Very important 🤔🤔🤔 verym important topic for

1. WOLE SOYINKAS. MANDELA’S
EARTH AND OTHER POEMS
(1988)
Post colonial literature Chap -4
YouTube channel – Literature with W.B

2. INTRODUCTION TO WOLE SOYINKA
• Wole Soyinka was born on July 13, 1934, in Abeokuta, Nigeria. He
is a Yoruba from Ibadan. Soyinka studied at Government College
and University College in Nigeria before earning an English degree
from the University of Leeds in England in 1958. After returning to
Nigeria, he started an acting company and created his first major
play,“A Dance of the Forests,” for the nation’s 60th independence
anniversary in 1960. The play, which was published in 1963,
criticizes the idea that the present is better than the past by
debunking romantic myths about the country.

3. • Soyinka has been a strong supporter of Nigerian democracy for many
years. He has founded, led, and been involved in numerous political
organizations, such as the National Democratic Organization, the
National Liberation Council of Nigeria, and Pro-National Conference
Organizations (PRONACO). His activism has sometimes led to
imprisonment and exile. In 2010, he established and chaired the
Democratic Front for a People’s Federation. In 1986, Soyinka became
the first black African to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.
•
• Soyinka has also become a sought-after lecturer, with many of his talks
being published, including the 2004 Reith Lectures titled “Climate of
Fear.”He is one of the most famous authors in the world, with a wide
range of works including plays, novels, poems, and translations. His
diverse literary output reflects his ability to blend African and Western
civilizations, which he understands deeply through both his heritage
and his experiences.

4. STYLE OF WRITING
• Wole Soyinka wrote several comedies, including“The Trials of Brother
Jero” (1960; published 1963),“Jero’s Metamorphosis”(1960; published
1963), and “The Lion and the Jewel”(1959; first performed in Ibadan;
published 1963). In“The Lion and the Jewel”(1973), he mocks vain,
westernized schoolteachers and clever preachers of new prayer
churches who take advantage of believers’gullibility. His plays, like
“The Strong Breed”(1963),“Kongi’s Harvest”(1966; published 1967),
“The Road”(1965),“From Zia, with Love”(1992), and the satire “King
Baabu”(performed 2001; published 2002), show his disdain for African
dictators and his dissatisfaction with Nigerian society. These tragedies
blend Western ideas with Yoruba folklore and religion, using
flashbacks, clever structuring, and symbolism to create a rich dramatic
effect.

5. • Soyinka’s best works are known for their humor, poetic style,
sarcasm, and satire, as well as his skill in matching the language
of his complex characters to their social status and moral
character. His poetry, marked by mastery of lyric, dramatic, and
meditative genres and precise language, includes “Poems from
Prison,” written during his incarceration in 1967-69 for speaking
against the Biafra conflict. His prose account of his arrest and 22-
month imprisonment is “The Man Died”(1972). His critical work,
“Myth, Literature, and the African World” (1976), explores the role
of the artist in Yoruba mythology and symbolism. He addresses
similar themes in “Art, Dialogue, and Outrage”(1988). In “The
Open Sore of a Continent” (1996) and “The Burden of Memory, the
Muse of Forgiveness” (1999), Soyinka continues to discuss African
problems and the Western world’s responsibility, using both
serious and comic tones.

6. THEMATIC FOCUS
• Africa is a diverse continent shaped by past and present political influences,
cultural notions, negritude, colorism, colonialism, African identity, and racial
inheritance linked to specific regions. Wole Soyinka, a dedicated author,
believes Africa should unite as one force. He is mainly a satirist who details
society’s flaws and clearly shows his dislike for powerful people. Soyinka, as
noted by Klima Vladimir, exposes the arrogance, corruption, inefficiency, and
hypocrisy of modern city life. African literature, vibrant and fresh, stands out
among the Commonwealth’s new literary creations. While much of it is oral in
various African languages, it has an impressive antiquity, comparable to
Asian and Pacific Island literature. African literature is a serious intellectual,
cultural, and literary activity used to socialize and acculturate young people,
raise social consciousness, and develop national identity. It reflects the
struggle of African intellectuals in the late 20th century to restore Africa’s
dignity and give direction to Africans and the African diaspora.

7. • Soyinka, with his strong intellectual standing, deserves serious attention as a
novelist and playwright. His repeated call for African writers to demonstrate
vision shows he sees the literary artist as a redeemer. He is a speculative
thinker who believes the writer has an inner light lacking in most people and
must lead the community toward a glorious future. By incorporating religion,
mythology, and historical African poetry into his writing, Soyinka enhances
and gives dramatic relevance to contemporary topics. Yoruba gods, used for
centuries to intensify and define rituals, feature prominently in his plays.
Soyinka’s plays exhibit the intricate nuances of African theatre more than any
other playwright. Oyin Ogunba describes Soyinka as a modern artist, anti-
Establishment, and a firm believer in individual freedom.
• Soyinka’s plays gain a fresh sense of mythology through poetry and dance.
His Nobel Prize win is evidence of his dramatic prowess. His plays’ rich
settings come from Nigeria’s social and community structure, with
traditionalism permeating the atmosphere. His plays depict the drama of life,
blending old and new concepts, and giving classic values new life. A casual
reading of his plays and poems is enlightening. He is a writer who has
recently captured public attention, with his plays drawing people in with their
wisdom and relevance. Soyinka uses songs, dances, and drumbeats to
depict life’s changes, struggles, and conflicts effectively.

8. • Soyinka’s works are influenced by various elements, including myth,
ritual, music, dances, political implications, and Western influences.
His plays feature a diverse cast of characters and subjects, dramatizing
oppositions between city and village, tradition and modernization,
ideas and visions, and illusion and reality. Soyinka values psychological
or spiritual subjects as much as social ones, exploring human
sacrifice, which in his works develops into the theme of martyrdom,
meaning deliberate demise. His characters’ interactions with death
reveal a desire to control, prepare for, and understand it.
• In conclusion, Soyinka’s works provide a sharp analysis of his culture,
serving as a ceremonial vehicle to expose and critique vices, illnesses,
and political injustices. He uses theatre to seek social and political
improvements and end racial discrimination in his country. Essentially
a critic, Soyinka uses satire as his primary tool to highlight and correct
inherent errors. His sarcasm is sharp and clever.

9. THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF WOLE SOYINKA TO
THE MODERN AFRICAN LITERATURE
• The definition of literature has evolved over time. Traditionally, literature refers to
written works considered to have lasting artistic value, such as books and writings
produced on various subjects. However, in the African context, literature also
includes oral traditions, such as storytelling, which is a significant part of African
heritage. Thus, “African Literature” encompasses both traditional oral and written
works in African and Afro-Asiatic languages, as well as works created by Africans in
European languages. It is essentially literature about and from Africa. Unlike the
European view that focuses mainly on written works, the African definition includes
oral literature, making it unique.
•
• Nigerian author, poet, and playwright Akinwande Oluwole “Wole” Soyinka, born on
July 13, 1934, is a significant figure in African literature. Michael Olanrewaju Popoola
described him as a man with a divine presence and incorruptible character,
dedicated to defending humanity and promoting Africa’s originality. Soyinka is part
of an elite group of authors who have profoundly influenced the growth of African
literature.

10. • Soyinka has shown that African literature is a valuable and unique
legacy of the African people, holding a special and important place in
world literature. In 1986, he became the first African to win the Nobel
Prize in Literature, recognized for his ability to capture the essence of
existence with poetic undertones. His achievement opened the door
for other African writers, helping African literature gain acceptance and
legitimacy in schools and colleges worldwide.
• Some believe that Nigerian (and African) literature truly began to gain
international recognition with Soyinka’s Nobel Prize win. He is often
referred to as the Bringer of Light to African Literatures, credited with
putting Nigerian and African literature on the world map. It is evident
that Soyinka’s unmatched style and command of language make him a
unique figure in literature, and it might take another remarkable
individual to fill his shoes.
• There is hope in both academic and non-academic circles that another
writer like Soyinka, who combines literary talent with political activism,
will receive the Nobel Prize for Literature in the future. If that happens,
it will set a new standard, similar to the Booker Prize, for recognizing
exceptional literary contributions.

11. • A Writers’ Enclave in memory of Professor Wole Soyinka has been built at Adeyipo Village,
Lagelu Local Government Area, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. This initiative is supported by the
African Heritage Research Library and Cultural Centre. The Enclave has several main goals:
•
• - To promote African and international literature.
• - To create a supportive environment for writers to improve their skills.
• - To enhance understanding and appreciation of African literatures worldwide.
• - To improve the quality of African literature, ensuring its role in societal and national
development.
• - To establish an esteemed African Writers’Prize.
•
• Additionally, the Lumina Foundation has established the Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in
Africa to honor Africa’s first Nobel Prize winner in literature. This pan-African writing award is
for books of any form or genre and is given out annually with a financial reward. It recognizes
Africa’s outstanding writers and encourages appreciation of their work. This prize inspires
many African writers, especially those struggling financially, to continue their literary efforts.
•
• Overall, it is evident from these initiatives and other evidence that Wole Soyinka has
significantly contributed to the growth of contemporary African literature. It is hoped that
younger generations will build on these efforts to elevate African literature to its highest level.

12. MANDELA’S EARTH AND OTHER POEMS
• The poetry collection “Mandela’s Earth and Other Poems”by Wole Soyinka uses both praise
and satire to honor heroes, similar to his other works. However, unlike earlier poems that
relied heavily on historical and mythical references, these poems are deeply rooted in the
present. This dual approach achieves two things: it gives the poems immediate political
relevance and brings the motivations of political heroes from history into the present. The
poems’semi-dialogic and semi-narrative forms, their rhetorical structure, and frequent use
of pronouns “I”and“We”addressing an absent “You”are notable formal elements.
•
• The six poems in “Mandela’s Earth”are all epideictic, meaning they celebrate Mandela by
elevating him from a political prisoner to a suffering hero who transforms political defeat into
moral victory through sacrifice and conviction. The last stanza of “Your Logic Frightens Me,
Mandela”uses metaphor to illustrate this transformation:
• “Your bounty threatens me, Mandela, that taut
• Drumskin of your heart on which our millions
• Dance … (p. 5).”

13. • The years Mandela spent in prison required immense patience and a commitment to not sacrificing
one’s freedom for the community’s sake, which the poet views with awe, admiration, and puzzlement.
These feelings are at the core of praise poetry in African oral literature, especially in the Yoruba
tradition, where praise poems often take the forms of riddles and paradoxes. In the poet’s eyes,
Mandela has become a mysterious figure, like deities:
• “Your pulse, I know, has slowed with earth’s
• Phlegmatic turns. I know your blood
• Sagely warms and coils with Seasons,
• …. (p. 5).”
• Thus, the poet can only express wonder and astonishment by asking questions. The poet admires
Mandela’s fortitude, wisdom, and ability to see beyond the practical, rather than just his patience and
endurance, which could be seen as mere passivity. Imprisonment now represents defiance, rebellion,
and an assertion of will and energy, characteristics celebrated in epic poetry.
• The poem“No! He Said”(pp. 21–3) is also considered praise poetry, even though it lacks some obvious
characteristics. Its linguistic and structural layers show how contradictory desire is transformed into
emancipatory will. In the final line, the heroic “No”in thunder replaces the rejections that isolated
Mandela. He becomes the whale, the island, and the black hole of creation, serving as both the
catalyst and guiding principle for societal change:
• “No! I am no prisoner of this rock, this island,
• No ash spew on Milky Ways to conquests old or new.
• I am this rock, this island. I toiled,…”
• Overall, the poems in “Mandela’s Earth”celebrate Mandela’s transformation from a prisoner to a
symbol of unyielding defiance and a force for societal change.

14. Major works
• Wole Soyinka is a prolific writer, known especially for his plays. He has
also written novels, memoirs, critical essays, and poetry. Here is a
summary of his works:
• Novels
• - The Interpreters (1965)
• - The Man Died (1972)
• - Season of Anomy (1973)
• - Ake: The Years of Childhood (1981)
• - Isara: A Voyage Around Essay (1989)
• The last two are autobiographies

15. • Critical Essays
• - Myth, Literature and the African World (1976)
• - Art
•
• Poetry Collections
• - Mandela’s Earth and Other Poems (1988)
• - A Shuttle in the Crypt (1972
• - Idanre and Other Poems (1967)
• - Ogun Abibiman (1976*

16. • Brief Overview of Soyinka’s Works
•
• 1. Plays:
• - Collected Plays. Oxford University Press, 1988.
• - From Zia with Love; and A Scourge of Hyacinths. Methuen Drama,
1992.
• - King Baabu: A Play in the Manner-Roughly of Alfred Jarry. Methuen
Drama, 2002.
• - Kongi’s Harvest. Oxford University Press, 1967.
• - Madmen and Specialists. Methuen, 1971.
•
• 2. Memoirs:
• - Aké: The Years of Childhood Methuen, 2000.
• - Ibadan: The Penkelemes Years: A Memoir, 1946-1965. Minerva, 1995.
• - Ìsarà: A Voyage Around Essay. Methuen, 2001.

17. • 3. Miscellaneous Works:
• - Climat de peur: Essai. Translated by Étienne Galle, Actes Sud,
2005.
• - Myth, Literature, and the African World. Cambridge University
Press, 1990.
• - The Open Sore of a Continent: A Personal Narrative of the
Nigerian Crisis. Oxford University Press, 1996.
• - Requiem pour un futurologue. Translated by Étienne Galle,
Nouvelles du Sud, 1993.
• - Season of Anomy. Arena, 1973.
•
• This extensive body of work highlights Soyinka’s versatility and his
significant contributions to literature across various genres.