Le Sallay Academy is proud to announce an upcoming visit of the Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka, a Nigerian playwright, novelist, poet and activist.

The first Black winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature — and its first African winner — is famous for works that in the words of the Nobel committee “fashion the drama of existence,” as well as for his activism and unwavering stance against the dictatorship regimes. Soyinka has always lived on the political brink. During the Nigerian civil war he spent 22 months in prison, and in 1994 he had to flee the country after enraging dictator Sani Abacha, who pronounced a death sentence on him in absentia. Despite the hazards, Wole Soyinka remains an uncompromising critic of corruption and oppression wherever he finds them.

In October last year, he has published “Chronicles From the Land of the Happiest People on Earth,” his first novel in nearly 50 years.

At Le Sallay, Wole Soyinka will address the students and staff with a talk about his writings and his life. This is a rare opportunity to meet a literary lion and one of the world's most recognizable voices. We expect an open and enlightening discussion and will make sure to publish the best takeaways from this meeting.