Soyinka Explains Why He Accepted National Theatre Renaming Despite Past Opposition

Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka has revealed that he accepted the renaming of the National Theatre in Lagos after him with “mixed emotions,” acknowledging that it contradicted his long-held criticism of turning public monuments into personal legacies.

Speaking at the reopening and re-dedication of the refurbished facility, President Bola Tinubu announced that the iconic structure would now be known as the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts.

Soyinka, however, admitted that the gesture forced him to reconcile his past stance with present reality.

“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 seem well with me,” he said.

“I accepted this honour with mixed feelings. First of all, I’m notorious for having criticised any appropriations—personal appropriations of public monuments by some of our past leaders, which would end up that everything is named after them. I’ll be modest, given the general estimate, to say that about 25 percent of monuments, whether they are buildings or roads in particular in this country, are well and truly deserved.”

Reflecting on the country’s artistic pioneers such as Hubert Ogunde and opera composer Adam Fiberesima, the playwright said he eventually conceded that “somebody has to carry the can.”

Soyinka also recalled his deep personal connection with the National Theatre, which was first built during the military era and later hosted the historic FESTAC ’77. But he lamented its decline in the years that followed.

“I have another reason, which is nostalgia. I remember this building was first erected during the military regime. We had FESTAC ‘77 in this very hall. It’s a different hall completely, it’s nothing like what that building became over the years,” he said.

“Degraded to such an extent that when Lagos was celebrating its 50 years anniversary and we looked for a hub, a centre of activities which would take place elsewhere, one of the places we visited was here, which is now transformed.

“I took one look at it and when the governor and his team wanted to come back to take a second look, I said you go without me. I said I would advise you, get somebody secretly, plant a bomb, and blow it up. It was irredeemable. I said ‘it’s not just a desert, it was a slum’.”

Now transformed after extensive refurbishment, Soyinka praised the renewed National Theatre as a testament to cultural revival.

“If eating one’s word produces a morsel like this, then it’s a very tasty set of words,” he quipped.