Visa Reinterview: Why I Won’t Honour U.S. Consulate Invitation – Soyinka
Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka says he will not honour an invitation by the United States Consulate in Nigeria for a visa reinterview scheduled for Thursday, September 11.
In an interview, Soyinka described the invitation as “strange and bizarre,” adding that he initially thought it was a scam. “I had never received that kind of letter from any embassy. At first, I thought it was advance fee fraud,” he said.
The writer insisted that he has no interest in pursuing visas to countries “where I am not wanted,” stressing that the reinterview was “totally out of consideration.”
Soyinka also criticised the choice of date, 9/11, saying it should be a day of national mourning for the United States rather than for “ignoble motives such as visa interviews.” “If they don’t shut down, at least I will shut down my relationship with them on that day. I’m not going anywhere near there on 9/11,” he declared.
The Nobel laureate further expressed concern about the conduct of the current U.S. administration, likening its leadership style to “a white Idi Amin.” He said such circumstances made him wary of responding to consular invitations.
Soyinka added that while the invitation may appear minor, it raises broader issues about how countries treat travellers and residents. “For those who have built homes abroad, only to be told suddenly they cannot rejoin their lives there, it is horrifying, inhuman and dehumanising,” he said.