Nobel Prize laureate Wole Soyinka speaks to The Associated Press during an interview at freedom park in Lagos, Nigeria, in 2021.
Sunday Alamba/AP
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Sunday Alamba/AP
Nobel Prize-winning author Wole Soyinka revealed on Tuesday that his non-resident visa application to enter the United States was denied. He speculated that the rejection may be linked to recent criticisms he made of President Donald Trump.
The 91-year-old Nigerian author, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1986, expressed his belief that the visa denial was more a reflection of U.S. immigration policies rather than a personal issue. He was advised to reapply if he wished to visit the U.S. again.
“It’s not about me, I’m not particularly eager to return to the United States,” Soyinka remarked. “But there is a principle at stake. Every individual deserves to be treated with respect wherever they may be.”
Soyinka humorously mentioned that his green card had an “accident” eight years ago and “got caught between a pair of scissors.” In 2017, he famously destroyed his green card in protest of Trump’s first inauguration.
The letter informing him of his visa revocation cited “additional information that came to light after the visa was issued” as the reason, without specifying the nature of that information.
Soyinka suspects that his criticism of Trump, likening him to a “white version of Idi Amin,” may have contributed to the visa refusal. He jokingly referred to the rejection as a “love letter” and stated that he had no intention of reapplying for a visa.
“I am visa-less. I am evidently banned from the United States, and if anyone wants to meet me, they know where to find me,” he quipped.
The U.S. Consulate in Lagos, Nigeria, deferred all inquiries to the State Department in Washington, D.C., emphasizing that visas are a privilege that can be revoked at the discretion of the U.S. government based on evolving circumstances.
