Nigerian Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka has revealed that the United States has revoked his visa, a move he associates with his vocal criticism of the former administration led by Donald Trump.
The 91-year-old author, who won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1986, stated that the US consulate in Nigeria requested him to bring in his passport for the cancellation, citing new, unspecified information.
During a news conference on Tuesday, Soyinka described the cancellation notice as a rather curious love letter from an embassy, advising organizations seeking to invite him to the US not to bother.
When asked for clarification, the US embassy in Nigeria declined to comment on the specifics of Soyinka's case, adhering to its policy of not discussing individual visa matters.
Soyinka previously held a green card, a permanent residency permit in the US, which he famously tore up in protest of Trump's election in 2016. He humorously mentioned that the card had fallen between the fingers of a pair of scissors and got cut into pieces. As of now, he confirms he has no visa and is effectively banned from entering the US.
Referring to his criticisms of the Trump administration—including a comparison to the Ugandan dictator Idi Amin—Soyinka believes these statements may have played a role in the visa revocation. When I called Donald Trump 'Idi Amin in white face', I thought it was a compliment for his dictatorial tendencies, he said.
Soyinka expressed skepticism about returning to the US, questioning, How old am I? This occurs in a context where the US State Department has implemented stringent changes to its non-immigrant visa policy for Nigerian and other African citizens, reducing the validity period and restricting visa types.
The issue highlights a troubling trend in immigration policy, increasingly affecting prominent voices from Africa and pointing to a changing relationship between the US and individuals critical of its political climate.
