The Nigerian Nobel laureate discusses Boko Haram, organised religion, and the current state of his country. |
He is often called Nigeria's
national conscience and Africa's most compelling literary force - Wole
Soyinka, the Nigerian poet, playwright and activist. He was the first black
African to be honoured with the Nobel Prize for literature in 1986. continue...
Soyinka turns 80 this week and
continues to express his views as one of the most controversial writers of his
generation. Deeply committed to social justice and the arts, Soyinka has been a
thorn in the side of many Nigerian dictators - his outspoken activism landing
him in jail and eventually forcing him into exile.
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Organised religion in my view is
more a curse than a blessing. I believe that religion should be very, very
personal.
Wole Soyinka
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Many of Soyinka's writings have been
concerned with the tensions between tradition and progress, his disillusionment
with African authoritarian leadership and with Nigerian society as a whole.
In a time when Nigeria is facing its
toughest security crisis in decades, he discusses the issues surrounding Boko
Haram:
"Those who unleashed Boko Haram
on the nation are not poverty stricken. They are politicians .... desperate for
power, intelligent enough or perceptive enough to recognise that the cocktail
of politics and religious fundamentalism can only yield them dividends. They
think they have nothing to lose. But the foot soldiers have been indoctrinated
for years, from childhood. And they believe that their religion [Islam] is in
danger ... But Islam is not in danger. It is the pervert followers who are
being used and who use others and proclaim that they are fighting for Islam
....
"Look at the histories of the
world: Boko Haram, if not contained and eradicated, will be found in the heart
of Lagos before you know it."
Talk to Al Jazeera speaks
to Professor Wole Soyinka, one of Nigeria's most prominent voices, about Boko
Haram, religion, politics and the state of Nigeria today.
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