80 DAYS FOR WOLE SOYINKA AT 80!

A long list of events that began on April 25, 2014, and will end on July 14, 2014, will define the 80-day celebration of the 80th birthday of internationally-acclaimed Nigerian playwright and poet, Professor Wole Soyinka. Although the Nobel laureate is currently on a WS80/ICE exhibition tour to the cities of Abeokuta, Osogbo, Port Harcourt, Lagos, Jos, Igbale Aiye and Republic of Benin, other events are going on as planned. They include drama presentations, dance presentations, dialogues through spoken word, conferences, essay-writing contest by student essayists, visits to Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State and Soyinka at Ijegba, and an interview of the social criitic by CEO of Ebony Life TV, Mo Abudu as well as CEO of Channels TV, John Mommoh.

July 9 and 19 will feature series of dramas and other events that will be attended by 25 delegates, keynote speakers, 80 students essayists from around the country, and 80 Spoken Word performers on the theme, Freedom of Creative Expression, featuring the likes of Mutabaruka from Jamaica, Javon Johnson from USA, Efe Paul Azino and Jumoke Verissimo from Nigeria. A conference on the topic, The Soyinka Impulse: (Art, Humanity, transition and permanence: celebrating Soyinka at 80) with 2000 participants will

be held on July 12 with a spoken word performance featuring Mutabaruka from Jamaica, Javon Johnson from USA, Efe Paul Azino and Jumoke Verissimo from Nigeria. There will also be a mentoring session and workshop for students. The conference will be concluded on the afternoon of July 12 after an essay writing by the student essayists on the topic,  Education: Path to Freedom and the Future ‘Do Your Own Thing. Although the events end with visits to Governor Amosun and Soyinka at Ijegba, and the interviews by the media entrepreneurs, the closing dance presentation tagged Dance of the forest on July 14, 2014 promises to hold the greatest charm for the public.