Wole Soyinka to Headline Yoruba Tennis Club Centenary Seminar

Funmi Ogundare

The Yoruba Tennis Club (YTC) is set to kick off activities marking its centenary anniversary with a landmark intellectual engagement, which will feature Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, on February 5, at the Yoruba Tennis Club, Onikan,  Lagos.

The event, a special centenary seminar series, is designed to formally signal the commencement of the club’s 100th anniversary celebrations and underscore its long-standing role as a meeting point for culture, intellect and civic discourse.

The club’s centenary celebration, themed, ‘A Century at the Forefront of History and Tradition,’ is expected to feature a series of activities aimed at reflection and idea-driven engagement.

The General Secretary of the club, Lookman Kotun, in a statement, noted that the inaugural seminar with Prof. Soyinka sets the tone for a centenary year defined not just by celebration, but by substance and thoughtful discourse.

According to him, “It will offer members and invited guests a rare opportunity to engage the renowned writer and public intellectual in an intimate conversation.”

He explained that discussions during the session will span contemporary national and global issues, including literature, culture, nationhood, humanity, conscience and the enduring influence of history on societies and values.

Soyinka, who became the first African to win the Nobel prize in Literature in 1986, is globally celebrated for a body of work marked by artistic depth, intellectual courage and a consistent interrogation of power, freedom and the human condition.

Beyond his literary achievements, he is widely regarded as a fearless advocate for justice, democracy and human dignity.

Founded 100 years ago, the Yoruba Tennis Club is one of Nigeria’s oldest and most enduring social and cultural institutions.

Over the decades, it has served as a hub for dialogue, fellowship and leadership, maintaining its traditions while engaging with evolving national and global realities.