90th birthday: ANA Lagos felicitates Soyinka, reads his works


…felicitates elebrates NLNG longlisted writers 2024


Association of Nigerian Authors, ANA, Lagos chapter on Saturday celebrated Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka 90th birthday by reading his works.


Chairman of ANA Lagos, Ifeanyichukwu Avajah read Soyinka’s poem titled ‘Abiku’ while Oyelola Ogunrinde read “The man Died”.

Simeon Okoro read Soyinka ‘s work ‘Chronicles of the Land of the Happiest People on earth’ and Mademakwu Lawrence also read “The Man Died”.


Avajah said the reason why he chose to read Abiku was the impact of the poem after it was published.

On her part, Ogunrinde who read ‘The man died’ said the reason why she read the work was because it chronicles Soyinka’s impact during the Nigerian civil war and how he campaigned against brutality of humanity.


Okoro who read the work ‘Chronicles of the Happiest people on earth’ said the title surprised him when he first read it.


After the reading of Soyinka’s works, some members of Lagos ANA also read their own poems.

Ogunrinde read her poem published in Teambooktu ‘My talking drum’, while Olusanya Anjorin read his poem ‘The bank of Justice’.

Lawrence read his poem ‘On Nigeria’s new national anthem’. Olatunbosun Taofeek read his work which was recently longlisted for The Nigeria Prize for Literature, NLNG prize 2024, Children at the IDP camp.

He said he was inspired to write the children’s book after his elder brother who lost his life in the Nigerian army while fighting against Boko Haram.

Taofeek said his nephew committed suicide few days after his father died in the hands of Boko Haram.


However, Avajah disclosed that three members of ANA Lagos were longlisted for the NLNG prize 2024, noting “This is a good one for ANA Lagos”.

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