“Power, of course. The primitive fear of being controlled. It does not matter whether it is an invasion from outer space or power wielded from a subterranean command post: some alien force is about to take control on us, to dominate - and, if necessary in the process, to terminate our existence. We never stop to think - or, at best, a secondary consideration is whether such a force might be for the good, that humanity might indeed be improved by such a takeover. Volition, to which we desperately cling, is the very definition of our mature completion as social beings.”

Nigerian writer, playwright, and poet

Wole Soyinka is a Nigerian writer, playwright, and poet. He is known for a body of work that spans fiction, drama, poetry, memoir, and journalism, and for receiving the 1986 Nobel Prize in Literature. His writing includes three novels, ten collections of short stories, seven poetry collections, twenty-five plays, and five memoirs, along with two translated works and many articles and short stories for newspapers and periodicals. The Nobel Prize recognized his wide cultural perspective and the poetic qualities he brings to the drama of existence.