Nobel Literature Laureate - Wole Soyinka episode artwork

EPISODE · May 9, 2014 · 23 MIN

Nobel Literature Laureate - Wole Soyinka

from The Interview · host BBC World Service

Nigeria's century has been described as "100 years of trauma". This is no more apparent than in the kidnapping of hundreds of schoolgirls by a militant Islamist group that perceives learning as an alien imposition by Christians and Europeans. Wole Soyinka is Nigeria's most prominent writer, the first African to be awarded the Nobel prize for literature. Persecuted by past governments for his commitment to democracy, what does he make of how Nigeria has stood up to the pressures of insurgency, the temptations of oil wealth and the corruption critics say is endemic. Does a state that cannot even guarantee the safety of its children have a future?

Nigeria's century has been described as "100 years of trauma". This is no more apparent than in the kidnapping of hundreds of schoolgirls by a militant Islamist group that perceives learning as an alien imposition by Christians and Europeans. Wole Soyinka is Nigeria's most prominent writer, the first African to be awarded the Nobel prize for literature. Persecuted by past governments for his commitment to democracy, what does he make of how Nigeria has stood up to the pressures of insurgency, the temptations of oil wealth and the corruption critics say is endemic. Does a state that cannot even guarantee the safety of its children have a future?

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Nobel Literature Laureate - Wole Soyinka

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Nigeria's century has been described as "100 years of trauma". This is no more apparent than in the kidnapping of hundreds of schoolgirls by a militant Islamist group that perceives learning as an alien imposition by Christians and Europeans. Wole...

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