The Nigerian Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka joins the faculty at New York University, Abu Dhabi as Arts Professor of Theater.

NYUAD is a portal campus of New York University. It began its academic program in 2010 and has since then witnessed a steady growth. Soyinka’s appointment is part of the university’s strategy to build its strength in the arts and reposition its direction towards setting itself apart as a world-class educational institution.

It is safe to say NYU Abu Dhabi is incredibly lucky. Not all universities get the chance to benefit firsthand and up close from the wealth of knowledge of one of the world’s brightest minds. Soyinka also joins an already impressive faculty that includes the Ghanaian professor Kwame Anthony Appiah, also a friend of Soyinka’s.

NYUAD Vice Chancellor Mariët Westermann celebrated the good news, saying:

It is a great honor to have Wole Soyinka, a world-renowned artist, academic, and activist, a true citizen of the world and a Nobel laureate join our NYUAD community. Our location in Abu Dhabi, a transnational crossroads for the exchange of cultural and artistic traditions, positions NYUAD uniquely to catalyze new creativity and discourse. We are excited to provide a home in the UAE for the beauty and power of Soyinka’s contributions to our understanding of our histories and our humanity.

Soyinka studied English Literature, Greek and Western History at the University College, Ibadan, later transferring to the University of Leeds where he graduated with a BA in English Literature in 1957. His extensive body of work includes three novels, many plays and works of poetry. He was awarded the 1986 Nobel Prize in Literature becoming the first, and until recently, only Black African to do so. He has held university professorships and lectured at many higher education institutions, including Harvard, Emory, Loyola Marymount, and Yale.

Congratulations to NYU Abu Dhabi! Go here to read more.