Wole Soyinka Explains Mixed Feelings on National Theatre Renaming

Nobel Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka has opened up about his complex emotions surrounding the renaming of the National Theatre in Lagos to the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts. Despite his long-standing criticism of the frequent personal appropriation of public monuments by Nigeria’s past leaders—an issue he publicly challenged on several occasions—Soyinka accepted this honour with a mix of humility and honesty.

In a candid reflection, Soyinka admitted to initially feeling conflicted about having his name emblazoned on a national monument. He recounted how, over the years, he has criticized the tendency of past leaders to claim monuments in their own names, noting that only about 25 percent of such dedications are truly deserved. “I have to stand up in public and watch my name being put up as yet another appropriator. It just didn’t seem very well for me,” he said.

Soyinka also shared a revealing anecdote about a time when Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu invited him to inspect the National Theatre for a planned event. At the time, Soyinka disparagingly described the derelict state of the building as a “slum” and provocatively advised the officials to “plant a bomb and blow it off” rather than bother with repairs.

However, the theatre’s remarkable transformation, spearheaded by a consortium of bankers who invested approximately 68 billion Naira into the renovation project, changed his perspective. “The bankers made me eat my words,” Soyinka confessed, praising the monumental upgrade of the facility to global standards. He lauded the refurbished centre as a beacon that will allow Nigerians to experience African theatre at home rather than abroad.

His acceptance of the honour is also tied to a deep respect for Nigeria’s theatre history and the legacy of his predecessors. Reflecting on the theatre’s importance as a cultural landmark originally built for FESTAC ’77, Soyinka recognized the responsibility that comes with the centre bearing his name. “Someone has to carry the can,” he said, acknowledging the symbolic nature of the dedication.

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Soyinka expressed hope that the centre would inspire future generations of artists—writers, directors, and performers—to create boldly in the spirit of African cultural heritage. “If the theatre dries off, all they have to do is say, look at that name. Go and create some theatre around it,” he remarked.

At the reopening ceremony, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu announced the creation of a National Arts Theatre Endowment Fund to ensure the centre’s upkeep and sustainability. The event was also graced by Governor Sanwo-Olu and a host of dignitaries, who celebrated the centre as a renewed symbol of Nigeria’s creative resilience and cultural pride.

In closing, Soyinka thanked the government, the bankers’ consortium, and the Nigerian people for their roles in this historic cultural renewal, underscoring the theatre’s role as a monument to creativity and national identity.