Soyinka: I wrote ‘Death and the King’s Horseman’ in two and a half days

Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka says he wrote one of his most successful plays, ‘Death and the King’s Horseman’, in two and a half days.

Published in 1975, the play tells the story of the obstacles that Elesin Oba—the king’s horseman—faces on the night he is supposed to commit ritual suicide to follow the recently departed king into the afterlife.

Soyinka spoke in Abuja on Saturday at the unveiling of CreaTent, a creative hub, and Books of Aphorisms, authored by Mohammed Bello, one of his mentees.

Encouraging creatives not to consider time as a factor for inspiration, the foremost playwright said he nursed the idea of ‘Death and the King’s Horseman’ for many years before putting it to paper in less than 72 hours.

“But the important thing—and that’s what I want to address—is that writing that play did not begin when I sat down. Right? No. Obviously, it had been there,” he said.

“You see yourself in the subconscious, and finally, it is ready. Many people would not believe that I wrote that play in two and a half days.

“That was the nature of it. The power to respond to it. Not necessarily immediately.”

Soyinka encouraged writers facing a creative block to engage in other activities.

“And don’t worry if you wanted to write a play and it just didn’t come out and you had to do it. Go and do other things. Go and play soccer if you like,” he said.

“Go and listen to music. Go and see your friends. Have a party. Join a construction gang who occupy themselves with the community. Anything whatsoever.

“Inspiration is not mysterious. It’s a question of just opening your mind to take up what others are not.”

The Nobel laureate also likened himself to a “failed mechanic,” noting that he had always been fascinated by technology as creativity shines through the field.

“Both make up for the same line of creativity. Motor vehicle, the discovery of solar energy. Many important technologies have marvelous creative processes, triggers, that are always available all around,” he added.

“I always call myself the failed mechanic because I’m so fascinated by technology and mechanical things.”

Soyinka urged parents and teachers to be patient with young creatives as they uncover their talents.

He recommended the CreaTent as a nurturing creative hub.