Wole-Soyinka

By Akinyemi Onigbinde

In the culture and tradition of Yoruba people, within and outside of Nigeria geographical space,  ‘right’ is not absolute, it is contextual, as the right of the individual necessarily submit to the collective  cultural ethos of the community. Respect for, and indulgence of elders, is a major contribution of Omoluabi to  world heritage. Let social media miscreants get this tutorial on SOC 101 right. Democratiztion of social space, through the facility of the internet, will not change this, even if a generation, doped,  lazy and  bereft of lessons  of history, will wish otherwise

Let cyber terrorists, much propelled by hatred for  Wole Soyinka, on account of his controversial endorsement of Buhari presidential bid in 2015 than by logic of particular issues,  know this. The eminent man of letter, and a legendary fighter for sanitized political space have a right to his choice, even if some of us think he was wrong in the way his choice was inclined, based, on our individual subjective preferences.

I personally disagreed with one of the greatest living minds and Eledumare’s premium  gift to our common humanity and unending match of civilization, and I remain convinced that our own Soyinka didn’t have to  endorse a certified tyrant and religious bigot . But that act in itself does not confer the right to seize every given opportunity to insult him. An otherwise intelligent people have become so uncivil that you begin to wonder, in popular lingo, “ki’lagbe,ki’leju or, is there any other thing involved?

For some of us, conscious of the trajectory of Nigeria  history, and its punctuating turns, twists and bends, we know our own WS deserve every respect because the Lion has earned his jewels.

Related article: Wole Soyinka, the Seat and Loss of Values