Wole Soyinka’s former residence at the Obafemi Awolowo University now re-purposed as the WOLE SOYINKA MUSEUM…
Unveiling at 2pm TODAY at the OAU campus as part of opening ceremony of the maiden IFE FESTIVAL OF FOOD & IDENTITY, July 30-August 4, hosted by the Institute of African Studies.
Wole Soyinka was a Professor of comparative Literature at the great citadel of learning from 1975-1999.
About 100 antiquities collected over the year by the Nobel laureate, are currently mounted for the opening today. The collection, a section of the huge collections in the custody of the Wole Soyinka Foundation, WSF, will be on display for another three months. Another section is currently on tour of the world, and had been to the Cooper Gallery, Harvard in the US, and Museo Fulmanco in Palermo, Italy, curated by Awam Amkpa of the New York University.
The birth of the Museum at Ife, is through the visionary leadership of the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Eyitayo Ogunbodede, supported by the Director of the Institute, Dr. Felix Omidire, and Curator of the Visual Arts department of the Institute, Dr Akin Adejuwon, former Director General of the National Troupe of Nigeria, who is a curator of the Museum.
The Museum is realized through the generous sponsorship of Ogun State Government led by Governor Ibikunle Amosun.
The repurposing of the former residence is through the design of the Principal Consultant to the Festival, Alhaji Teju Kareem of ZMirage Multimedia Company, who is also the Principal fund raiser for the festival.
