The writings of Wole Soyinka have inspired millions in Africa and
around the world. He is the first African to receive the Nobel Peace
Prize in literature and started a literary movement that energized a
continent and sought to change a nation.
He has inspired those that love the diversity of writing, not just personal stories, but of literary content and diversity that expands the intelligence and inspires intellectual discussions.
Raised in an environment of religious change and political chaos along with a priority of educational attainment and civic growth. Soyinka was born in and era of colonization, and conflict. Civil discourse and the drive for independence from British rule in his native Nigeria. The violence of a growing democracy reaching to branch out of civil wars and military dictatorships.
The growth of writers of color and culture is important to tell the stories of people of color and culture. From Africa to Asia, from South America to Saudi Arabia and from the Artic to Antarctica, people are writing to tell their stories.
The explosion of writing camps, seminars, conferences, meetups and other events are attended by more and more African American writers to strengthen their knowledge of the writing process, building readership and gaining more exposure to the craft of story creation and authorship. Writers have a growing responsibility to be politically and civically active.
In the past 5 years more women of color are writing on platforms that are so diverse they are meeting the needs of issues unimaginable just 2 to 4 years ago.
Traditionally men where the bloggers, podcasters, microbloggers and content creators of the bloggersphere from the 80’s of early blogging until the mid-2000’s when women caught on to the connectivity of blogging/writing.
Now women are dominating the digital platforms of the Internet and running with content exclusively tackling the issues that women can relate to, identify with and share with other women no matter their cultural diversity of lifestyle.
My writing growth is infused from listening to the interviews of Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe and other African writers who are politically, culturally and socially active. African American students need to be exposed to writing even when they attend higher education. African American students need to apply innovative and critical thinking skills which are gained through reading, writing and intellectual thought.
Here are 20 ways to help the growth of African American communities to build writers, educators, business leaders, thought leaders, intellectuals and help African Americans embrace the entrepreneurial spirit.
The Wisdom of Wole Soyinka Applied to African American Writers “A tiger does not shout its Tigritude, it acts.” Wole Soyinka
1. African Americans have the potential to launch their own political party, but are too segmented in their political, economic and educational visions.
2. African Americans must learn to make transformative changes in politics, it is not about the position at the top, but how the people are provided quality services that provide help to families that help with stability, equal access to educational resources and health care from birth to death.
3. African Americans must have a manifesto outlining their political vision and mission for all people not just African Americans.
4. African Americans seasoned as political professionals must be willing to have a far reaching vision for generations in the future, not just for their personal political gains.
5. African Americans must have a solid Brand, not one based on reparations of past behaviors by whites, but solid progressive thinking to allow for growth by all cultures.
6. African Americans must support, praise, build on their boys and girls academic accomplishments. Athletics and entertainment cannot boost economic stability, athletics cannot influence scientific research and development, athletics cannot build academic curriculums to build colleges and universities. Academics combined with athletics builds scholars.
7. African Americans must position themselves to learn from others. They must build minds that embrace democratic concepts and principles.
8. African Americans must move from being excited and inspired by personalities that provide temporary emotional excitement. They must embrace the intellectual abilities of its youth and build them into social leaders first.
9. African Americans must be able to build leaders that have the ability to bridge cultural, economic and educational gaps.
10. African Americans must move away from the mentality of colonization and the culture of slavery.
11. African Americans must break free of the mentalities beaten into them from slavery and colonization about Africans and African heritage.
12. African American men must be their models and methods to improve African Americans communities.
13. African Americans must have the honesty to talk about social issues that divide homes, communities, churches and schools. There needs to be a platform to discuss these issues.
14. African Americans must stop pretending to be scared to grow beyond their abilities.
They must recognize their potential to be greater than they are.
15. African Americans in politics will be judged not by the amount of times they are elected and re-elected, but by the lives they improved from slavery (mental and physical), increased educational and employment opportunities and gender equality.
16. African Americans must own their own media outlets, they cannot continue to offer only once a week or bi-weekly news, they must be competitive and forward thinking. Using Social Media platforms, tools and Apps.
17. African Americans must have agendas that focus on building partnerships within the African American community.
18. African American businesses must partner with schools to be business partners, to build an employment pool from which to provide opportunities to African American students to gain experience, internships and offering scholarships.
19. African Americans must grow beyond consumers and expand into producers
20. African American writers should be engaged in civil events, activities and teaching the next generation of writers.
21. African American students in high school and college should not be scrambling for internships, scholarships and employment opportunities. This is why African Americans need to grow in STEAM areas to produce the resources for children to grow beyond self-perceived or societal perceptions for children of color.
“Books and all forms of writing are terror to those who wish to suppress the truth.” Wole Soyinka
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