Soyinka decries religious extremism
From Charles Coffie-Gyamfi, Abeokuta

NOBEL Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, yesterday remarked that fundamentalism is one of the major problems confronting the world today.

Soyinka who spoke in Abeokuta, Ogun State, decried religious intolerance, stating that religious fundamentalism and refusal to tolerate each others, religious beliefs have caused a lot of instability in many nations of the world.

Soyinka, who spoke as a special guest at the formal inauguration of World Festival of Yoruba Arts and Culture, wondered why some religious faithful are intolerant to the extent that they go about destroying Yoruba shrines.

The Nobel laurate, an avowed believer in Yoruba culture said: " "We (Yoruba) have no problem with other cultures, it is other cultures which, for reason of insecurity may be, have problem, with Yoruba culture."

He stated that while " Yoruba religion" had never waged war against any religion, he was not aware of any other religions that had not waged holy war against any community in the world."

Said he: "Yoruba religion has never declared Jihad against any god."

He expressed concern that in a multi-cultural, and multi-religious country like Nigeria, which has about 250 ethnic groups, some religious faithful will go about destroying traditional places of worship, "shrines that are not practising any evil."[b][/b]Soyinka added: "Fundamentalism, bigotry and intolerance are the problems of the world today.

"It is this conduct of intolerance or arrogance that is responsible for 50 per cent of this world's upheavals," the Nobel laureate stated.

According to him there is so much religious tolerance in Brazil and Cuba to the extent that the effigy of St. Anthony is placed side- by-side with that of Ogun (Yoruba divinity of iron) on the church pulpit.

Still emphasising the need for religious tolerance, he said: "My colleague, Chinua Achebe, wrote in one of his books that the Hawk shall perch, the Eagle shall perch and whoever says the other shall not perch let its Peak break."

At the programme organised by the Alaroye Group of Newspapers, Soyinka was decorated as Global Ambassador, while the Publisher, Mr. Alao Adedayo, disclosed that the programme was organised to promote and revive Yoruba's dying culture.

According to, it would be rotated among the Yoruba states.

The guest speaker, at the event, Prof. Akinwunmi Isola, in his speech blamed the dying of Yoruba culture on the Yoruba elites who now prefer to speak English to their children instead of the Yoruba language.

Eminent Yoruba personalities at the event were representatives of the Lagos and Ekiti state governors.

Others were Dr. Lateef Adegbite, Prince Bola Ajibola, (SAN) Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, Olowo of Owo, Oba Olateru Olagbegi and Real Admiral Akin Aduwo (rtd), among others.

Source?

Don't know how to do the source thing but it's on this website www.nigeriaworld.com and the guardian newspaper, vanguard and this day. There are links for all three.

why not the wisdom of solomon? 

so you think the wisdom of Kongi surpasses that of mr randy en