Written By Mazi Ogbonnaya
SOYINKA AND ACHEBE: WHO IS THE BEST?
With Professor Wole Soyinka. The first picture, my hand was placed on my jaw behind Wole Soyinka in his Office, Ikeja Lagos sometimes ago. We all focused on a screen. He invited us to view the Igbo movie by Dr. Onyeka Nwelue—the movie Maazi Ogbonnaya was privileged to translate from English as it bears Island of Happiness to Igbo as Agwaetiti Obiuto. I acted in the movie using Igbo language and American Sign Language, I coached some actors who used the both languages. I was privileged to do the voice over, translating and citing Christopher Okigbo’s poem, Hurray of Thunder into the Igbo, which served as the preamble of this award winning movie. The movie was premiered in Harvard University, last year May, 15th. It won award in New Jersey sometimes ago.
Soyinka said he wanted to watch it. Some crew members were invited. I noticed one thing—humility. Soyinka no matter how he is viewed is humble. Leave media, meet people in real life you will see how good they are. Use not media and people’s ideologies to draw up conclusion about them. This is an Igbo movie…quite interesting with hefty message it passed across with professional subtitle and translation rendered into the work which won the director international awards. I learnt a lot from Soyinka.
I yearned to meet Professor Chinua Achebe. It was unfortunate I didn’t meet him. The father of African Literature; the greatest narrator of African descent.
Between Achebe and Soyinka who is the greatest? Reno Omokirikiri can be confused at times, bringing frivolous issues to cause unnecessary tribal sentiment.
Achebe was a novelist, essayist; Soyinka is a dramatist/playwright and poet. They are all good in what they do. Soyinka cannot write like Achebe in a narrative and descriptive format; Achebe cannot present his dramatic text and performances like Soyinka. Each writer has his or her style of writing. I don’t like comparison. Both are good in their ways but Achebe remained the Father of African Literature. He is my number one but it is needless to juxtapose them therefore causing ethnic hashtag.
I don’t like reading Soyinka. He loves speaking heavy English. Without ethnic sentiment, Achebe flows in me when I read him. I have my reservation. Achebe if to compare is incomparable. His works are widely translated and read all over the world. I am putting this to challenge the reason behind Reno Omokirikiri tweet, trying to underline the ethnic traffic on twitter between Igbo and Yoruba. It is needless at this point. We all know who the father of African Literature is.
These great men have done their parts, cleared their ways, left and leaving legacies, but children of twitter are busy fighting who was/is the greatest. If you find your niche and leave a name, will you die? These brilliant men don’t know whether you exist or not; therefore, fighting and cursing one another over people’s achievements will not make them recognize you. You are on your own!
