The 14th edition of the annual Wole Soyinka International Cultural Exchange, WSICE, holds July 13 in hybrid format – virtual and on-site.
The general Advocacy theme for the edition revolves around Good Governance & Nation Building.

The thematic thrust is to reflect the mood of the Nigerian nation and, indeed, many nations of the world, dealing with the existential problem of navigating the challenges of Nation Building through the prisms of good governance, individual and national interests and national development, according to WSICE’s Executive Producer, Dr. Teju Kareem, Managing Director/CEO of the lead promoters of the project, Zmirage Multimedia
Company, ZMC. The youth section of the edition will focus on the central motif of the project: mentoring and grooming the new generation of thinkers and eventual leaders who would work for the overall national interest of lifting their country and their society to greater height of human and material development.

Dr. Kareem, also hinted that the 2023 edition is a prelude to the 15th edition, which is being schemed to mark the 90th birthday of Soyinka in July 2024.

The working theme for the 2024 edition would be E.N.I.O.G.U.N, which though sets out as acronym, is the renowned alias of Soyinka,
encapsulating his character traits and essences as a patriot, global cultural icon and humanist. A series of events including competitions and public promotion and campaigns will preface the edition.

The 2023 edition
The main activity of the 2023 edition will be the annual Essay Writing which features Secondary School students drawn from across the country writing on the theme: WOLE SOYINKA: HUMANISM, ARTISTRY & NATIONALISM.

The idea, as had been the tradition of the WSICE since inception, is to explore the ideals of Soyinka, whose life-career trajectory has manifested as an irrepressible patriot, committed nationalist and adherent advocate for good governance as a condition for effective and meaningful nation building. The objective is to use his life and career example as a template for understanding the dynamics of nation building, especially reflecting on the intellectual and material resources required to offer the necessary sacrifices towards accomplishing the ideals.

Theme: Raison D’etre
Nation Building has been the main thrust of the objective of the project since inception, and it has been serially explored in the context of the ideals that have shaped the vision and practice of the “patron saint” of the project, Wole Soyinka, the thinker, writer, rights activist and global humanist. Other ideals explored in past editions, also in the context of Soyinka’s life-long pursuits have been freedom of thoughts and expressions, rights to life and choices, social justices, and human capital development.