Why Wole Soyinka, Nigeria’s Literary Icon, Is Losing Influence Among Young People

In the realm of literature and cultural heritage, few names command as much respect as that of Nigerian writer, poet, playwright, and the first African winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986, Wole Soyinka. A towering figure in Nigerian and global literature, his works have not only shaped the literary landscape but also influenced social and political discourse.

However, as time marches on, it appears that many young people in Nigeria seem to be unfamiliar with this literary giant. For instance, in a viral video on X (formerly Twitter), a group of young people engaging in a simple game of identifying a person depicted in a picture struggled to correctly name and identify prominent figures through pictures, including Nigeria’s literary figure, Soyinka. The closest guess called this literary scholar “sole woyinka,” while another described him as a writer for the popular Nigerian TV show, Super Story. The question then arises: Does it matter that the younger generation is unfamiliar with Wole Soyinka’s legacy? Is the younger generation unfamiliar with Wole Soyinka because of his minimal contribution to this present generation? These and many other questions need to be answered.

Wole Soyinka is not only a literary icon but a figure whose activism and fearless commitment to social justice made him significant in Nigeria’s political landscape. During the Nigerian civil war between 1967 and 1970, Soyinka was imprisoned several times in Nigeria for mediating to end the war that claimed the lives of about 3 million people. Through his poetries like ‘The Lion and the Jewel’ and ‘The Trials of Brother Jero’, and plays such as ‘Kongi’s Harvest’, he dealt with issues of corruption, tyranny, and cults of personality in African dictatorships. Hence, his Nobel Prize in Literature not only brought international acclaim to Nigerian literature but also highlighted the power of literature in challenging injustice.

However, in today’s digital age, where young people are increasingly dominating the tech and engineering landscape, is it surprising that many from the Gen Z cohort do not recognize figures like Wole Soyinka? After all, Soyinka’s contributions were not in the realm of technology or engineering but rather in literature, activism, and the arts. However, this take does not excuse young people involved in the fields of literature, theater arts, and drama who, no doubt, must have come in contact with the works of the literary giant.

While it is crucial to highlight that the lack of awareness of Wole Soyinka by the younger generation does not diminish their intellectual capacity or his impact in Nigeria, it merely calls for action to bridge the gap between generations through the teaching of history to ensure that Nigeria’s cultural legacy continues to thrive for generations to come.