The Alake and Paramount Ruler of Egbaland, Oba Dr Adedotun Gbadebo, has urged the federal government to adopt July 13 of every year as Professor Wole Soyinka Day in honour of the international literary icon.
He said this on Tuesday at the sideline of the royal World Press Conference/Lunch with editors selected from some media organizations, at the Ake Palace, in Abeokuta, to commemorate the 90th birthday of Soyinka.
The monarch also asked the FG to bestow the second highest national honour of Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) on the first black African Nobel Laureate in Literature.
Oba Gbadebo flanked by the convener of Wole Soyinka at 90, Pastor Segun Bankole; the Chairman Planning Committee, Engr. Tokunbo Odebunmi among others said that July 13 has been declared as Wole Soyinka Day in Egbaland, to further amplify his uncommon achievements.
He said, “Professor Wole Soyinka deserves to be celebrated based on his rare achievements in the field of Literature as the first African to win a Noble Prize in his field.
“We are proud of him for bringing international honour to the country, Ogun State and Egbaland. If New Orleans city in Louisiana in the United States can declare November 1 as Wole Soyinka Day, I implore the federal government to toe the line, and also bestow on him GCON because he has brought so much honour to us.”
Oba Gbadebo informed that July 12 and 13 have been set aside to feature a series of events which included an art exhibition, by pupils of St. Peters Primary School, Ake and Abeokuta Grammar School both attended by Soyinka.
The theme of the celebration is ‘Defiance And Creativity – A Celebration of Soyinka’s Artistic Ingenuity And Impact on Nigeria, Africa And The Entire World’.
Other events are exhibitions by the Ogun State chapter of the Society of Nigerian Artistes; book exhibitions by Spectrum Publishing Company; documentaries; poetry recitals; cultural performances and hunting expeditions by hunters in Egbaland.
While Bankole submitted that Soyinka deserves to be celebrated as he joins the nonagenarian club, he recalled that his literary journey started after he met Soyinka in 1964 in Ibadan as a young boy.
The convener also reemphasized that the declaration of July 13th as Wole Soyinka Day in Egbaland by the Alake is in line with the declaration of November 1st as Wole Soyinka Day in New Orleans, USA.
READ ALSO FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
Source: