Nigerian Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka Reports U.S. Visa Revocation After Trump Criticism

Nigerian Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka, the first African to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1986, has had his U.S. visa revoked, which he believes is due to his outspoken criticism of President Donald Trump, including comparing Trump to Ugandan dictator Idi Amin. Soyinka, 91, who previously held U.S. permanent residency but destroyed his green card in protest after Trump's election, sees the visa revocation as a matter of principle and respect for humanity rather than personal inconvenience. Despite being asked to surrender his visa and passport to the U.S. consulate, Soyinka has no intention of reapplying, expressing contentment with the revocation and suggesting it reflects broader restrictive immigration policies under the Trump administration. He humorously referred to the revocation notice as a "love letter" and believes his comparison to Idi Amin "struck a nerve," while also sarcastically stating that Trump should be "proud" of the comparison. The U.S. State Department has not publicly commented on the specific reasons for the visa cancellation, which was attributed to unspecified "additional information" obtained after the visa was issued. Soyinka's case highlights ongoing concerns about freedom of speech and the impact of hardline immigration policies on critics of the Trump administration.