https://edition.cnn.com/2025/10/29/world/wole-soyinka-visa-revoked-intl
"Nobel Prize-winning author Wole Soyinka said on Tuesday that his non-resident
visa to enter the United States had been rejected, adding that he believes it
may be because he recently criticized US President Donald Trump.
The Nigerian author, 91, won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1986, becoming
the first African to do so.
Speaking to the press on Tuesday, Soyinka said he believed it had little to do
with him and was instead a product of the United States’ immigration policies.
He said he was told to reapply if he wished to enter again.
“It’s not about me, I’m not really interested in going back to the United
States,” he said. “But a principle is involved. Human beings deserve to be
treated decently wherever they are.”
Soyinka, who has taught in the US and previously held a green card, joked on
Tuesday that his green card “had an accident” eight years ago and “fell between
a pair of scissors.” In 2017, he destroyed his green card in protest of Trump’s
first inauguration.
The letter he received informing him of his visa revocation cites “additional
information became available after the visa was issued,” as the reason for its
revocation, but does not describe what that information was.
Soyinka believes it may be because he recently referred to Trump as a “white
version of Idi Amin,” a reference to the dictator who ruled Uganda from 1971
until 1979.
The US Consulate in Nigeria’s commercial hub, Lagos, directed all questions to
the State Department press office in Washington, DC, which did not respond to
immediate requests for comment.
Soyinka jokingly referred to it as a “love letter” and said that while he did
not blame the officials, he would not be applying for another visa.
“I have no visa,” he said. “I am banned, obviously, from the United States, and
if you want to see me, you know where to find me.”"
Via Kenny Chaffin.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
