To the nattering nit-wits of Nigeria’s internet, Soyinka set you straight with these 5 statements

All the headlines read “I will tear my green card if Trump wins the US elections – Wole Soyinka”. But these were the exact words of the Nobel Laureate to the students of Oxford University, England, “If in the unlikely event he does win, the first thing he’ll do is to say [that] all green-card holders must reapply to come back into the US. Well, I’m not waiting for that…the moment they announce his victory, I will cut my green card myself and start packing up…

There was no grouse with the man at the time of the speech, at least, many pundits had bragged: “We’ll leave the US if Donald Trump becomes president“, “I’ll eat bugs on live TV if the election results are in Trump’s favour” and whatnot. The threats were everywhere, even people who are bound to not be directly affected by a Trump presidency threatened to take action.

Election results were announced and Donald Trump shockingly emerged winner, so it became a point of call for many to remind every important individual who had made a promise re the election outcome, not to eat their words.

Nigerians, especially the ones who frequent Twitter did no fall short on this but they picked on the wrong man. Professor Wole Soyinka allowed the blabbing to continue for few days, then he responded in a letter titled: “Red card, Green card – Notes Towards the Management of Hysteria”.

Here are excerpts from the note as they relate to every Nigerian who raised their voice against the great Wole Soyinka:

By the way, since we are on the terrain of literalism, has anyone attempted to ”tear” or rip apart a Green Card? Even a Credit Card? For the average hands, that would take some doing! I have actually considered garden shears for a dramatic resolution, this being closer to my real profession.

But really, what were these people thinking? We’re sorry on their behalf…

Nonetheless, did I mean what I said – that is, ’exiting’ the USA? Absolutely, and that is the very theme of this address. It will not attempt to deal with the notion of an exit time-table as conceived by others, as if even the incumbent US president and his replacement are not even permitted over two months to pack their bags and prepare to move in and out of the White House, but must exchange positions the very moment that a winner was proclaimed

Well, this must have been how things pictured things at the beginning: Trump is declared winner, you pick up your already-packed bags, rip the damn Green Card and get out of the US. Blame it on ignorance!

There is also recession in the land, and I can understand the psychology of impotence and thus, transferred aggression.

It’s not their fault, as you rightly said, it’s the recession. No vex!

What is so special about America that an agenda of abandonment creates such hysteria?…is it the Green Card that sets America apart? Then perhaps it iis time to repay the compliment with a Red card, as in soccer. I am not aware that the world’s oxygen storage tanks are located in the US of A, so that we cannot breathe away from it.

Even America got its share of shade! This point is key for those who are of the opinion that Wole Soyinka is just an attention-seeking braggart. You all are so wrong!

Let me end with a Red Card to those noisome creatures, the nattering nit-wits of Internet: maybe Trumpland is not as despicable as the Naijaland you impose on our reality from your secure cesspits of anonymity. Go back to school. Your problem is ignorance, ignorance of whatever subject you so readily comment upon. Learn to study your subject before opening up on issues beyond your grasp. Sometimes you make one feel like swapping one green for another, out of embarrassment for occupying the same national space as you.

Our work here is done!

Comments (2)

  1. Comment:exatly

  2. Daddy please tell them

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