Soyinka here for Emancipation

[Exile]

FAMOUS GUEST: Nobel Peace Prize recipient Wole Soyinka is greeted at Piarco International Airport yesterday by protocol officer of the Emancipation Support Committee (ESC) Hazel Simonette on his arrival for Emancipation Day celebrations, which take place tomorrow. Soyinka, a Nigerian, was presented with the Nobel Prize in 1986 for Literature and is in Trinidad and Tobago as the guest of the ESC. He will also participate in today’s 15th Annual Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Symposium, titled “Focus on Nigeria”, at the Hilton Trinidad and Conference Centre, St Ann’s. —Photo: AYANNA KINSALE

FAMOUS GUEST: Nobel Peace Prize recipient Wole Soyinka is greeted at Piarco International Airport yesterday by protocol officer of the Emancipation Support Committee (ESC) Hazel Simonette on his arrival for Emancipation Day celebrations, which take place tomorrow. Soyinka, a Nigerian, was presented with the Nobel Prize in 1986 for Literature and is in Trinidad and Tobago as the guest of the ESC. He will also participate in today’s 15th Annual Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Symposium, titled “Focus on Nigeria”, at the Hilton Trinidad and Conference Centre, St Ann’s. —Photo: AYANNA KINSALE

[Historian]

Trinidad is Fortunate

Definitely one of the great writers of the 20th century! In fact, of all the writers from Africa with whose works I’m familiar, Wole Soyinka and the late Chinua Achebe are definitely my favorites.

Soyinka’s play “The Lion and the Jewel,” in particular, is a really impressive intermingling of strong themes, real humor and Nigeria’s rich culture. His other plays and poems are also refreshing.

[Rudi]

Agree 100%. Chinua Acheba was also a giant may he RIP.

[Historian]

Thanks, Rudi

Agree 100%. Chinua Acheba was also a giant may he RIP.

Rudi, based on the response (or lack of), it seems that only three people on this forum (Rudi, Exile and Historian) who read classic works by leading West African writers (lol)!

But I am thankful that you appreciate the work of outstanding African writers.

By the way, I keep thinking that you were the person who reminded me of Peter Tosh’s live performance of “Rastafari Is” in a thread I had posted a few years ago on outstanding reggae guitar solos. If you were that person, I remain very thankful, as I had completely forgotten about that performance and the wonderful solo by Donald Kinsey!

To this date, I use that particular performance by Tosh as my barometer for judging all other roots reggae appearances by anyone! And I still watch it quite often!

[Peter R]

Alright Historian you force me to name drop so here goes.

Since you want to know here is a list of African writers that I remember having read over the years. I'll admit I do not read much African literature in general and I think the last book I read was Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane. The first African novel I remember reading was Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. That was a revelation as I had no idea that the colonists had had such a strong hold of Africa and it's people. I was 18 when I read it.

Writers whom I've read (at least one novel or poem) include : Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, Ousmane Sembene, Leopold Senghor (poems), Mark Mathabane, Nawal AL Saadawi . I will also include these authors some of whom may not have been African-born, but certainly produced works that had a focus on Africa. Doris Lessing, Wilbur Smith, Frantz Fanon (even though a West Indian, his ties to Africa particularly Algeria were very strong) and Albert Camus ( "pied noir", expelled from the land of his birth Algeria because of his French heritage).

Of the afore-mentioned the author whose works I am most acquainted with is probably the existentialist Albert Camus. My youthful travels took me to the cafe in Oran, Algeria where he spent many an hour writing or at least thinking about what he was going to write. Oran is the setting of his novel "La Peste, The Plague in English. This latter book was depressing yet fundamentally optimistic about man's humanity to man.

Nowadays I have been reading more South American writers: Paulo Coelho, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Isabel Allende, Laura Esquivel to name few.

At the moment I have two books on the go; The Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell and The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman. This novel examines the clash between an immigrant Hmong (Laos) family and the American (California) medical system. She is not critical of either side, but rather she describes the nature of the interaction between a very traditional family with a culture that is significantly divergent from the American, and how the family deals with the medical bureaucracy after the mother gives birth to a daughter who is very ill. A good read so far.

Anyway, I'm off, a book beckons.

[Gamma]

Seems is right. Don't come to any hasty conclusions, again.

[Rudi]

Yes Historian that was me. That solo still gives me goose bumps.

[Peter R]

Post the link again. I'll look for it in the meantime.

[Historian]

Link for Concert

Post the link again. I'll look for it in the meantime.

Here is the link, Peter:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4e7kUgSQ00

[Historian]

Me too!

Yes Historian that was me. That solo still gives me goose bumps.

To this day I still appreciate that reminder, boss. That extended blues-rock solo by lead guitarist Donald Kinsey has the same effect on me (goose bumps) to this day! That concert was, I believe, recorded in Canada.

Like Bob Marley in the case of Al Anderson, Tosh also used an American blues guitarist (Kinsey) and this gave both singers a welcome “edge” in their live performances in terms of outstanding guitar solos.

In addition to Donald Kinsey, this second version of Peter Tosh’s Word, Sound and Power band on the video below had stalwarts like Carlton “Santa” Davis (drums) and George “Fully” Fullwood (bass).

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4e7kUgSQ00

[Rudi]

Question for all: which band do you rate more Wailers or Word, Sound & Power?

[Rudi]

Here is the link, Peter:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4e7kUgSQ00

Thanks Historian. Chills again.

[Historian]

You are welcome

Thanks Historian. Chills again.

You are most welcome, Rudi.

[Historian]

A suggestion

Question for all: which band do you rate more Wailers or Word, Sound & Power?

Rudi, why don’t you make this very interesting question as a separate thread? This Wole Soyinka thread is getting a bit cluttered, and I suspect you’ll get more answers if you make your question a new thread.

Just a suggestion, because I like your question very much.

[Rudi]

Will do.