Soyinka denies anti-Igbo comment, Harvard to post lecture video online

The Harvard University Hutchins
Centre for African and American
Research in the United States has
said that it will release the video of
the lecture delivered by Nobel
Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, within
a week.
This was contained in an email
reply to one of our correspondents
on Soyinka’s alleged comments
that he labelled Igbo as people
who voted in the last general
elections based on their “stomach.”
Some online media had quoted
Soyinka as saying Igbo were
politically naive while delivering a
lecture titled, “‘Predicting Nigeria,
Electoral Ironies,” at the institution.
He was quoted as saying “The Igbo
are probably the only group of
Nigerians that you can predict with
great accuracy whom they will vote
for in an election, because they
tend to put their votes where their
stomachs take them; suffering as it
were, from incurable money-
mindedness, as they would stop at
nothing in their quest for personal
financial gain.”
However, Soyinka said in a
statement on Tuesday that it was
unfortunate that people could tell
lies against him.
The playwright described those
who believe the report as morons.
He said the entire lecture was
recorded on video and anyone who
was interested could access it on
the Internet.
He said, “I have just read a
statement attributed to me on a
news outlet, evidently one of the
Internet infestations. My lecture at
the Hutchins Centre, Harvard
University, was video recorded.
Anyone who believes what I am
alleged to have said must be a
moron – repeat, a moron.
“It is demeaning, sickening and
boring to have to deal with these
cowards who cannot fight their
own battles but must fasten their
imbecilic pronouncements on
others. Only the mentally retarded
will credit this comment attributed
to me regarding the Ndigbo voting
pattern in the last elections.
“I strongly suspect the author of
this despicable concoction, and
may make a further statement,
once the source is verified.”
The Harvard centre, has however,
stated that it will post the video
online. The institution, however,
said it would not release transcripts
of Soyinka’s lecture.
The email read, “We expect the
recent Wole Soyinka talk to be
posted via video on the Hutchins
Centre website within a week.
However, transcripts of the talk will
not be provided. Thank you for
contacting the Hutchins Centre.”

Lets wait for the video evidence.

okay

xedyl wrote:

Lets wait for the video evidence.

You get time