A crowd gathered Thursday afternoon to hear Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka speak at the Union Theater about the interaction of different cultures throughout the world.
Soyinka’s speech, “Do Cultures Dialogue?”, was part of the Chancellor’s Distinguished Lecture Series. He addressed perception of world cultures.
Soyinka, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986, has made several appearances at LSU and Southern University in the past week as part of a joint university program called Southern Crossroads: An Intersection of Diverse Artistic Expressions. Soyinka is from Nigeria, Africa.
Soyinka said many dominant cultures try to suppress weaker cultures. He said some cultures become lost because of their economic, religious and political differences.
Soyinka used examples of eastern countries where governments tell their subjects how to dress, suppressing the ancient religious garb of their ancestors.
“Legacies of cultures are meticulously erased,” Soyinka said.
Soyinka said many of these cultures are suppressed through attacks on a country’s art forms.
“They forbid languages, songs, dances and rituals,” Soyinka said. “Artistic works are put in vaults.”
Soyinka said artwork is the most vulnerable cultural victim.
Soyinka also said television and movies distort people’s understanding of other cultures.
He talked about the television show “Big Brother Africa,” a spin-off of the American reality show. Soyinka said the show poorly represents the views of most people in third-world countries, running episodes filled with wild parties, immature antics and “thinly-disguised acts of fornication.”
“Of course, the show was a runaway success,” Soyinka said with a chuckle.
Soyinka said the show represented a degradation of values and that, after the show’s novelty wore off, many Africans agreed it was not an accurate representation of life in Africa.
Soyinka said movies and television have misrepresented the African lifestyle, and he blames everyone involved in the film-making process.
“Film stars obtain an iconic status,” Soyinka said. “With that comes responsibility.”
Soyinka stressed that he does not hope for a blanket acceptance of all cultures. He urged people to accept the validity of other cultures and to make an effort to see every country and race for what it truly is.
After his speech, Soyinka was presented the Chancellor’s Medal for his efforts to reach University students with his message.