It is also notable for its insights into the Yoruba culture and tradition. Soyinka's 'The lion and the Jewel, is renowned for its complex themes and allegorical structure. Although Soyinka wrote the play while living in London but it was first performed in Africa at the lbadan Arts Theatre in 1959 and garnered positive reviews. The Lion and the Jewel by Wole Soyinka Background, Plot, Major Events, Settings, Theme, Major Characters Summary & Analysis BACKGROUNDSoyinka‘s The Lion and the Jewel is one of his most famous works as a prolific playwright.

Sentence on him 'in absentia.' With civilian rule restored to Nigeria in 1999, Soyinka returned to his nation. During the regime of General Sani Abacha (1993-98), Soyinka escaped from Nigeria on a motorcycle via the 'NADECO Route.' Abacha later proclaimed a death Much of his writing has been concerned with 'the oppressive boot and the irrelevance of the color of the foot that wears it'. Soyinka has been a strong critic of successive Nigerian (and African at large) governments, especially the country's many military dictators, as well as other political tyrannies, including the Mugabe regime in Zimbabwe.

In 1967, during the NigerianĬivil War, he was arrested by the federal government of General Yakubu Gowon and put in solitary confinement for two years. In 1965, he seized the Western Nigeria Broadcasting Service studio and broadcast a demand for the cancellation of the Western Nigeria Regional Elections. He took an active role in Nigeria's political history and its struggle for independence from Great Britain. He went on to write plays that were produced in both countries, in theatres, and on the radio. After studying in Nigeria and the UK, he worked with the Royal Court Theatre in London. In 1954, he attended Government College in lbadan, and subsequently University College lbadan and the University of Leeds in England. Soyinka was born into a Yoruba family in Abeokuta, Ogun state. He was awarded the 1986 Nobel Prize in Literature, be the first sub-Saharan African to be honored in that category. He is a Nigerian playwright, poet, and essayist in the English language. Read Online African Drama: The Lion and the Jewel by Wole Soyinka Comprehensive and Chapter by Chapter Background, Plot, Major Events, Settings, Theme, Major Characters Summary and Analysis for JAMBĪkinwande Oluwole Babatunde Soyinka (born 13 July 1934), knownlas Wole Soyinka.

Lion and the jewel by wole soyinka pdf