Wole Soyinka, Nobel Literature laureate
The Interview
BBC
4.3 • 537 Ratings
🗓️ 22 April 2019
⏱️ 23 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Nobel Literature laureate and Nigerian professor Wole Soyinka is one of the giants of African and world literature, and a passionate advocate and campaigner for human rights. His country recently held a general election which saw the incumbent Muhammadu Buhari re-elected as president. As Africa’s most populous country, does he believe Nigeria can lead the continent in the 21st century?
Image: Wole Soyinka (Credit: Thomas Samson/AFP/Getty Images)
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | You're listening to a podcast from the BBC World Service. This is Hard Talk with me, Zainab Bedawi. |
| 0:06.0 | Thanks for downloading this edition of the program and I hope you enjoy it. Welcome to Hard Talk on the BBC World Service with me, Zainab Bedawi. He's one of the giants of African and world literature, and is also a passionate advocate and campaigner for human rights. |
| 0:22.1 | My guest is the Nobel Literature Laureate Nigerian Professor Wolle Shoyenka. |
| 0:27.1 | His country underwent a general election in February, which saw the incumbent Mohamedu Buhari |
| 0:32.4 | re-elected as president. |
| 0:35.1 | Does he believe that Nigeria is now on the right path |
| 0:38.6 | and as Africa's most populous country, |
| 0:41.8 | does Wally Shoyinka think Nigeria can lead the continent |
| 0:45.0 | and make this the century of the Africans? |
| 0:48.3 | Professor Wally Shoyenko, welcome to Hard Talk. |
| 0:51.0 | Thank you. |
| 0:51.9 | Has your generation of older Nigerians failed the people? |
| 0:57.3 | I believe so, yes. |
| 0:59.8 | No question at all in my mind. |
| 1:01.2 | Really, no question. |
| 1:02.1 | Why? |
| 1:02.6 | Well, I compare today with the dreams, the aspirations that we had when we all rushed home after our studies abroad. |
| 1:11.8 | You know, we were, we considered ourselves the Renaissance people. |
| 1:16.0 | We're going to lift the continent to world standards, competitive anywhere. |
| 1:21.2 | And it hasn't happened. |
| 1:22.8 | So we've just seen in the February election, we had two opponents, the incumbent, |
| 1:26.8 | Mohamedu Buhari, and his opponent, At two opponents, the incumbent Mohamedu Buhari, |
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