Nigeria's Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka has just been dealt a severe blow by the Trump administration - his US visa has been revoked. The 91-year-old playwright and critic revealed in a news conference that he was "very content" with the decision, seemingly unfazed despite being banned from entering the country.
Soyinka's move to leave his green card behind after Donald Trump's first presidential campaign in 2016 is now proving costly. Insiders claim that his recent comments comparing Trump to Uganda's notorious dictator Idi Amin may have sealed his fate. The Nigerian author had described Trump as "behaving like a dictator" and jokingly called him the Ugandan leader, which some speculate was enough to spark action.
The US embassy in Abuja has opted not to comment on individual cases due to confidentiality rules, but Soyinka's statement that he had been called into an interview by the consulate to reassess his visa is chilling. He has since told journalists and organisations hoping to invite him that "not to waste their time".
Soyinka's past achievements in the United States, including teaching at top universities such as Harvard and Cornell, are now being overshadowed by this move. The author of Death and the King's Horseman, which won the 1986 Nobel prize for literature, has expressed deep concern over Trump's presidency.
A recent satire novel by Soyinka has also been met with renewed attention, with critics citing its commentary on corruption in Nigeria as particularly apt at this time. However, his latest comments have seemingly left a lasting impression on US authorities.
While Soyinka has left the door open to accepting an invitation from the United States should circumstances change, his words suggest he will not be taking any initiative himself. The real concern for him is the current state of immigration under Trump - particularly how national guard troops are being deployed and undocumented immigrants are being hauled away in raids.
It appears that this latest move by the Trump administration may mark a significant escalation in their efforts to curb immigration, leaving many wondering what other implications this could have on foreign writers and artists.
Soyinka's move to leave his green card behind after Donald Trump's first presidential campaign in 2016 is now proving costly. Insiders claim that his recent comments comparing Trump to Uganda's notorious dictator Idi Amin may have sealed his fate. The Nigerian author had described Trump as "behaving like a dictator" and jokingly called him the Ugandan leader, which some speculate was enough to spark action.
The US embassy in Abuja has opted not to comment on individual cases due to confidentiality rules, but Soyinka's statement that he had been called into an interview by the consulate to reassess his visa is chilling. He has since told journalists and organisations hoping to invite him that "not to waste their time".
Soyinka's past achievements in the United States, including teaching at top universities such as Harvard and Cornell, are now being overshadowed by this move. The author of Death and the King's Horseman, which won the 1986 Nobel prize for literature, has expressed deep concern over Trump's presidency.
A recent satire novel by Soyinka has also been met with renewed attention, with critics citing its commentary on corruption in Nigeria as particularly apt at this time. However, his latest comments have seemingly left a lasting impression on US authorities.
While Soyinka has left the door open to accepting an invitation from the United States should circumstances change, his words suggest he will not be taking any initiative himself. The real concern for him is the current state of immigration under Trump - particularly how national guard troops are being deployed and undocumented immigrants are being hauled away in raids.
It appears that this latest move by the Trump administration may mark a significant escalation in their efforts to curb immigration, leaving many wondering what other implications this could have on foreign writers and artists.
can you even believe what's going down?! soyinka's been banned from us and it's lowkey shocking he's like "meh" about it lol. i mean, the dude won a nobel prize and taught at some top universities, that's some serious cred! but i guess his comments about trump were a bit too much for the admin 
. idk if it was those comments or something else, but now he's been stripped of his us visa and i'm lowkey worried what this means for other foreign writers and artists who might get caught in the crossfire 
. Like, he’s been super outspoken about Trump and Uganda's dictator Idi Amin, so I get why they might not want him around 
. But at the same time, it seems kinda harsh to kick someone out like that just because of their opinions 
. Soyinka has had some major accomplishments in the US, too - teaching at Harvard and Cornell, for example! He's got a lot to lose here, but he's still going strong 
. I guess only time will tell if this decision is gonna have any real repercussions on immigration or not 
...
. I mean, come on, Wole Soyinka's been living in the States for years, teaching at Harvard and Cornell, what did he think was gonna happen if Trump got elected? 
. What's next? Are they gonna start targeting other foreign writers and artists who aren't afraid to speak their minds? 
i mean, i know he dissed Trump but i didnt think it wud be that serious. is it bcos of his old novel or somethin'? 
, he's been a total legend in literature and now he's being treated like dirt by the US government. it's crazy that they're revoking his visa over some comments about Trump - who knows what kind of power those guys hold? 
anyway, it's not like he hasn't been vocal about Trump before, but still, this is pretty serious 
i wonder if soyinka will try to move to canada or somethin' 
. I get why Trump's team might have taken offense, but shouldn't they be encouraging free speech and open discussion? It seems like the US government is more interested in silencing dissenting voices than fostering a culture of engagement and debate 
.