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What’s it like being the son of world-renowned Prof. Wole Soyinka?
It’s been very interesting and whenver I am asked this question, I always say it’s a privilege with the passage of time you come to appreciate more and more as one gets older since he’s like a father figure to many Nigerians. And also you will begin to hear more and more about the history because surprisingly,when you are close to somebody, you may not know how much they have done to influence people’s lives.
With the passage of time,y ou get to meet so many people. And these all add to your understanding and appreciating. You now understand why people admire or commend him. You begin to understand the depth of why it is so not just because he is a writer. There are so many stratas to his life. It reinforces that it is a privilege to be his son.
What were your childhood years like?
Very mixed,anybody looking at me sees me as an oyinbo. I have 2 sides to me. My mother was English. As a result my life has been divided 2 countries. But most of my adult life, say in the last 2 decades , have been in Nigeria. My childhood was a lot of travelling with quite frequent change. I went to university in England, Government College Ibadan for part of my secondary and then England for the other part of my secondary as well. My primary school was partly in England, and Nigeria.So my childhood was very interesting.
What’s your relationship with your father while growing up?
It was good and still is. You know he travels a lot – as a public figure he moves around. Sometimes he is there, sometimes he is not. But he was there as a father and was there for me to have a relationship. As a kid, you don’t appreciate what you have. I know of course that people looked up to him but then as a kid you look up to him too.
As the offspring of such a great man, what are the attributes you emulate from him?
That will be for others to say really. I will tell you what I hope, or what I emulate in him. Number one thing is being principled. Thinking deeply about this, coming to the right decisions about the right things to do and the right way to behave the right way based on sound reasoning and then sticking to it. One thing you can say about my dad is that he is principled and consistent with his principles- in the long run, it always serves you well.Also is his sense of humour- you have to be serious when needed. But sometimes messages can be gotten across with a bit of humour, lighten the mood.
If you notice, no matter how serious he talks, somewhere in there, there will be some humour.And privately, he is a good company because of his sense of humour.I think I can go on and on. But these are 2 things I can aspire to emulate as far as his writing ability, clearly I don’t have that. But having said that, within my medical sphere, I still do a lot of writing – communicating in health terms.
Why did you decide to study medicine and not take to the arts?
Very simple answer.Your father is Wole Soyinka, do not become a writer. If I was a writer now, you would already be telling me ‘you must feel really bad being a writer and being a son of Wole Soyinka’. Having said that, he even gives lectures on medical. I remember sending him an email that ‘Dad you are good in writing, but please stay in your territory.’
Did your Dad influence your appointment as Commissioner for Health?
My father is one of the strongest influences I can imagine but he does it by being who he is, not by leaning on you.The same way he is a role model to many Nigerians. He is a good example so if you are his offspring, and inevidently, he will influence you. He lets you be your own person. He didn’t influence my appointment. Let me also tell you that while I was in the UK, I was very involved in the democracy struggle and it gave me a real taste of Nigerian politics. When I returned to Nigeria, I didn’t join PDP because for me, it represented the wrong side of politics. I joined the APC- though it wasn’t APC then.
You are married to an elegant woman, Lola Shoneyin who is a foremost writer. How did you meet her?
I met her at Dr. Yemi Ogunbiyi’s house and it was a natural one for me because I grew up with writers and artists. So I am very comfortable in that mileu so I think it was almost inevitable that I will marry a writer so I don’t feel I left the arts behind.
How did you propose to her?
I have to make a confession- it wasn’t one of those things that involved a proposal. We just knew immediately we were going to get married. So we just went and did it. We knew immediately that we were meant to be together.
She’s known as Lola Shoneyin even after marriage. How was it accepting that she sticks to her maiden name?
She’s been writing way before she met me. She was known by her maiden name and it wouldn’t make sense to change it. Of course some people would. But then they are at second disadvantage that I mentioned earlier- you don’t want to be a writer and your surname is Soyinka. So you have to give yourself credit for being your own person. So 2 very strong reasons why it actually made more sense for her to stick to her maiden name. I thought about it and came to a conclusion that it really doesn’t matter.
What is your religious inclination?
I am not a very religious person. I believe very much in rational thinking, reasoning, and questioning. And once you have a very questioning mind, it can leave you enough to be content with a lot of the religious information that you are given. I don’t go to church much.
Are you a member of the Pyrates Confraternity?
Yes. I am a Seadog. I joined in the UK. I am what you call an adult member. I wasn’t exposed to it here. You know I told you I had my university education in the UK. I didn’t get to join then. So it was after my university I joined the chapter there.
At the time you wanted to join, did you discuss with your father?
I mentioned it as some point. He didn’t push me either way, he believes you have your own mind. When I told him, he said ok. So the pressure to join came from outsiders not my father.
How do you unwind?
I love reading, playing the guitar, and I recently took up golf(handicap 19).
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