Wole Soyinka: You must set Forth at Dawn
You Must Set Forth at Dawn is the follow-up book to Wole Soyinka's acclaimed memoir of his childhood, Ake, published back in 1981. The Nigerian political activist and acclaimed writer won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986, the first African ever to do so. This new memoir of Soyinka’s adult life, concentrates more on his activities in Nigeria than his long periods abroad, and on the interplay between the private writer and the public figure he feels the urge to become. It reveals that Soyinka has not a quiet, individual life, but a life lived in the fullness of an epic. It is an important chronicle of his turbulent life as an adult in (and in exile from) his beloved, beleaguered homeland, Nigeria.
In the tough, humane, and lyrical language that has typified his plays and novels, Soyinka captures the indomitable spirit of Nigeria itself by bringing to life the friends and family who bolstered and inspired him, and by describing the pioneering theatre works that defied censure and tradition. Soyinka not only recounts his exile and the terrible reign of General Sani Abacha, but shares vivid memories and playful anecdotes– including his improbable friendship with a prominent Nigerian businessman and the time he smuggled a frozen wildcat into America so that his students could experience a proper Nigerian barbecue. More than a major figure in the world of literature, Wole Soyinka is a courageous voice for human rights, democracy, and freedom. You Must Set Forth at Dawn is an intimate chronicle of his thrilling public life, a meditation on justice and tyranny, and a mesmerizing testament to a ravaged yet hopeful land. Prof Soyinka starts the book from where Ake: The Years of Childhood and Ibadan: The Penkelemes Years ended. There is some reference to Ibadan but this time not through his alter ego Maren who obviously was Prof Soyinka in Ibadan. His story is essentially the story of Nigeria written from a personal perspective since he came of age as an adult in the early 50s during the pre independence era.
In the 60s he describes in detail his opinions of the politics of the time and his thoughts about the treasonable felony trial of the late sage Chief Obafemi Awolowo. His thoughts are that indeed some Nigerians from the Western Region had undergone training in Nkrumah's Ghana in paramilitary techniques but he agrees with the general opinion of the time that Awo knew nothing about this and was wrongfully jailed. However other members of the Action Group had some knowledge. He does not mention the name of the Judge in The case but the Judge was Mr. Justice Sodeinde Sowemimo who later rose to be the Chief Justice of the federation. He talks about the alliance between the Splinter party from Action Group known as Democratic Party led by the late Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yoruba land Chief S .L Akintola and the Northern Peoples
Congress led by Sir Ahmadu Bello and on the opposing side the Action Group led by Awo in alliance with NCNC then led by the Eastern region premier Dr Michael Okpara, ''Okpara Power''. He lets the reader know the high stakes political intrigues of the time.
He also gives in details the help Okpara gave to Action Group financially and otherwise when Awo was in jail in Calabar. He gives credit to Mazi Ukonu from the Eastern Nigeria broadcasting service that set up a broadcasting station in Awo's house, unbeknownst to Awo, as a counter weight to the Western Nigeria government media outlet which was critical in the highly contested 1964 election. In the mid 60s he also gives details of his substitution of the tape for a broadcast by the Premier Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola for his own tape. There was reference to this in Ibadan: the Penkelemes years but in this book he goes into more details including his trial and eventual acquittal in the court of the Judge who was none other than the Honorable Mr. Justice Kayode Esho who later became a Supreme Court Judge.
He ends the 60s by discussing the civil war and the coups of that time. His meeting with Colonel Victor Banjo and Phillip Alale before the former invaded the Midwest. He also recounts his last meeting with the poet Christopher Okigbo who later perished a day or 2 later at the warfront. He talks of his delivering a message to none other than Colonel later General Olusegun Obasanjo from Victor Banjo in a midnight trip through Ibadan. There have been varying accounts of the discussion but this is Prof Soyinka's account. Obasanjo gave his own account in My Command. Banjo wanted to get to Lagos from Benin through the western region but Obasanjo who was then the military commander of the West in the early days of the civil war refused. This has also been discussed in the book a Break in the Silence which is a biography of Colonel Victor Banjo written by his sister Prof. Adetoun Ogunsheye. He also said that Banjo was phoning a lot of people from Benin after the Mid West invasion including Him, General Gowon and even Awo. However, the rest is history. Banjo was recalled to Enugu, tried for treason and executed along with Phillip Alale and Emmanuel Ifeajuna the University of Ibadan graduate, Commonwealth high jump champion of the Commonwealth games of 1954 who was also one of the 5 Majors that plotted the coup of January 1966. Professor Soyinka was then arrested by government and jailed in solitary confinement for 22 months. The details of these are in Soyinka’s book The Man died. He also talks about University politics and the intrusion of regional and National politics which led to the resignation of several lecturers from University of Ife in the mid 60s. Notable examples are Dr (later Prof) Samuel Aluko who was forced to relocate with his family to University of Nigeria, Nsukka also Professor Oyenuga an Agriculture expert who also resigned.
The book is also an ode to long standing friendship which the author had with Femi Johnson the insurance magnate and actor and the economist Prof. Ojetunji Aboyade. The relationships were indeed touching and lasted several decades most especially with Femi Johnson. Prof Soyinka through numerous anecdotes tell of their hunting trips and other significant events in his life that particularly Femi Johnson played a role. Femi Johnson actually acted in Wole Soyinka's Madmen and Specialists and later by the dint of his hard work built the only other skyscraper in Ibadan apart from Cocoa House which he named Broking House.
He discusses his relationship with various military rulers such as General Obasanjo and IBB. He also gives an account of the dramatist Prof Ola Rotimi's encounter with members of the Armed forces at a check point after the civil war; there he was flogged in front of his family and almost shot dead. Prof Ola Rotimi was famous worldwide for his epic play The Gods are not to Blame which is his version of the Greek tragedy Oedipus Rex. He discusses his complex relationship with Obasanjo including their collaboration in the FESTAC preparations and hosting and also the search for the Original Ori Olokun which is a sacred mask to the Yoruba that was excavated by a German explorer but somehow ended in Britain during colonial times. This is an adventure story in itself. This was indeed a forerunner for the valiant efforts of the recently departed late Apena of Ife Chief Omotosho Eluyemi's actions as head of the National Museum and antiquities unit to get more of the looted treasures.
He details his reasons for establishing the Federal Road Safety Corps and his visit for a meeting with Babangida a few hours before Orkar struck in his coup. He describes how productive the meeting was as they discussed a lot of issues but unbeknownst to both of them something earth shaking would happen just a couple of hours later. He also mentions the effort of the Nigerian Literary triumvirate of Chinua Achebe, John Pepper Clark-Bekederemo and himself to save the life of the condemned General and poet Mamman Jiya Vatsa.
He devotes a lot of attention to the June 12 election and its aftermath, the civil resistance, riots and eventual ascendancy of General Sanni Abacha as the Head of State. He explains his exile via Shaki to Cotonou in Republic of Benin and eventual relocation to the United States. His heroic and colossal efforts in the pro-democracy campaign are also outlined. He gives credit to others such as Beko Ransomekuti, Gani Fawehinmi, Femi Falana and Olisa Agbakoba and Bola Tinubu. He however did not in my opinion really like NADECO (National Democratic Coalition) though he sometimes co-operated with them. He also obviously had an uneasy relationship with Chief Anthony Enahoro who moved the motion for Nigeria's independence in 1956 by criticizing
his civil service approach to issues. Their paths had indeed crossed several years ago when Chief Enahoro was the Federal Minister for Information during the Civil War and Professor Soyinka was then incarcerated without trial. This is fully discussed by Professor Soyinka. Incidentally in the 60s Anthony Enahoro was involved in a long extradition battle between Nigeria and Britain for his alleged role in what came to be known as Awo's treasonable felony trial.
Also Chef Enahoro wrote his own account of the events. He had his own organization which later got expanded but had to suspend some members because of people’s fixation for posts and in the case of a lady whose family he actually knew and mentions in the book as writing bad cheques and dishonesty. He also goes for the jugular and in my opinion unfairly attacks the physical attributes of one of the members that got suspended, Jude Uzonwanne. His contributions to the democratic coalition which was revealed in the book are sterling because you need at least a whole book to delineate all the activities that went on, including Radio Kudirat and the like and the efforts of Diasporan Nigerians like Bolaji Aluko, Kayode Fayemi etc. Also people like Bagauda Kaltho, Ralph Obioha, Commodore Dan Suleiman, General Alani Akinrinnade, Kudirat Abiola and the Man that paid the Ultimate prize Bashorun MKO Abiola.
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