Nobel Laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka has expressed his inability to understand how mature individuals could identify themselves as ‘Obidients.’
Responding to a question about power and freedom, Soyinka argued that adopting such a label suggests a willingness to submit to someone. “I cannot conceive, for a moment, of mature people calling themselves Obidients, because this already implicates submission. People don’t just give names for nothing in Africa,” he said.
Soyinka elaborated on his aversion to ideologies, stating that they can restrict personal freedom. He emphasized the importance of critically examining ideologies without following them blindly. “If any ideology…preaches the gospel of submission, it means that you are not free. You’ve indentured your mind; you’ve curtailed the potential fullness of your being,” he argued.
He also critiqued the concept of submission, particularly in religious contexts, suggesting that it undermines individual freedom. Soyinka said, “Submission means obedience…Let everybody find his spiritual direction. Develop certain ethical principles, and agree on those ethical principles. To follow an ethical principle does not require submission to intermediaries.”
Highlighting the dangers of submission, Soyinka pointed to abuses within religious institutions, such as the Roman Catholic Church’s scandals and violence in the name of Islam. “I don’t hate your religion. I just hate what you’re doing with your religion. You can believe anything you want, but what you do with it, especially about other human beings, interests me a lot,” he concluded.