At the inaugural Ertegun Director’s Seminar, held in 2016, Professor Wole Soyinka, the first Sub-Saharan African to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, in 1986 started his lecture with a criticism of the leftist radical thought that ‘all literature is ideological.’
He likened the scenario to the millipede which stopped to count its feet and never walked again, saying there were a number of talented writers who were crippled by their sense of ideological duty.
Leading the audience to imagine the kind of conversations that he has with fellow male writers from his generation, he reserved his greatest praise for contemporary African female writers, joking that as a ‘male chauvinist’ he had told his male peers, ‘Don’t let these young women catch up with us.’ The ripples of laughter continued throughout the afternoon as he peppered his talk with an easy humour.
The inauguration of the museum formed part of the 5-day ‘Ife Festival Of Food And Identity,’ anchored by the Institute of Cultural Study of the university.
Senator Ibikunle Amosun, the Ogun State governor, who was represented by Mrs. Salamat Badru described Soyinka as a rare enigma that has placed the nation on the world map.
“Anything and everything Wole Soyinka simply excite us. Although Wole Soyinka goes beyond our state and indeed beyond the shores of Nigeria, nonetheless, we are pleased that he is one of those Nigerian figures that have helped to place our nation on the world map and, for the good reasons.”
The museum, which is a base for many artworks that Soyinka had collected over the years, evolved from the house he used to live in when he was a lecturer at the institution — then called the University of Ife.
The vice chancellor, Professor Eyitope Ogunbodede acknowledged the support of the Ogun State Government in the development of the facility. He reiterated that the university decided to establish the museum not only to honour Soyinka but also to deepen OAU’s cultural legacy.
In his reaction, Soyinka said, “It is always good to see pieces of artwork where they can breathe.
“They are from my collections.
And it is always a different feeling when you see them isolated and properly arranged.
It is a different sensation and that is what I saw when I went there this morning.”
In 1963, Soyinka joined the Faculty of Art, University of Ife in 1963. However, his political activism led to his voluntary resignation within a year, though he returned to teach there a couple of decades later.
In order to commemorate Soyinka’s contributions to the intellectual life of the institution and the broader community, the university and the state government teamed up to preserve the house where he lived as a historic site.
It is apt to note that houses where famous authors lived are often turned into historical sites where museum exhibits and archival documents are made available to the public.
Sites like these become tourist destination for fans as well as archives for scholars.
