CARBONDALE - Although it was hard to decipher Wole Soyinka as he spoke Thursday night at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, it was easy to see the excitement the Nobel laureate generated.

Assistant professor and researcher Tonny Oyanna of SIUC's Department of Geography stood near the stage in SIUC Student Center Ballroom D shortly after the renowned Nigerian lectured to an overflow audience about Nigerian culture and differences of perception on how that culture thrives.

As Soyinka, led by a small entourage, made his way from the stage to the floor and eventually out of the ballroom, Oyanna approached him, stuck his hand out for a handshake and told Soyinka that he (Oyanna) was from Uganda.

"Beautiful country," Soyinka said, as he took a short moment to shake Oyanna's hand before he had to keep walking.

A few moments later, a beaming Oyanna looked like the happiest man in a crowded SIUC Student Center. Soyinka's lecture and reception afterwards was hosted by the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute.

"I got to shake hands with Wole Soyinka - one of the greatest, right here in Illinois," said a beaming Oyanna as he made his way out to the reception.

Oyanna said he had not read Soyinka's work, but knew of him as he spoke of African nations like Uganda and Nigeria seeking to gain their independence in the 1960s from British colonialism.

That's where Soyinka and African writers like him gained their prominence as they weaved political activism with their creative work, Oyanna said.

Soyinka's lecture contained references to Shakespeare's work, commercial cinematography and even John Speke, a British explorer from the mid-1800s who journeyed into central Africa to find the continent's great lakes.

"The way I read him (Soyinka) tonight is that he's a traditional scholar who looks at things very critically. It's deep intellectual stuff. You need to have taken literature classes," Oyanna said with a big laugh.

Interceding recent historical progression of Nigerian and African arts in general with personal anecdotes, Soyinka spoke about contact with a Hollywood producer who wanted Soyinka to consult on a movie, "Henderson the Rain King," based on Saul Bellow's novel that centers on African travel as the means of self-discovery. There was talk Jack Nicholson was interested in the project. Soyinka said he had traveled to Los Angeles, saw Nicholson at a Los Angeles Lakers game and immersed himself in Western culture because he was intrigued by the project of making "Henderson the Rain King," into a movie.

Soyinka said he couldn't say the same for a Hollywood producer who followed up, journeyed to Nigeria to visit with Soyinka and quickly left after dropping off the script.

"I received the producer in my home away from the Hollywood ambiance. It was an unconvincing ritual. I tried to immerse him (producer) into the nature of the ritual. He left the script with me. There was a big failure to come to terms with it," Soyinka said.

There are successful cases of cultural dialogue, however, that Soyinka spoke about.

He spoke excitedly about Susanne Wenger, an artist, priestess and philosopher from Austria who arrived in Nigeria in 1950, quickly made it her home after becoming immersed into its culture and today is world renowned for her art.

"She represents, for me, a truly cultural exchange," Soyinka said.

scott.fitzgerald@thesouthern.com

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