By Victor Onyiliagha – The Wole Soyinka International Cultural Exchange held at the Africa Centre in Southwark, Central London on the 18th of July 2026 in celebration of Wole Soyinka’s 92 years birthday was more than a gathering of men of letters and culture.
It opened a multi dimensional approach to cultural mobility and fluidity in a globalised world hence the theme culture without borders. The most prominent part of the event is the Nobel laureate’s mentoring of teeming youths in an informal setting that broke barriers with all their questions answered.
The panel of discussants, which featured a Caribbean poet, Amri Barack explored the Pan African ethics without defining ethics. The panel decried the recent Xenophobia attack in South Africa and described it as an affront to pan Africanism.
As I said at the middle of this article the greatest upliftment one got from the event is the complete immersion of the celebrant Professor Wole Soyinka – (ever energetic) in his interactions with the Exchange youths. It is safe to describe the immersion as forest Close as youths who sees the Nobel Laureate from afar and mostly in press conferences were with him physically in a no bars interactions and photo selfies.
We hope it is not too late to wish the legend of African literature and a fierce fighter of injustices a thunderous happy birthday and many more years. The greatest gift world leaders and especially Nigerian leaders can give Wole Soyinka is a corruption free egalitarian society without inequality and strifes as a reward for his past tireless struggles against oppression and injustices all over Africa and his current travails with the White Idi Amin of United States of America who revoked his visa for his speaking out against his immigration policies.
The session was curated by Dr Samantha Iwowo and also in attendance was Prof Wilson Mano amongst other scholars.
The MD/CEO of The Africa centre Mr Olu Alake and Mrs Yewande Amusan – Chairman of FirstCap did the opening and closing Remarks while the Executive producer of WSICE.
Dr Olateju Kareem wrapped the session with insight to the vision and mission of the international cultural program years to come.
Victor Onyiliagha wrote from London
