Nobel Prize winner, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has expressed his sorrow regarding the current situation in the United States under the leadership of President Donald Trump.
It could be recalled that Soyinka stated in 2016 that he would renounce his green card if Trump were elected.
In a recent interview, Soyinka described the current situation in America as one of the saddest developing phenomena that he knows of.
Wole Soyinka expressed these views in a conversation with freelance arts journalist Laura Collins-Hughes, published in the New York Times.
In the piece, titled “At 90, Wole Soyinka Revisits His Younger, More Optimistic Self,” Collins-Hughes noted that the Nobel Prize-winning writer is deeply unsettled by current events in the United States—a country he once resided in during his voluntary exile. He now refers to it as “MAGA land.”
“It’s very disheartening to see such developments in a nation with so much progressive potential,” the globally renowned 90-year-old author remarked.
When asked whether he currently feels safe in the U.S., especially in light of travel advisories issued by countries like the UK, Germany, and Canada, Soyinka replied, “I’ve always lived with a sense of insecurity.”
“I’ve grown accustomed to it. If I’m walking down the street and I get picked up, I’m not bothered. My laptop? It’s backed up in the cloud,” he added with a chuckle.
Since returning to the political spotlight, Donald Trump has led an aggressive campaign against irregular immigration and raised tariffs on several global trade partners, including Nigeria, where he imposed a 14% tariff on goods exported to the U.S.
This move was justified by the U.S. government as a response to Nigeria’s ban on 25 American products.
Back in 2016, during an interview with The INTERVIEW, Soyinka voiced his strong disapproval of Trump’s presidency, calling it a serious threat to global well-being.
He also announced his decision to give up his U.S. green card on January 20, 2017—the day Trump was set to be sworn in as the 45th president.
Asked if he planned to follow through, Soyinka responded, “Come January 20, 2017—watch my WOLEXIT!”