Why I accepted national theatre renaming—Soyinka
By Sabiu Abdullahi
Nobel Prize winner, Professor Wole Soyinka, has revealed the reason behind his decision to accept the renaming of the National Arts Theatre in Lagos after him.
Soyinka, who spoke on Thursday during the reopening of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts, said he once believed the landmark could never be restored.
He explained that he had considered the facility beyond redemption until the Bankers’ Committee carried out a comprehensive renovation.
The literary icon admitted that he agreed to the honour reluctantly, stressing that he had always criticised leaders who attached their names to public monuments.
“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,” Soyinka said.
He further noted that he was ready to “eat his words” if the remarkable transformation of the National Theatre was the cost of having it renamed in his honour.