Wole Soyinka Expresses Sadness Over US Developments

Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka has expressed sadness about recent events in the United States, particularly under President Donald Trump’s administration.

In a conversation with a freelance arts journalist, Laura Collins-Hughes, published in the New York Times, Soyinka expressed his distress, stating, “It’s one of the saddest developing phenomena that I know of.”

He also mentioned feeling sad that such developments are happening in a “potentially progressive country”.

Soyinka, who had previously threatened to shred his green card if Trump won the and he had also made such comments in 2016 election, reiterated his concerns about Trump’s presidency.

When asked about his safety in the US, Soyinka replied, ” If I’m walking through the street and they pick me up, I have no problem whatsoever. You know, my laptop is where it is. It’s up in the clouds,” he said with a smile.

Soyinka’s comments come amid Trump’s policies, including a vigorous campaign against irregular immigrants in America and tariff hikes on trade partners, including Nigeria.

The US imposed a 14% tariff on Nigerian exports, citing Nigeria’s ban on 25 items from the US.

PUNCH