'I learnt humility from Wole Soyinka' - Female talking drummer, Ara

Ara described Soyinka as a great respecter and lover of African culture, urging the younger generation to emulate such from him.

Female talking drummer, Aralola Olumuyiwa, popularly known as “Ara”, says Nigerian Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, taught her humility.

Ara said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Lagos while commending President Bola Tinubu for renaming the National Arts Theatre as Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts.

The drummer urged the Federal Government to continue to honour thespians while alive.

“This development is highly welcome, the first black Nobel laureate we have, honestly, he deserves more.

“He is 90, we don’t know how long we are going to have him here. I am very proud of him and his achievements. We should make it a habit to always honour our thespians.

“In 2007, my first encounter with Prof. Soyinka, I attended an event organised in his honour, so, I was invited as one of the artists to perform, after the event, he invited me to his house where he asked me “Why the talking drum”?

“Also, during my 40th birthday years ago, he sent goodwill messages to me, which meant a lot to me.

“I learnt humility from Prof. Soyinka, he does not allow anyone to carry his bag, I was only opportune to carry his bag once, that was after dragging it from him. This speaks volumes to me,” she said.

Ara described Soyinka as a great respecter and lover of African culture, urging the younger generation to emulate such from him.

“Another virtue people should emulate from Soyinka is that he is a real and genuine individual, so, I challenge everyone, dare to be you, dare to be different, don’t be anybody,” she said.