Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka has explained that he accepted the renaming of the National Theatre after him because of its history, his personal nostalgia for the iconic edifice, and the recognition that ‘somebody has to carry the can’ for Nigerian theatre even though he has long criticised the practice of naming public monuments after individuals.
Speaking at the reopening and re-dedication of the refurbished complex in Iganmu, Lagos, now christened the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts by President Bola Tinubu, Soyinka admitted that the honour left him conflicted.
‘I accepted this honour with mixed feelings. First of all, I’m notorious for having criticised any appropriations, personal appropriations of public monuments by some of our past leaders, which would end up that everything is named after them,’ he said.
‘I have been guilty of saying other people do not merit this kind of monumental dedication, and then I had to stand up in public and watch my name being put up as yet another appropriator. It just didn’t seem well with me.’
Reflecting on pioneers of Nigerian theatre such as Hubert Ogunde and Adam Fiberesima, Soyinka said he eventually concluded that ‘somebody has to carry the can.’
He also recalled the building’s role in FESTAC ’77, noting his despair over its decay and his surprise at its transformation after renovation.
‘I took one look at it, and when the governor and his team wanted to come back to take a second look, I said you go without me. I said I would advise you, get somebody secretly, plant a bomb, and blow it up. It was irredeemable. I said it’s not just a desert, it was a slum,’ he said.
Soyinka praised its rebirth, adding: ‘If eating one’s word produces a morsel like this, then it’s a very tasty set of words.’
In his remarks, President Tinubu said the renaming was his personal decision and not influenced by any political agenda.
‘No conspiracy anywhere. I did it,’ the president said. ‘You are a gem and talent. You are one of the greatest assets of the world, the continent and the country Nigeria. So, it couldn’t have been anything else. I said it has to be Wole Soyinka Centre. And I’m glad you are here to accept the honour.’