Peller plans livestream with Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka

Nigerian TikTok star Habeeb Hamzat, popularly known as Peller, has announced plans to host a livestream with renowned Nigerian playwright and Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka, promising his followers an engaging session filled with intellectual discussions and what he described as “proper English”.

Peller disclosed the plan during a recent livestream, saying he would announce further details when arrangements for the proposed meeting had been finalised.

“I want to do a stream with this man that knows book for the whole Africa, Wole Soyinka,” he said.

“I want to do a big stream with him. Don’t worry, I will announce it soon. I will tell you guys.”

Describing what viewers should expect, the content creator jokingly suggested that the session would feature sophisticated language and discussions rooted in African history and intellectual traditions.

“There is nothing like uneducated person no watch that live because you’ll be hearing some grammar, some talk from our forefathers. Everything you will be hearing it,” he said.

The announcement has drawn attention because of the contrast between Peller’s popularity among young social media audiences and Soyinka’s longstanding reputation as one of Africa’s most influential literary figures.

While Peller built his profile through TikTok livestreams, online entertainment and viral interactions, Soyinka has spent decades shaping African literature and theatre through his plays, poetry, novels and political commentary.

Soyinka made history in 1986 when he became the first African to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature, in recognition of his literary contributions. His notable works include The Lion and the Jewel (1959), The Interpreters (1965), Season of Anomy (1973) and Death and the King’s Horseman (1975).

His more recent works include Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth, published in 2021.

The proposed livestream would bring together two public figures whose audiences and styles differ considerably, potentially creating an unusual meeting point between contemporary digital entertainment and established literary culture.

For Peller, whose livestreams frequently attract attention online, the planned conversation could introduce his younger audience to one of Nigeria’s most celebrated writers. For Soyinka, it would offer another opportunity to engage with audiences beyond conventional literary and academic spaces, if the proposed session goes ahead.

However, Peller has yet to announce a date or confirm that Soyinka has agreed to participate.

In July 2024, President Bola Tinubu renamed the National Arts Theatre in Lagos the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts in honour of the writer ahead of his 90th birthday.

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