We Nigerians must reclaim our sovereignty, our civic entitlements.
From Wole Soyinka
I like to say, 'I spend one-third of my time in Nigeria, one-third in Europe or America, and one-third on a plane.'
Before you're a writer, you're a citizen, a human being, and therefore the weapons of the citizen are at your disposal to use or not use.
One has to confront history honestly.
An idyllic period of my existence was when I had a den attached to my home... a writing den, and no one had access to that unless they had their own special visa, applied for weeks in advance.
I don't have the sort of temperament that submits to Christianity or Islam.
In the world of literature, I see prizes as more of a duty to the craft itself, rather than as something for the individual.
I've done a lot of guerrilla theater in my time.
You go to conferences, and your fellow African intellectuals - and even heads of state - they all say: 'Nigeria is a big disappointment. It is the shame of the African continent.'
There's no way to escape the culture that has evolved, from which we ourselves have evolved. Naturally, we stress it, break it up, reassemble it to suit our own needs. But it is there - a source of vital strength.
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