Professor Wole Soyinka |
Onigegewura recently published a piece on
Why Soyinka Rejected University of Ibadan’s Honourary Degree. Please read here:
Today, Onigegewura brings you a ringside
account of events leading to the resignation of Kongi from the premier
university. The following excerpt is in the words of Professor Ayo Bamgbose who
was the Dean of Faculty of Arts at the material time. Let’s go!
“One
of the celebrated cases that came up at A&P [Appointments and Promotions
Committee] during my time as Dean was that of Wole Soyinka, who was Director of
School of Drama (now Department of Theatre Arts) from 1967-1970 and 1970-1971.
The
reason I focus on this case is that a lot of misrepresentation has occurred as
a result of people not knowing what actually happened.
A renowned
writer and dramatist, Soyinka was up for promotion to the grade of Professor.
His papers had been assessed at the A&P and recommended to the
Inter-University Council for assessment. As Dean of Arts, I was invited on 13th
and 15th September 1971, in accordance with usual practice, to read
the reports in the Vice-Chancellor’s Office.
Professor Ayo Bamgbose - Dean of Arts |
When the case came up for consideration at the A&P, the Committee was unable to approve the original request for promotion to full professorship but instead recommended the slightly lower grade of associate professorship.
The
candidate’s reaction was devastating, as can be shown in the open letter which
he wrote and circulated to staff and students of his department.
27th March 1972
Colleagues,
I have had swift reactions from some of you
over my resignation. Since they are all uniformly optimistic about a possible
change of mind on my part, let me not encourage false hopes by delaying a
reply. My decision stands.
Let me try however to do something about the
complaint that my letter was too cryptic. First, it is necessarily so. I have
no wish to create a situation which would involve me in devoting any further
time and attention to people whom I profoundly despise. They have had all the
attention they deserve except in a more general context.
Which leads me to one elaboration I can
make. As some of you are aware, I tend to view the university not in isolation
but in the larger context of the entire social phenomenon. When faced for
instance with the swollen emptiness of these types who, by a series of
accidents are in a position to play destructive roles in decision-making within
the university, I see them solely as twin-specimens to larger menaces which
bedevil society and constantly stultify real progress.
Professor Akinkugbe - He was Soyinka's classmate at GCI |
Faced with such a recognition this question
becomes increasingly insistent: is it really an intelligent commitment which
tries to cope with the nibbling propensities of these minnows? Is it not time
to tackle the plague in a far more fundamental manner?
I have never seen my task at any university
in which I have taught as being limited to pouring knowledge across the gulf
which separates tutor and pupil. For those who do not know it already, this is
not the place to go into a definition of what I consider the true role of a
university teacher. Such a role, with all commitments, is jeopardized and
becomes suspect the moment that I have to pay attention to my own personal
place within the university hierarchy.
This is the most personal of the two or
three main causes which lie at the heart of my present decision. On the other
hand, I look forward with impatience to the inevitable moment when the present
expedient but valueless and dishonest rankings in all Nigerian universities
will be replaced by a new system which eliminates the desperation which goes
into canvassing, bargaining, denigrating, begging, cheating, forging, and even
specialised forms of bribery.
Mr. Wole Soyinka - Director of School of Drama |
On the other hand, trapped within the system
by the very fact of working within it, it is not possible for me to accept for
myself a situation which empowers lightweights of intellect and performance,
the political professors, the professional committeemen, and smug university
upstarts to pronounce on my achievements, much less insult them by derisive
offers. Such a situation makes demands on me on behalf of myself. Since I
cannot even entertain such an idea I am left with one course. Resignation.
Such a withdrawal must not therefore be
thought of as a negative act but a positive course. Since my work with certain
students is not yet completed, it is likely that I shall seek some kind of
attachment to another university in the country for a further brief period.
I want it understood however that this
represents a very final break with the university system as it stands today in
the country. When the universities are finally caught up and shaken to their
foundations in the authentic value convolutions which are now inescapable for
the entire country, it will be possible to integrate myself into one.
For the moment, those who can must cut
themselves off from corrupted systems and commence the work for a lasting
alternative.
Very sincere greetings,
Wole Soyinka
The
stricture on members of the A&P is most unfair as both the Faculty of Arts
and A&P were in favour of the promotion. In fact, according to our
regulations, if they were not, the papers would not have gone forward to the
Inter-University Council for assessment.
In
the chair on the occasion the decision was taken was the Ag. Vice-Chancellor,
Professor George Edington, and in addition to other members of the Committee
and myself [Professor Ayo Bamgbose], the other Deans of Faculty were Professor
Ladipo Akinkugbe (Medicine), Professor Olumuyiwa Awe (Science), Professor Olu Tomori
(Education), Professor Ajibola Taylor (Agriculture) and Professor K. M. Barbour
(Social Sciences).
I
need hardly to point out that the Dean of Medicine and the Dean of Science
[Professors Akinkugbe and Awe] were Wole Soyinka’s classmates at Government
College, Ibadan.
Professors Soyinka and Akinkugbe |
Rather
than blame members of the committee, it is the rules, as they were, that should
be blamed. Creative writing, no matter how distinguished, did not at that time
attract as much credit as scholarly analytical articles published in learned
journals or books.
The situation
is now different as such works are now rated highly along with critical works.
The good thing is that the setback at that time turned out to be a blessing in
disguise. Professor Wole Soyinka is today not only recognized as a
distinguished literary giant and the first African Nobel Laureate in
Literature, he is also a formidable literary critic.”
I
thank you very warmly for your time.
Onigegewura©
History Does Not Forget
Credit: Ayo Bamgbose: From Grass To Grace - An Autobiography, University Press Plc, Ibadan (2016) - available at Booksellers and other leading bookshops nationwide
Credit: Ayo Bamgbose: From Grass To Grace - An Autobiography, University Press Plc, Ibadan (2016) - available at Booksellers and other leading bookshops nationwide
Please quote the title of the book, for copyright purposes. It is called "From Grass to Grace." By Ayo Bamgbose. This is a good way to comply with fair use rules.
ReplyDeleteThe update contains full reference. Cheers
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DeleteThe finest of humanity,a specie of higher scientific inquisition. Onigegewura you are gifted.
ReplyDeleteThe finest of humanity,a specie of higher scientific inquisition. Onigegewura you are gifted.
ReplyDeleteOnigegewura, how do you get to bring out these wonderful stories. We should as a Country dare to be different positively, sometimes we like dogmatic positions to creativity.
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ReplyDeleteIf the Country had many more Soyinkas, then the Appointment & Promotion Committees in our Universities would not be polluted, corrupted and politicized as they have turned out to be with the attendant fostering of a bunch of half-baked pseudo intellectuals on the Society as Professors. The Currency of a "Professor" has been devalued in Nigeria.
ReplyDelete