weekly, and the Lagos Standard. Other.; were the Southern Nigerian Defender, The Nigerian Citizen and the West African Pilot.

/we lrohin, attracted a lot of a ttent ion. Three bound volumes of the paper were displayed.

The award ceremony came later. The winners were Ernest lkoli, Mobolaji Odunewu, the first president of the NUJ, Abubakar Imam, and Horatio Jackson. NUJ medals and certificates were awarded

· to Gab ldigo, Babatunde Jose, Olu Oyesanya and Magaji Dambata. Nnamdi Azikiwe couldn't attend.· His son, Nnaemeka, represented him. Theresa Bowyer and Anthony Enahoro were also not present. Their awards- had to· be received by NUJ representat ives from their states. Oyebade Lipcde, the Alake of Abeokuta, received the award on behalf of the first newspaper.

- By George Otiono

VOL7. *j• NO. 2020 WEDNESDAY. OECEM8ER 10, 1986 Mm-AL-THANI 8, 1407 A.H. 50 KOBO

the coveted International eward for Litera

ture in Stockholm today, million9 of hi9 coun

trymen and women here at home, no doubt,

send three hearty cheers to him for honour

meritoriously deserved. We doff our hats to

excellence!

Permsec

forced

to retire By KOUWOLE OJEUBI

THE~ Slate_,,.. ,I nent MCretarv who was ~ 0- "mish-·

· ling'" ot __,., ceniticatn of OCCUJMIICV~ Mr. Vjctor

oi..- Ogundimu, -i-nfo,a,dtoret••·

Mf. 09undimu, who \lntil his_....., IM, _w_ ---t Mastery, UQ<?• St.ate Ministry of ~orka and T,.._., · 1101

·into trouble with tlMI signing .of 15 certificates . of OCCIJl>*lCY by H'11()vemo<, AJr Cqmmodore Gbola/\en Mudaw.

A thrN-man panel,

~-bro.~ Din;., Dr. T ...... Kehlnde, who IUbmitl9d ha - to ~ Okhal Mb Ald,lgbe lat-..., found Mr. Og...,. dimu, _ llad_t!MI_ for...., 20 ,;-.,.Qlllly of """"*'*' in tlMI act.

LETTER

. Prio( to Ille ,_inQ of. hi s tette, of forced rit1rement INt Monday, Nation•/ Concord waJ info,med lhal Or. !(-and Mr. C>Qund ..... - at v•rious .1me, briefed Gov-~ an thematlet.

Theceniflca-ol~ cy wwe signed by NI Comrnodoi• Mud1airu b•••••n August22 and 211. lllie- /v, l.omnlC>dol• Muoas,,u • now de'PUtV ~. N,gct..., Def~ Ac-.ny CND-"'J in .ICad<,na Srtte.

The cenilicate . of or.cuu"""Y,pol)Ubtly c-

Cont-,/0,, ~.J

Lite·rary giant gets his award today-

PUTAN END TO .RACISM

. · , P Soyinka, the 1986. /

• : ROFESSOR Wole

Nobel prize winner,

A will today in Stockholm. Sweden,

t formally receive the coveted 200.000 dOI

':-/ rars literary prize for · literature. · ,

He is the first black man to win the litera,v

: award. . , ·-· . The literary giant who was

last week honOUred with· Niget"ia's second highest national award of t he Commander of the FederaJ ROl)<Jblic lCFRI dedicated the coveted prize to the ja1W!d '$~th African freedom t .g"hter. Nelson Mandelo:

Peace In his 32-~age 1ec1ure

defo:er11d yes1erday, advanee copies of wh ich were C:is1ributed to the media, Prof; Soyinka called on . tt,'! who!r.: world 10 Ou t "" end to racism and "cnUHone universal suffragt! and ::,eace:·

·-SOYINKA

DSP lyamu ordered us to kill Omeben

FRIO-"'V Olege. •-of r,ot0ttOU• An.nl robbe,y

g.u,g alfegf'd ,n 9.,,-.,,_ 'f~SU!fd.aV that a de,pu&y supMM'itcndenr of pohce. Mt-. G. ly..-nu .ns.tructed the o-ng to tuM • dcputy lnspectot• Gene,a l of Poke• Mr. Cht,stoptl er Orne Den·

"We are-saymg very sirno·y t>uc Ut<:.JCnUv; sever mat cord by any name, be it total saner.on. boycott, disinvestm ent or whatever; sever this umolrca~ cord and leave this mons:cr ot a birth to atroohv, and die to rebuild itself on long c:cn1ed human foundations, .. he charoed.

It's another first for AB.~ ...

Our automotive batteries are t he first to wear the quality tag of N IS

- Anini's aide Ftt<i11y Ofcge Whose teal

nMTl•s ire Fnday Odbomwan m.acse ihe alle-gitr.on whale S~-lll.•ng to newsmen on the C:1<Cumita nccs suuound1ng the k1dnapo,n1J and

subsequent lulhng of Mr. Omeben· s driver, Po,1ce Scro~aot Alb ~n Otueh.

He said (har as soon as M, . Omeben arrived 1n Benm. DSP

Con11nucd on PJq~ J

.,.· . . . ... •..,:!'-.,

' .• • ,r,. -~ •' '· ~ . .. ,. • • •

Wn118 alluding to Hola Camp '-.1lling o f Mau•mau freedom hghters 111 J<enya during lhe Brnish colonial era, the 1enowned Olil'(WrlQht s.a,d the event orovlded a convenient means of app,oactung the cuttcnr reali ty ot aoarthc1d ,n

Contmuti'd on t>t'lge 13

ABM Associated Batterv

Manufacturers ( Ni~ria) Ltd. r p,cmiu man11Ja,-1Mrtr of automotiw bu:tlTitJ J

14 Sapara Stteet, lndu~1rial Estate P .0. 8 ::,x 23. lkeja, Lagos. Tel : 93 4-078, 961205. -96 l H 7

King of Stars

nohf l f':~iz~. thr ~:; ljlcli.h ffr,,~c-!::.i ci!7 . bydisa.ukzn.ac.za/sites/default/files/dc...

Documents

national university of...

ffr 1 2005 aer is

hed 510 ffr team1 final

ffr information pack

ffr chap25

ffr chap13

ffr chap08

federal financial report (ffr) expenditure data user … ·...

new bulletin officiel · 2020. 10. 8. · 9 • cp -...

chem 213 ffr 4

ffr: pitfalls · etp course 2014, sophia-antipolis ffr:...

ffr in mi kjh - summitmd.com · ao p d ffr in normal...

foundations of financial risk (ffr) exam preparatory · pdf...

ffr chap23

will ct-ffr replace the diagnostic angiogram in the next 5...

navy ffr nutrition guide

ffr link and bluetooth communication module - boston … ·...

ffr 3-link installation...

ffr club training s11

ffr: pitfalls