ART, NCC & KCCN Join Global Festivities Celebrating Wole Soyinka @ 90

Arojah Royal Theatre (ART) in collaboration with the Nigeria Copyright Commission (NCC) and Korea Culture Center Nigeria (KCCN) will join global festivities celebrating the 90th birthday of Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka in Abuja on July 16.

The 2024 Kongi’s Harvest tagged ‘Wole Soyinka: The Messenger and His Messages’ will hold at the KCCN in Abuja.

The event, Kongi’s Harvest, borrowed from Soyinka’s popular play of same title, is now synonymous to the celebration of his birth and achievements since it first held in 2011.

Marking the event this year, ART has lined up several events. These include, a keynote address on the theme by Vice Chancellor of the University of Abuja, Professor AbdulRasheed Na’Allah, and panel sessions featuring veteran authors like children’s writer, Teresa Ameh, ex-National President, Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Denja Abdullahi, Barrister Ahmed Maiwada; director, Center for Wole Soyinka Studies, University of Abuja, Dr Bode Ojoniyi, and Korean author, Sujin Lim.

Other activities scheduled at the event include Soyinka themed performances, and the Abuja premiere of the Kola Tubosun- written-and-directed documentary, Ebrohimie Road: The Museum of Memory. Ebrohimie Road chronicles the significance of a small bungalow in the University of Ibadan campus, where Wole Soyinka lived and was later arrested in 1067 for attempting to mediate the Nigerian Civil War. Featuring stories, visuals, and historical records, it reveals how a modest campus residence became a witness to pivotal moments in Nigeria’s history.

Chairing the event, is the director general of NCC, Mr John Asein; he will be joined by other special guests including director general of the National Council for Arts and Culture, Mr Obi Asika; director general, Center for Black and African Art and Civilization, Aisha Augie; director general, SMEDAN; ex-Chief of Army Staff, Gen T.Y Buratai; the deputy British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr Gill Lever; and the deputy Ambassador of Brazil to Nigeria, Mr Joao Soares Marcelo.