The Committee for Relevant Art (CORA) is honouring the 90th birthday of Wole Soyinka, a titan of African literature, with a series of weekly readings, exhibitions, and film screenings throughout July 2024 at Freedom Park in Lagos.
This celebration, dubbed “The Soyinka Season,” is a tribute to his rich literary legacy and influential life. The festivities kicked-off on July 6 with the reading of excerpts from Ake: The Years of Childhood, one of the four of Soyinka’s seminal works, including three memoirs and one extended non-fiction narrative to feature. The readings will continue on successive Saturdays, that is July 13th, 20th and 27th with Ibadan, The Penkelemes Years, You Must Set Forth at Dawn and Isara: A Voyage Around Essay, the latter being a semi-biographical account of Soyinka’s father.
Complementing these literary events are three exhibitions, with one outdoor and two indoor displays, that delve into the adventurous life of Soyinka. In partnership with Freedom Park and the Wole Soyinka International Cultural Exchange (WSICE), CORA is also presenting a premiere screening of The Man Died, a film adaptation of Soyinka’s prison notes chronicling his 27 months of imprisonment. The film stars Wale Ojo as Soyinka.
This month-long celebration dates back to 1994 when Lagos arthouse community organised a week-long event for Soyinka’s 60th birthday, eight years after he won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Since then, the annual commemoration has evolved into a robust tradition, with significant milestones such as the publication of WS: A Life in Full in 2004 and yearly productions of Soyinka’s plays initiated by the now late playwright Wole Oguntokun.
The Soyinka Season has grown to include various thoughtful events orchestrated by institutions like the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism and WSICE. These events feature children’s essay and art competitions, extensive performances, and lecture series across multiple cities.
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