Nigeria’s exiled democracy campaigner Wole Soyinka =20 tells Bartholomeus Grill about his disappointment at =20 the way South Africa’s leaders are turning a blind eye =20 to the excesses of Sani Abacha’s military regime=20
WRITER Wole Soyinka, Nigeria’s foremost democracy =20 campaigner-in-exile, has spoken angrily about the =20 failure of President Nelson Mandela — the “moral voice =20 on the continent” — and his deputy, Thabo Mbeki, to =20 consult with Nigeria’s imprisoned opposition leaders.=20
Soyinka, winner of the Nobel prize for literature in =20 1986 and founder of the exile opposition group National =20 Democratic Coalition of Nigeria (Nalicon), said in an =20 interview this month that Europe would “take their cue” =20 from Mandela, should he take an unequivocal stance =20 against Nigerian dictator General Sani Abacha.=20
Soyinka charged that neither Mandela nor Mbeki have =20 made an effort to get in touch with jailed opposition =20 leaders Moshood Abiola, presumed winner of the annulled =20 1993 elections, and Olusegun Obasanjo, the only =20 military ruler in Nigeria to have handed power to =20 civilian rulers — even though Abiola had been invited =20 to Mandela’s inauguration and Obasanjo had visited =20 Mandela in jail.=20
Soyinka, who is exiled in France, also said in the =20 interview — which was conducted secretly in a London =20 hotel because Soyinka feared Nigerian state agents were =20 on his trail — that the time may have come for the =20 Nigerian opposition to take up arms. =20
Here are extracts from the interview:=20
You have called on your compatriots to fight the Abacha =20 regime by all means.=20
By all means nessessary, including civil disobedience, =20 revolt against the law as it stands, demonstrations and =20 public mobilisation. We have to create an alternative =20 system of authority which will undermine the authority =20 of military centralism …=20
If all fails? =20
Then the military may have to be fought in the only =20 language it understands: the language of violence. =20
Could this decision have been avoided if there had been =20 appropriate international precautions against the =20
Yes. If the international community had listened to us, =20 we probably would not be in the position in which we =20 are now. We have played a very hectic role in trying to =20 persuade the West as well as African governments to =20 clamp down hard both on Babangida when he wanted to =20 stay in power forever and on Abacha … =20
But the West did not listen.=20
The representatives of foreign governments tend to say: =20 “Well, let’s wait and see …” (But) the isolation has =20 to begin and to be intensified. The Abacha regime must =20 not be seated at the next Commonwealth conference. The =20 Nigerian issue should be discussed by the Security =20 Council of the United Nations because the Nigerian =20 junta constitutes a threat against regional security. =20 But some governments are going to be stupid enough to =20 fall for Abacha’s tricks.=20
Which governments are you talking about? =20
About the British government, for instance. But more =20 important than even the position of the Europeans is =20 South Africa’s position. I hate to heap the moral =20 burden on Nelson Mandela, but fortunately or =20 unfortunately for him he represents the moral voice on =20 our continent. A number of European and Commonwealth =20 nations are waiting to take their cue from him. A lot =20 rests on Mandela’s shoulders on the international =20 field. And I cannot see Britain having the guts to go =20 against a position which Mandela takes over this issue. =20 South Africa should play the key role.=20
Mandela, the president out of prison, should visit =20 Abiola, the president in prison?=20
Exactly. And he should visit not only Abiola, but also =20 Obasanjo, the former head of state who visited Mandela =20 in prison (as member of the Eminent Persons Group). =20 There is no way Mandela can avoid the burden of the =20 duty to say: “I want to come to Nigeria specifically to =20 see that former head of state who visited me in prison =20 and the President-elect whom I invited to my own =20 inauguration. What are those men doing behind bars?”=20
And if the regime wouldn’t let Mandela enter the =20 country? =20
If Nigeria refuses, Mandela must lead the coalition of =20 international forces against the regime. It’s a duty, I =20 think, which Mandela owes. =20
It seems as if you are deeply disappointed about South =20 African foreign policy concerning Nigeria. =20
I am very disappointed, especially about Mbeki. When he =20 went to Nigeria recently he not only failed to see the =20 opposition, he did not even make an attempt to meet the =20 oppostion. And then he returned to South Africa =20 suggesting in fact that things could be worked out =20 along Abacha lines. =20
I also must confess my disappointment about Robert =20 Mugabe’s visit, about his failure to insist on seeing =20 the opposition.=20
When Obasanjo went to South Africa he met FW de Klerk, =20 but he and the Eminent Persons Group insisted on =20 talking to the opposition. And that’s how they met =20 Mandela in prison. =20
I am a bit worried, because the mistake the Southern =20 African countries are making is such a simple one that =20 I am astonished that they can make it. They are failing =20 to distinguish between the oppressive state and the =20 people. =20
They are not criticising Nigeria publicly for the very =20 ironic reason that they feel they owe Nigeria a debt =20 for its stand against apartheid. But how can they be so =20 naive as to not recognise the fact that their debt of =20 gratitude is to the people and not to a government =20 which is oppressing those very people?=20
* Economic and political sanctions against Nigeria are =20 being considered by the European Commission and =20 European Union governments because of the military =20 dictatorship’s continuing violation of human rights, =20 writes The Guardian’s John Palmer =20
Among the measure under discussion are restrictions on =20 visas for members of the junta, freezing their European =20 bank accounts, and a complete ban on all arms sale to =20 Nigeria. =20