At 90 years I’m ready for my death, Soyinka laments

Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka has said he has “made arrangements” for his death even though he also plans a vacation.

At 90, the playwright, essayist, novelist and poet discussed everything from his artistic inspirations to his plans in an interview with CNN.

Soyinka shared his unconventional way of marking birthdays: retreating into the forest to embrace solitude.

He said: “Usually what I do on my birthdays is disappear into the forest. I enjoy my solitude enormously.

“The annoying thing also is that I don’t feel 90. I think I just have taken birthdays for granted.”

His home in Abeokuta, filled with modern art and artefacts, reflects the rich cultural heritage of Nigeria, as well as his need for peace. Soyinka admitted: “Maybe secretly I long for company, and that’s why I accumulate all these.”

According to the renowned literary figure, his home is more than a sanctuary, but also a testament to his environmental activism.

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The conversation also touched on Soyinka’s love for nature, an effort to recreate the natural landscape that once surrounded him, especially his reforestation project on the estate, which he refers to as “the autonomous republic of Ijegba.”

“When I moved in here, it was entirely forested. All these were my hunting grounds.

“I really felt I was in a different country, and I could just stay here and cut off the rest of society,” he said.

Asked about his future, Soyinka responds with a characteristic blend of wit and gravitas.

“Future? I don’t want to be morbid, but you know what the future is, and I have made arrangements for that within this estate.

“It’s where we’re all headed; it’s the future for everybody.”

But before that inevitable future arrives, Soyinka revealed he has some plans.

“The immediate thing is to go on a vacation; take a resolution which will be attested judicially, not to grant anymore interviews.”