Mbeki Presidential Library in Johannesburg Nigerian Playwright Wole Soyinka is set to

Nigerian Playwright Wole Soyinka is set to Publish his First Novel in Nearly 50 Years

By BOTWC Staff

NIGERIAN PLAYWRIGHT,

WOLE SOYINKA, is set to publish his first novel in nearly 50 years, The Guardian reports.

Soyinka rose to prominence during the 60s, publishing his critically acclaimed debut novel, The Interpreters, in 1965. His second novel, Season of Anomy, was released in 1973 and in 1986, he made history as the first African to win the Nobel prize for literature.

A playwright, poet, and political activist, Soyinka was called “one of the finest petical playwrights that have written in English” by the Nobel prize. He was detained as a political prisoner in the 1960s, smuggling his poems out of prison on toilet paper and going into exile after he was released. He returned to Nigeria in 1975, leaving again in 1994, after having his passport confiscated by Nigerian military general Sani Abacha. Soyinka spent most of his exile teaching in the United States, returning to Nigeria in 1998 after Abacha’s death and destroying his green card for permanent residence in the U.S. after the election of Donald Trump in 2016.

Chronicles of the Happiest People on Earth

is the 86-year-old’s third book and the first novel from Soyinka in nearly five decades. Soyinka’s publisher, Bookcraft (www.bookcraftafrica.com), said in a statement about the new story, “[The novel is] a narrative tour de force. [It] has got everything - friendship and betrayal; faith and treachery; hope and cynicism; murder, mayhem and no shortage of drama, all set against the backdrop of contemporary Nigeria. As you would expect from a Soyinka work, it’s got plenty of colourful characters, profound insights, witty commentary, and the most elegant language.”

Soyinka said he was inspired to write during quarantine as a result of the global pandemic. In addition to the new novel, he also has new theatrical work, with plans to direct a revival of his play, “Death and the King’s Horseman,” in Lagos this December.

“You just find yourself literally rolling from your desk to your bed to the dining table, back to the desk for five months of continuous writing. At the end of that exercise, when you finish that book, you will want to stretch your mind in a different direction. So with a combination of circumstances, it occurred to me that, ‘wait a minute, it might not be a bad idea to do a production,’” Soyinka told This Is Lagos.

Chronicles of the Happiest People on Earth is to be released in Nigeria before the end of the year, with an international release slated for 2021. www.becauseofthemwecan.com//blogs/culture/ nigerian-playwright-wole-soyinka-is-set-to-publishfi rst-novel-in-nearly-50-years

Image credit: Thomas Samson/AFP/Getty Images

Famed Alvin Ailey Dance Theater Announces Free Virtual Season By BOTWC

THE FAMED ALVIN AILEY American Dance Theater

announced a free

virtual season of works slated for

this December, Playbill reports.

The theater company will off er several works paying homage to six decades of Ailey’s Revelations . New pieces presented include Testament, a modern-day approach to Revelations, curated by Associate Artistic Director Matthew Rushing alongside Clifton Brown, Yusha-Marie Sorzano and Damien Sneed on scoring.

There will also be an Ailey & Ellington program composed of 14 ballets choreographed by Ailey during his career that honor Duke Ellington, including a remake of Pas de Duke fi lmed on top of NYC’s Woolworth Building. Jamal Roberts will also be presenting A Jam Session For Troubling Times, in honor of the centennial celebration of Charlie “Bird” Parker.

Artistic Director Robert Battle spoke hopefully about the new season.

“We hope Ailey’s groundbreaking season will provide inspiration and unity as we celebrate six decades of Revelations, reinvent classic works by our beloved founder, and premiere choreography by members of the Ailey family.”

In addition to the reimagined Revelations and roster of new works, the virtual season will also feature varied educational programming, including an interactive Family Matinee to engage the next generation of theatergoers.

The show kicks off with a Revelations Reimagined opening night benefi t stream December 2.

For more information about the upcoming season and schedule, you can visit the Ailey All Access platform at www.AlvinAiley.org. www.becauseofthemwecan.com//blogs/culture/famed-alvinailey-dance-theater-announces-free-virtual-season