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Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel has conferred a national medal of honour on Wole Soyinka, the Nobel Laureate. The Haydee Santamaria Medal was presented to Soyinka on 23 August at the Casa de las Americas in Havana, Cuba.
In a statement issued by the Cuban presidency, Diaz-Canel highlighted the significance of Soyinka’s visit, describing it as “the visit of a brother who has always fought for just causes.” The president explained that awarding Soyinka the medal reflects Cuba’s deep respect for him, adding that Haydee Santamaria, for whom the medal is named, always emphasised the importance of culture to revolution.
Jorge Fornet, director of the Centre for Literary Research at Casa de las Americas, remarked that honouring Soyinka with the Haydee Santamaria Medal is “an act of justice that honours us.” He noted that the medal has previously been awarded to many of the most distinguished figures in Latin American, Caribbean, and global intellectual circles.
The ceremony also celebrated Soyinka’s 90th birthday and marked the 60th anniversary of his first visit to Cuba. In his remarks, Soyinka stressed the importance of strengthening ties between Africa and Cuba, stating that the South American nation is also his home.
“Our ties with Cuba are not limited to art and literature, but also to liberation,” Soyinka said. “I grew up listening to Cuban music, in those days when there were gramophones, when there was no electricity. This has been a wonderful way to bring me back and remind me that Cuba is also my home. And it is proof that Yoruba is everywhere here, and that completes the spiritual aspect of people like me.”
The Haydee Santamaria Medal is awarded to Cuban and foreign individuals and groups who have contributed to the realisation of the objectives of Casa de las Americas. Additionally, the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba presented Soyinka with the Dulce María Loynaz International Prize. Omar Valiño, a theatre critic and theorist, praised Soyinka as a “consistent man,” noting that his intellectual work draws deeply from the ancestral wisdom of Yoruba culture.
Soyinka was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986.
Nneoma Udensi
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