Nigerian Professor, Wole Soyinka, Sends Strong Message to Africans

My fellow Africans,

Today, I feel compelled to speak — not as a laureate, not as an academic, but as a concerned African voice bearing witness to a troubling tide across our continent. We are, once again, at a crossroads. A moment where choices must be made — not just with the head, but with the conscience of our history.

I address this, perhaps most pointedly, to our brothers and sisters in Burkina Faso, and to Captain Ibrahim Traoré, whose leadership now stands at the heart of this shifting alliance. But I speak to all Africans from coast to coast, who now see in Russia a new partner, even a liberator.

Let us be very clear: this is not the same Russia that once stood shoulder-to-shoulder with African liberation movements. No. The Russia of today is an aggressor. It is a power pursuing its own agenda, often at the expense of truth, sovereignty, and peace.

We must ask ourselves – have we learned nothing?

We cannot afford to drop one set of chains, only to willingly bow our heads and place them into another. Liberation, true liberation, must be total. It must be continuous. And above all, it must be sustainable.

Africa cannot afford to repeat the mistakes of the past. Our independence is not a bargaining chip. It is not for sale, not to the West, not to the East — not to any power that sees us as a pawn in their global ambitions.

We must stand as mature people. With clarity. With dignity. And with the unwavering belief that the African future must be written by Africans – Free, Fearless, and Unshackled.

Thank you.