ABOUTREADCHAT ARTICLES ABOUTREADCHAT ARTICLES THE BIOGRAPHY OF WOLE SOYINKA
Akinwande Oluwole Babatunde Soyinka born (13 July 1934) known as Wole Soyinka is a Nigerian playwright, novelist, poet and essayist in English language. Soyinka was born into a Yoruba family in Abeokuta. He has been married three times and divorced twice. He has eight children;
In 1954, he attended Government College in Ibadan and subsequently University College Ibadan and the University of Leeds in England. He was awarded Noble prize in Literature in 1986.
After studying in Nigeria and UK, he worked with the Royal court Theatre in London. He took active role in Nigeria’s political history and its campaign for Independence from British colonial rule. In 1965 the Western Nigeria Broadcasting Service Studio (WNBSS) was sized by him a broadcast was made that Nigeria Regional Election be cancelled.
In 1967, during the Nigerian Civil war, he was arrested by the Federal Government of General Yakubu Gowon and put in prison for two years. During the regime of General Sani Abacha (1993-1998) Soyinka escaped from Nigeria on a motorcycle via the NADECO route in absentia, Abacha proclaimed death sentence on him. In 1999, Soyinka returns to Nigeria.
He was a professor of comparative Literature (1975-1999) at Obafemi Awolo University. He also worked at Cornell University and Emory University from (1988-1996) Then University of Nevada Las Vegas, Cambridge, Oxford, Harvard and Yale and a distinguished scholar in residence at Duke University in 2008
In December 2017, Soyinka was awarded the Europe Theatre prize for his contribution .
Some of his work include;
1. A dance of the forests produced (1960)
2. The lion and the jewel (1963)
3. The trials of the brother Jero (1963)
4. Jero’s metamorphosis (1973)
5. The strong breed (1963)
6. Kongi’s Harvest (1966)
7. The road (1965)
8. From Zia with Love (1992)
9. King Baabu (2002)
10.Madmen and specialists (1971)
11.Death and the King’s Horseman of area boy (1975)
12.Beautification of area boy (1995)
13.Ake (an autobiography) the year of childhood (1981)
14.Voyage around essay (1989)
15.Ibadan; The penkelemes years; A memoir 1946-1965
(1994) Another memoir was published in 2006 Must set Forth at Dawn.
Summary of The Biography
Born: Akinwande Oluwole Babatunde Soyinka born 13 July 1938, Abeokuta Nigeria (now Ogun state, Nigeria)
Occupation : Author, Poet, Playwright
Nationality: Nigeria
Education: Abeokuta Grammar school, University of Leeds England
Period: 1957 till present
Subject: Comparative Literature
Genre: Drama, Novel, Poetry
Award: Noble prize in literature 1986, Benson Medal from Royal Society of literature 1990, Academy of Achievement Golden Plate Award 2009, Anis field-Wolf Book Award, Lifetime Achievement 2012
SETTING
The lion and the jewel is set in Nigeria geographically especially in the Yoruba village called Ilunjinle. Physically, it is set at the village center, where the school headed by Lakunle is located, at a road by the village market behind the odan tree. Baroka’s bedroom, at the market where night trading is taking place in the village of Ilunjinle.The time frame of the drama is morning noon and night. This obeys the unity of time socially, it is set when there is partial acceptance of modernity and all that comes with it. Sidi likes Lakunle and his modernity but prefers Baroka the old and experienced in the culture of the people and who will pay her bride price unlike Lakunle who prefers marrying her without paying the bride price. It is also set when African believe in the polygamy as seen in Baroka the Lion.
It is also set African and its culture is seen by few modernized African as primitive , barbaric and uncivilized, this is seen in the life of Lakunle, the school teacher.The time setting indicates a traditional society undergoing some changes between tradition and modernity.
THE LION AND THE JEWEL
PLOT PREVIEW. I
This play is divided into three (3) parts and they are: Morning, Noon, Night.
The Lion and the Jewel is a comedy play.
MORNING: the play started in the morning with the school teacher Lakunle who is teaching a class when Sidi walks past carrying a pail of water on her head. He comes out and insists on taking the pail of water from her head. She refuses saying she would look silly.
Lakunle replies saying that he told her not to carry loads on her head or her neck may be shortened. He also berates her for dressing immodestly by tying wrapper round her chest. She scolds him saying that the villagers thinks he is stupid, but Lakunle says that he is not so easily cowed by taunts. Lakunle also insults her by saying she has fish brain because of her feminine gender.
After arguing, Sidi wants to leave, but Lakunle tells her of his love for her, but she remains indifferent eventually, it is revealed that Sidi does not want to marry him because, Lakunle refuses to pay her bride price as he thinks, it is and uncivilized, outrageous custom. Sidi tells him that she marries him without Bride price people will jeer at her, saying that she is not a virgin. Lakunle further professes his love and wants to treat her just like the Lagos couples. I have seen” He gives her a kiss on her check to her disgust and anger.
Later, several young girls run up to Sidi to inform her that the stranger with the one eye box” is back with a magazine motorbike the “ devils own horse”. In the magazine the picture of Sidi “a at the front page while Baroka is in a little corner with the village latrine”
There is also play within play or subplot “The dance of the lost traveler”
NOON
Baroka “The lion” the bale of Ilujinle sees the magazine and admires Sidi and decides to get anew wife for himself as a polygamous man. Sadiku the senior wife to Baroka is sent to inform Sidi of his intention to marry her, but Sidi rejects his proposal, saying since her fame had spread to Lagos and the rest of the world, she deserves more than that. Sadiku presses on telling her that Baroka has promised not to marryanother woman after her. That Sidi would have the privilege of being his favourite wife and sleeps in the palace. As Baroka’s last wife, she would be able to become the first wife of the successor, in the same way Sadiku was BAroka’s head wife Sidi refuses saying that Barokawants a fame “as one man who has possessed the Jewel of Ilujinle” idi shows Sadiku the magazine and admire how beautiful she is while Baroka looks like a raggedi, blackened piece of saddle leather: she is youthful, but he is spent. Sadiku informs Sidi about the feast the Bale intends to organize in her honour, Sidi refuses his intention.
Baroka tells Sadiku of his impotence “ my manhood fails me one week ago” Sadiku goes and inform Sidi who takes the opportunity yo visit and mock Baroka not knowing it is Baroka’s plot to lure her and Sidi falls for it. Baroka shows Sidi what he intents doing for the village,taking advantage of her. Baroka “the Lion” has won Sidi.
PLOT PREVIEW II
THE LION AND THE JEWEL
WOLE SOYINKA
We shall consider the last part of the play of the Lion and the Jewel
Night:
Sadiku reveales to Sidi Baroka’s impotence, and Sidi decides to pay him a visit to mock him, but to her surprise find out that Baroka lies about his impotent. She Baroka shows Sidi the non-familiar magazine and an addressed envelop. He shows her a stamp, featuring her likeness and tells her that her picture would adorn the official stamp of the village. Baroka mentions that he does not hate progress, only its nature which made “all roots and faces look the same” He continues praising Sidi’s looks, appealing to her.
Meanwhile, Sadiku celebrates the down fall of Baroka as a man with numbers. Immediately Sidi comes in sobbing that the lion tricked Sadiku about his impotence. He is strong man and has disvirgine her though Lakunle still confesses his love for Sidi and wants to marry her. Confused, Sidi starts preparing for her marriage and Lakunle claims he is not ready for the marriage that he needs two (2) days to prepared. Sidi laughs at him and tells him she is marrying Baroka.
Sadiku blessed her and asked the gods of fertility to bliss Sidi.
Finally, the festival for the marriage began and Lakunle was invited to attend. Baroka the Lion has won
Thanks for reading