The annual Wole Soyinka International Cultural Exchange (WSICE), which clocks 10 on July 13, will again celebrate Professor Wole Soyinka who turns 85 on the same day.
According to a statement by the WSICE, which is a prime project of the OpenDoor Series, “is essentially anchored around Soyinka’s humanist principles as enunciated in his body of works and his consistent patriotic engagement with the socio-political and cultural affairs of Nigeria, Africa and the world at large”.
July 2019, the statement explains, is, indeed, a landmark for the WSICE project primarily motivated by the life and career of the quintessential artiste – dramatist, poet, theatre director, teacher, culture scholar and public intellectual.
“Clocking 85 is as well a milestone in the life of the illustrious son of Africa; distinguished father of Nigerian and African arts and cultural heritage, who is also an iconic global citizen,” said the statment.
The programme directorate of WSICE, has scheduled Friday, July 12 -Monday July 15 for the celebration of the great Man; and as well to mark a decade of consistent programming, which has featured over 10,000 secondary students and more than 200 local and international resource persons, who have served as either speakers, artistes, mentors to the students and youths among others.
Co-Executive Producer of the WSICE, Teju Kareem, stated, “The OpenDoorSeries/WSICE is not to be misconstrued as a mere celebration of Wole Soyinka’s date of birth — the man is not, in anyway, really interested in such vanities as staging a party to celebrate his yearly birthday — but the project is designed to celebrate the quintessential artiste as an eminent promoter of the good of humanity. And especially to set his exemplary philosophies and visionary ideals as promoted in his works and lifestyle as veritable examples for peoples across race, gender, age, religious and political persuasions, especially the young ones, who need models they can relate to.”
Remarkably, the 2019 edition will also mark a grand return of the OpenDoorSeries/WSICE to Lagos, where its maiden edition was staged, then at the MUSON Centre. Also, as was the design at its birth, the Project will extend its programming beyond its traditional base in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
While the mostly students/youth-focused programmes like Essay Writing, Workshop, Youth Creative Expressions (Do Your Own Thing, 0DYOT) etc. would still take place in Abeokuta, Ogun State, which had served as traditional base of the programme in the past eight years; the mentoring session will hold in Akure, Ondo State. The adult session – Advocacy session, drama, dance and poetry performances, film screening, book presentations etc. would hold at the Freedom Park in Lagos.
Kareem stated: “The resolve to take the 10th anniversary celebration to the Freedom Park, which remains the topmost hub for artistic productions and creative expressions in the country, is partly in recognition of Wole Soyinka’s status as the patron saint of the Park, and of creativity in Nigeria and Africa.” The renowned theatre designer, scenographer, and chief executive officer of the popular production outfit, ZMirage Multimedia Company, promised that the 2019 edition of the annual programme, will unveil the future characteristics and direction of the project, which he co-founded with the theatre director, Professor Segun Ojewuyi, of the United States-based GlobalNewHaven.