5 Iconic Throwback Photos of Wole Soyinka As He Marks His 87th Birthday

Wole Soyinka is an enigma. This is perhaps the best word that describes a man whose influences straddle various aspects of human lives.

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The multitalented man writes proficiently in various genres. He has written many drama, poetry, and prose texts. Of prose, his nonfiction, and fiction are unrivalled. He is Nigeria's first Nobel Laureate.

As an elder statesman, his commentaries on socio-political issues are not to be trifled with - that is a reason why critics always reference him.

As Soyinka marks his 87th birthday on Tuesday, July 13, Legit.ng will be looking at five of his throwback photos.

1. Jaipur Literary festival

Photographer Ramesh Sharma captured Soyinka as he passionately read from one of his pieces titled The Road at the festival held in 2010.

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2. Soyinka strikes a pose beside a statue

This is arguably the most popular of the professor's throwback photos. In the snap, he sat on the staircase leading to a house's veranda. Beside him is an African statue.

3. An iconic photo taken in France

The powerful portrait was taken in 1990 by a popular photographer called Ulf Andersen. The shot happened during a photoshoot session in France.

4. After the prize

This is one of the important snaps of Soyinka's collection. It shows him the moment after he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1986.

5. Wole Soyinka as a 32-year-old man

The man has always had his signature look right from his younger days. A photo credited to Dotun Ookunbajo shows him on the cover of the 1966 issue of the Nigeria Magazine. It was shared on Facebook by Biyi Bandele.

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A kid 'hunted' Soyinka for his signature

Meanwhile Legit.ng earlier reported that a small boy walked up to Nigerian Nobel Laureate, Soyinka, and asked him to sign on a piece of paper.

It was a confident and smart move. Sharing photos and a video of the event, his dad identified as Alli-Balogun H Lekan said that "children get away with a lot".

The sage gave him what he wanted, signed, and noted the date and place that the signature was given.

Source: Legit.ng