A Scholars Retreat in Nigeria - A Note from the President

I had enjoyed the conducive serenity of a number of Artistes/Scholars’ Retreats – Bellagio being perhaps the most luxurious – from time to time in my career, and always wondered why there wasn’t such a facility in Nigeria. On winning the Nobel Prize myself in 1986, it struck me that this was an opportunity to fulfill that yearning. So I set up the ESSAY FOUNDATION – named after my late father, a teacher. I expanded the modest retirement cottage I was trying to build at the time to include an independent wing dedicated to periodic residence by artistes – writers especially – and scientific researchers. By the time that was done, my Nobel nest egg was also done, so there was nothing left to operate it along the original vision. Still, we managed a few residences, gave some writing scholarships here and there, and even held some creative workshops.

Then came a fresh political entanglement which resulted in my exile. The entire scheme ran aground. The house was trashed by the military and abandoned by the caretaker and groundsman because of police harassment. Weeds had taken over and bats became the only permanent residents.  It took a while but we eventually resuscitated the physical structures. The original idea remained the major casualty – it simply stalled owing to lack of funds.

The house itself is a virtual museum – I am rather passionate about art objects and antiquities. I cannot even guess how much that collection is worth today. The building is surrounded entirely by a mini-forest, but its seclusion is broken from time to time when school classes and students are allowed in as a special treat. My priority became how to preserve the collection while turning the house into an extra-curricular destination for student excursions.  Only recently did it become possible to attempt a resurrection of the original project of a Writers/Scholars retreat.
 

In what is a most serene environment, the selected writers and researchers will spend a few weeks or months at a time during which they are freed of all constraints for a period of reflection and creativity. The Board of the Foundation will compose a jury for each year. Interested writers will send their work-in-progress, and the lucky ones will move in.

Duration of stay will be decided on the nature of the work each resident is engaged upon. They will be free to interact with the neighbourhood or isolate themselves completely. Opportunity to hold workshops and special tutorials with students, go out to deliver lectures in nearby institutions or simply open themselves out to outsiders for exchanges of ideas – all these will be available but not imposed.

As the Foundation gathers resources, it plans to expand with new chalets – it recently acquired an annex just outside the main building which itself stands in the midst of 4.2 hectares of land, sliced through by a narrow stream. Work is currently going on to widen the stream.  There is a tiny lake – more of a fish-pond - and there will be further landscape development – whatever is possible to enhance the environment for reflection and creativity.
             Visual Artistes will exhibit on the Foundation grounds and experimental performances take place in the small amphitheatre.  Occasional screening of the more imaginative of the Nigerian film industry.  Film classics from all over the world will be a permanent feature, with the goal of improving the current state of cinematic techniques.  Further acquisitions of art works will continue and a specialist library will cater for research activities. Cultural encounters will be organized around the occasional visits by internationally famous figures in the Arts and Sciences.  Special attention will be given to the resuscitation of traditional art forms - such as the Yoruba Folk Opera, Pottery, Batik Arts, environmentally relevant architectural designs etc. - many of which are in danger of extinction.

Nobel Laurete Wole Soyinka
President and Founder