Nigerian author and Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka has reported that his visa to the United States has been revoked, resulting in a ban from the country. The 91-year-old, who received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1986, indicated that he was summoned to the US consulate to have his visa canceled in person due to new, unspecified information. Soyinka described this communication as an “invitation” in a news conference, cautioning organizations considering inviting him to the US not to pursue such efforts.
The US embassy in Nigeria declined to comment on individual cases, including Soyinka’s. Remarkably, Soyinka had previously held permanent residency in the US but renounced it in 2016 as a form of protest against President Donald Trump’s election, famously tearing up his green card at that time. He confirmed on Tuesday that he no longer possesses the green card, humorously noting its “demise” by scissors.
Soyinka has been a frequent visiting educator at US universities for over three decades. In his remarks, he stated, “I have no visa. I am banned,” and he attributed the visa revocation to his outspoken criticism of the Trump administration, including a recent analogy comparing Trump to Ugandan dictator Idi Amin. Soyinka noted that calling Trump “Idi Amin in white face” was intended as a critique of his behavior rather than a direct insult.
Further context indicates that in July, the US State Department implemented significant changes to its non-immigrant visa policy, affecting citizens of Nigeria and several other African countries. This new policy restricts nearly all non-immigrant and non-diplomatic visas for these nationals to single-entry and three-month validity, reducing the previously available multiple-entry visas.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c24lzd32yjeo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss