Revocation of Nigerian Writer Wole Soyinka’s U.S Visa Is a Violation of Freedom of Expression and Cultural Exchange

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

30 October 2025

(NEW YORK) – ARC – Artists at Risk Connection strongly condemns the recent revocation of the U.S. visa of Nigerian writer and Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka by the U.S. Consulate in Lagos. According to press reports, Soyinka was instructed to surrender his passport for the visa to be physically cancelled, and the letter cited only that “additional information became available after the visa was issued.”

This abrupt revocation of his visa raises serious concerns for the right to free artistic and intellectual expression and undermines the United States’ role as a longstanding advocate for and supporter of international cultural and scholarly exchanges. ARC calls on the U.S. government to restore Soyinka’s visa without delay, and guarantee that cultural figures worldwide are not penalised for their creative or critical expression.

“This decision to strip Wole Soyinka of his visa marks another troubling escalation in a pattern, as the current administration continues to link the mobility of international creative voices to their ideological compliance,” said ARC Executive Director Julie Trébault. “Soyinka’s stature as a Nobel laureate and longstanding critic of government overreach makes this case emblematic of a deeper concern: that the mobility of artists is increasingly contingent on an opaque political litmus test by the administration rather than their cultural and intellectual contribution.”

According to the letter issued by the U.S. Consulate in Lagos, Soyinka was asked on 23 October to present his passport so that the visa could “be physically cancelled.” The revocation comes despite Soyinka having been granted a visa in April 2024. 

Soyinka, who joined ARC for a panel discussion in conjunction with the United Nations General Assembly in 2018, is one of the world’s most eminent literary voices. In 1996, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. He has taught at major U.S. universities such as Harvard, Yale, and New York University, and has consistently used his writing to speak out against oppression and injustice. 

The current administration has increasingly used visa revocations as part of a broader immigration and foreign-policy posture aimed at individuals, including artists, academics, and international students, deemed to hold “hostile attitudes” toward U.S. policies.

About ARC

ARC – Artists at Risk Connection is an international organization committed to promoting and advancing the right to artistic freedom worldwide. Founded in 2017, ARC works to protect artists and cultural workers who are at risk because of their creative expression, often connected to their identities or roles within their communities. By providing vital resources and support, ARC helps artists at risk overcome challenges like persecution, censorship, threats, and violence from both state and non-state actors—whether for their artistic expression or the broader impact they have on cultural, social, and political issues.

For press inquiries, please contact:
Julie Trébault
Executive Director
Artists at Risk Connection (ARC)
+1 646-860-5446