Nobel Laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka has lashed out at former U.S. President Donald Trump, describing him as a “petty-minded dictator” following the revocation of his American visa.
In an interview published by BBC News Pidgin on Wednesday, Soyinka said he was not surprised by the U.S. government’s recent decision, noting that he had long predicted such actions under Trump’s leadership.
“This is a petty-minded dictator. You see how he deals with his objects of hate,” Soyinka said, condemning what he described as the darker side of Trump’s politics.
The United States had earlier informed the literary icon that his visa was being revoked, stressing that visa possession is a privilege, not a right.
Reflecting on the broader implications of Trump’s policies, Soyinka pointed to the rise in police brutality and hate crimes during the former president’s tenure, which he said were emboldened by divisive rhetoric.
“We saw that dark side of America. There were more killings, extrajudicial killings of Black people and minorities during that period, on account of the hate rhetoric of this individual,” he said.
“I said it before — when that man comes to power, the first thing he will do is cancel even the green cards.”
Soyinka, who has been a vocal critic of authoritarianism and racial injustice, said his stance against Trump stems from his duty as a global citizen committed to challenging oppression and bad governance.
In December 2016, shortly after Trump’s election victory, the Nobel Laureate made global headlines when he publicly tore up his U.S. Green Card in protest, symbolically rejecting what he called a rising tide of intolerance in American politics.
