NYU Abu Dhabi hosted Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka for a series of events in February, including his first-ever talk at The NYU Abu Dhabi Institute, which was is open to the public and free of charge. 

A Conversation with Wole Soyinka, moderated by NYUAD Assistant Professor of Practice Tishani Doshi, saw Soyinka reflect on culture and tradition, creativity and power, as well as activism and the artistic process. He ruminated on the topic Renaissance Next Time? Africa at the Crossroads, exploring the themes of the world in Africa and Africa in the world. 

A distinguished Writer-in-Residence at NYUAD in spring 2020, Soyinka’s visit comes as a result of a joint invitation from the African Studies, Film and New Media, History, Literature and Creative Writing, and Theater program, supported by other departments across the University. In addition to The Institute talk, Soyinka is participating in a series of community events on campus including a master class with students. 

Soyinka is a Nigerian playwright, poet, and political activist. Born in 1934, he has held university professorships in various countries including Ile-Ife, Lagos and Ibadan in Nigeria, Johannesburg in South Africa, and Cambridge in England, Harvard, Emory, Loyola, and Yale in the United States. He has worked on various performance stages in Africa and the rest of the world. His works encompass drama, poetry, novels, music, film, and memoirs; he is considered among contemporary Africa’s greatest writers as well as a global artist and scholar.