On this day in 1996, the literary giant and Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, who at the time divided his exile between London and Cambridge, published his book titled, The Open Sore of a Continent. Soyinka has been an eloquent voice of protest against authoritarianism and kleptocracy in Nigeria.
In the book, Prof. Soyinka collected previous lectures in which he described Nigeria's predicament, condemned the country's illegitimate leaders and mused about questions of nationalism and international intervention. For those who are not familiar with Nigerian history especially under the military juntas, Prof. Soyinka’s Open Sore of a Continent has some rough patches. Soyinka who is also a journalist, doesn't always contextualize his comments. Yet, his condemnation of despotism and his called for international sanctions remain a challenge to the world community. The Nobel laureate opened and closed the book with the story of Ken Saro-Wiwa, a leader of the Ogoni minority, who was executed on November 10, 1995 by Nigerian military ruler, General Sani Abacha. The gruesome execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa made world headlines and this signaled to Soyinka both the beginning of ethnic cleansing and the disintegration of the state.
Prof. Soyinka also recognised his homeland's flawed origin but suggested that its politico-military elite, not its people, have squandered Nigeria's nationhood by annulling the June 12 election and curbing dissent. He also regretted that the promise of pan-Africanism has dwindled to local salvage efforts. He concluded by proposing--without specifying who should do so--that ""a structured pattern of regional conferences"" be initiated to stave off future Yugoslavias and Rwandas.
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