On Tuesday, October 28, 2025, Wole Soyinka, the Nobel Prize-winning Nigerian playwright and outspoken critic of U.S. politics, stood before reporters in Lagos and delivered a message that reverberated well beyond the room: his U.S. visa had been revoked. The 91-year-old literary titan, who in 1986 became the first African to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, said the decision came after he likened former President Donald Trump to Ugandan dictator Idi Amin. "I have no visa. I am banned," Soyinka declared, according to Newsweek, reading aloud the official cancellation letter from the U.S. consulate in Lagos.
For Soyinka, this episode is less about personal inconvenience and more about principle. "It’s not about me, I’m not really interested in going back to the United States," he told the assembled press, as reported by the Associated Press. "But a principle is involved. Human beings deserve to be treated decently wherever they are." His words echoed a broader concern: that the U.S. government’s increasingly hardline immigration policies are chilling free speech and disproportionately targeting critics, activists, and academics worldwide.
The revocation letter, dated October 23 and provided to The New York Times by Soyinka’s literary agent, cited only that "additional information became available" after the visa was issued in April 2024, during the Biden administration. No further details were given. Soyinka, who has taught at American universities since the mid-1990s and previously held U.S. permanent residency, was instructed to return his passport so the visa could be physically cancelled, according to Reuters. Earlier this year, the consulate summoned him for an interview to reassess his visa status, which he chose not to attend—a decision that some experts suggest may have given the State Department a procedural reason for revocation, regardless of his political statements.
But Soyinka himself sees a clear connection between his outspoken criticism of Trump and the U.S. government’s action. In September, during an interview with Nigeria’s PM News, he described Trump as "Idi Amin in white face," referencing the Ugandan leader whose brutal regime from 1971 to 1979 became a byword for dictatorship and human rights abuses. At the Lagos press conference, Soyinka elaborated, "Idi Amin was a man of international stature, a statesman, so when I called Donald Trump Idi Amin, I thought I was paying him a compliment. He’s been behaving like a dictator."
Soyinka’s relationship with the United States has long been marked by both admiration and protest. He once held a U.S. green card, but famously destroyed it in 2016 after Trump’s first election victory. "It fell between a pair of scissors," he joked to reporters, as quoted by NPR. When asked if he would apply for another visa, Soyinka was unequivocal: "I am banned, obviously, from the United States, and if you want to see me, you know where to find me." He called the revocation notice a "curious love letter" and said he was content with the decision.
For the U.S. State Department, the matter is shrouded in standard confidentiality. A spokesperson told The New York Times that "visas are a privilege, not a right" and may be revoked at any time, at the government’s discretion. The consulate in Lagos referred all questions to Washington, reiterating that visa records are generally confidential and declining to discuss the specifics of Soyinka’s case. This lack of transparency has only fueled speculation about the true motivations behind the move, especially among Soyinka’s supporters and free speech advocates.
Stephen Yale-Loehr, a retired Cornell University professor of immigration law, told The New York Times that while Soyinka’s refusal to attend the consular interview could have provided a legitimate procedural reason for the revocation, his public criticism of Trump might also have played a role. "While Soyinka’s criticism of President Trump could have made him a target, not showing up to an interview could have also provided the State Department with a procedural reason to revoke his visa," Yale-Loehr explained.
The revocation comes amid a broader tightening of U.S. immigration policy. Under Trump’s administration, visa applicants faced increased scrutiny, and current holders—especially those involved in political causes or outspoken activism—encountered more frequent revocations, often under the pretext of national security. Soyinka expressed concern at the press conference about the Trump administration’s mass deportation plans, which have led to increased arrests of undocumented immigrants. "This is not about me. When we see people being picked off the street—people being hauled up and they disappear for a month … old women, children being separated. So that’s really what concerns me," he said, as quoted by Newsweek.
Born on July 13, 1934, in Abeokuta, Nigeria, Soyinka has spent his life at the intersection of art and activism. His prolific output includes more than 20 plays, as well as essays, memoirs, poetry collections, and fiction. His writing, recognized by the Nobel Prize in 1986, is celebrated for its fusion of cultural reflection and political engagement. Soyinka’s activism is not new: during Nigeria’s civil war in the late 1960s, he spent 22 months in detention for opposing military rule. His memoir, The Man Died: Prison Notes of Wole Soyinka, chronicles those harrowing experiences and underscores his lifelong commitment to human rights and social justice.
Throughout his career, Soyinka has held professorial and visiting positions at universities around the globe, including in the United States. His advocacy for cultural and political awareness has shaped generations of students and thinkers. Even now, at 91, he remains a forceful voice in global debates about freedom, democracy, and the responsibilities of governments to their citizens and critics alike.
The U.S. government’s action against Soyinka has drawn attention to the precarious balance between national security and free expression. Critics argue that visa revocations—especially those targeting prominent intellectuals—risk undermining America’s reputation as a haven for dissent and debate. Supporters of stricter immigration controls, meanwhile, maintain that the U.S. must retain the right to decide who enters its borders and under what circumstances, regardless of international stature or acclaim.
Soyinka, for his part, seems unfazed by the personal consequences. He told reporters he was "very content with the revocation of my visa" and made it clear that his commitment to speaking truth to power remains undiminished. "If you want to see me, you know where to find me," he said with a wry smile. The world, it seems, will continue to hear from Wole Soyinka—whether or not he sets foot on American soil again.
