The United States has rescinded the visa of Wole Soyinka, Nigeria’s Nobel laureate and Africa’s most globally celebrated literary voice, amid a renewed wave of immigration restrictions under the second administration of Donald J. Trump. Soyinka, aged 91, shared this development during a reading at Kongi’s Harvest Gallery in Lagos, stating he received an official notice from the US consulate on 23 October requesting the physical return of his visa for cancellation.
The revocation, while formally routine, has invited broader concern regarding its symbolic and diplomatic implications. Soyinka—known not only for his literary achievements but for his vocal advocacy for human rights, freedom of expression, and accountability across political systems—read from the consulate’s letter with characteristic wry humour, describing it as a “rather curious love letter”.
The author of Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth and Season of Anomy, Soyinka has long used his platform to critique regimes—African and Western alike—while advocating for intellectual freedom as an essential pillar of democracy. The revocation of his visa follows a pattern, with other high-profile figures, including former Costa Rican President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Oscar Arias, also recently stripped of their US travel privileges. Arias speculated that his long-standing ties with China and past criticism of Trump may have been contributing factors.
Soyinka, who previously taught at institutions including Harvard, Emory, and Yale, confirmed that the revoked visa had been issued under President Joe Biden, but was rescinded under the Trump administration, which returned to office in January 2025. Since then, immigration measures have intensified, with the administration citing broad concerns over “hostile attitudes” toward American values, culture, and national interests.
The language in the official proclamations is vague, allowing for discretionary interpretation and potentially targeting individuals based on political expression. This has sparked criticism among human rights observers, who warn that such policies risk conflating dissent with security threats—particularly when directed at respected global figures known for principled critique rather than subversion.
Soyinka, who in 2017 symbolically destroyed his US green card in protest at Trump’s first election, was clear that the revocation does not perturb him personally. “I am very content with the revocation of my visa,” he told his audience, adding, with typical satire, that someone else might volunteer to return the document on his behalf.
Notably, he maintained that his relationships with Americans remain intact, praising the courtesy of consular staff and affirming the depth of friendships built over decades. Nevertheless, he questioned the rationale behind such moves. “Governments have a way of papering things for their own survival,” he remarked. “The revocation of one visa, ten visas, a thousand visas will not affect the national interests of any astute leader.”
The incident has reignited debate about the power of cultural diplomacy and the extent to which governments wield immigration policies as instruments of ideological alignment. In a global context increasingly defined by multipolarity, such revocations risk sending signals of insularity at a time when cultural and intellectual exchange should be protected, not politicised.
For many Africans, Soyinka’s legacy transcends national boundaries. He is not merely a Nigerian icon but a continental voice, part of a lineage of thinkers who have shaped global understandings of post-colonial identity, governance, and human dignity. His works, ranging from dramatic literature to political essays, remain foundational texts in understanding the layered, often fraught journey of African states towards self-definition.
In the evolving terrain of global power, the treatment of figures like Soyinka becomes a bellwether for the direction of international norms. It raises important questions about whether intellectual critique, particularly when it emanates from the Global South, is seen as a threat to the prevailing global order or a necessary part of it.
Ultimately, Soyinka’s response underscores a central truth of his decades-long career: that ideas are not dependent on visas, and voices rooted in justice will always find a stage—even when borders close.
