‘Human life has meaning only to that degree and as long as it is lived in the service of humanity’.
So said Wole Soyinka, the Nigerian Nobel Laureate, in his book of prison notes titled, The Man Died. Soyinka has lived a meaningful life. As a poet, dramatist, novelist, essayist and literary critic, his contribution to literature has been immense. Soyinka is more than a writer. An outspoken social critic, political activist and tireless crusader against tyranny, he is the conscience of Afric
Born in a Yoruba family in Abeokuta, Soyinka is the inheritor of the best of two worlds. His family was Christian. In the book, Ake: The Years of Childhood, he recalls the influences of his Christian home. His father was a schoolmaster. In his well-stocked library, where young Wole spent hours, the foundation of a literary career was laid. But it was his grandfather who initiated young Soyinka into the rituals and religious beliefs of his people.
Soyinka’s creative art is anchored in his culture. With all his pride in the culture of his people, Soyinka was no blind worshipper of Africa’s past. This was startlingly proved by his play, A Dance of the Forests, written for the Independence celebrations of Nigeria in 1960. As sadistic and megalomaniac dictators emerged in independent African nations, Soyinka’s moral fervour deepened. Soyinka has been severe also in his criticism of his countrymen. His hilarious comedies and brilliant political satires like Opera Wonyosi have brought to light evils and signs of decadence in Nigerian society. In the midst of the violence and chaos that marked the history of independent Nigeria, Soyinka kept his sanity. His deep moral outrage, however, drove him to take enormous personal risks. Soyinka was arrested and held in solitary confinement for more than two years. Soyinka produced some of his best works in prison. After he was being released, he chose to go on voluntary exile for a long period. The bedrock of Soyinka’s unwavering social commitment is his deep love for Afric When he received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986, Soyinka held out the Prize in the direction of the African continent. This touching gesture was an acknowledgment of his belief that the Prize was an affirmation of African culture, literature and art that had long been trampled by the colonial powers.
In his Nobel Prize acceptance speech, Soyinka eloquently affirmed the African values. He called for the political will to dismantle all structures of racism and human inequality. The speech echoed his statement in The Man Died, ‘For me justice is the prime condition of humanity.’ It was in recognition of this passionate commitment that in 1994, UNESCO made Soyinka its Goodwill Ambassador for the promotion of African culture and human rights.

Question

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Which of the following pairs have synonymous words?

The Correct Option is

Solution and Explanation

Choose the statement that is true about Soyinka in the context of the passage.

The Correct Option is

Solution and Explanation

According to the author’s opinion, all the following words describe Soyinka except that he is a/the

The Correct Option is D

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Which of the following words aptly substitutes the phrase ‘a pathological egotist’ as used in the passage?

The Correct Option is B

Solution and Explanation

Pick out the synonym of ‘hilarious’ as used in the passage

The Correct Option is A

Solution and Explanation

UNESCO made Soyinka its Goodwill Ambassador

The Correct Option is C

Solution and Explanation

Soyinka’s popular work, Opera Wonyosi, throws light on the

The Correct Option is B

Solution and Explanation

What is the passage about?

The Correct Option is A

Solution and Explanation

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