The writer Wole Soyinka was in conversation with Olusola Oyeleye at the British Library, 15th Feb 2015 as part of their West Africa exhibition. Her last question to him was about the impounding of the Bus memorial to the Ogoni 9. In 2005 Soyinka spoke at Platform's 10th anniversary commemoration which was also the announcement of the winning proposal for the memorial - The Battle Bus by Sokari Douglas Camp.
Full Transcript
Olusola Oyeleye: The Bus [the memorial sculpture to the Ogoni 9] has been impounded. It has not been released. The Bus is about environmental human rights as well. What is your feeling about that?
Wole Soyinka: Well, it’s not just about language, but the language of art itself. The purpose, the succinctness with which what I call ‘mobile murals’ can transform thinking, at least make the populace identify with the ideals which are missing in society. Many of you who have been in West Africa, you’ll have seen these mobile murals, with paintings, for instance, David delivering a karate kick at the neck of Goliath, with the inscription ‘The large chief will not destroy the smaller’ - the championing of the small man in society. And of course my favourite ‘No Condition is Permanent’. Only our political leaders will understand this! No Condition is Permanent. We spoke earlier of the radio as an instrument of penetration and transformation etc. Next to the radio I would put those mobile murals. Put several of them on the road or at least hire a number of them with paintings on them, and have these pithy explicit sayings, extracts from books, and of course proverbs - the kind of wisdom that you pick up in the motor parks, in market places, even in factories etc. I think leaders would be compelled, when they are driving, cruising around in their air conditioned limousines, they would encounter one after the other these lorries with these inscriptions that speak to the condition of the people. They might begin to have a rethink of their choices.