Lagos, Nigeria – Nobel Laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka has explained why he accepted the renaming of the National Theatre in Iganmu, Lagos, after him, despite being a long-time critic of naming public monuments after individuals.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu recently renamed the refurbished cultural landmark as the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts during its reopening and re-dedication ceremony.
Mixed Feelings Over Renaming
Speaking at the event, Soyinka admitted that he received the honour with mixed feelings, recalling his previous criticisms of “personal appropriations” of public monuments by past leaders.
“I have been guilty of saying other people do not merit this kind of monumental dedication, and then I had to stand up in public and watch my name being put up as yet another appropriator. It just didn’t sit well with me,” he said.
Soyinka stressed that while only about 25 percent of monuments in Nigeria are truly deservedly named, he eventually accepted that “somebody has to carry the can.”
Nostalgia and History
The playwright said nostalgia was another reason he accepted the honour. He recalled the theatre’s original construction during the military regime and its central role in FESTAC ’77.
He also reflected on its decline, describing the building at one point as “irredeemable… not just a desert, but a slum.”
“When Lagos was celebrating its 50th anniversary, we looked for a hub of activities. I took one look at this place and told them: get somebody secretly, plant a bomb, and blow it up,” he joked, recalling its dilapidated state before the renovation.
Praise for the Transformation
Now transformed, Soyinka praised the refurbished theatre:
“If eating one’s words produces a morsel like this, then it’s a very tasty set of words.”
He also paid tribute to pioneers of Nigerian theatre such as Hubert Ogunde and Adam Fiberesima, acknowledging their roles in shaping the country’s cultural history.
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