WSICE 2016 ready to roll

All is now set for this year’s edition of the Wole Soyinka International Cultural Exchange Project (WSICE 2016).
Organisers of the annual event say that all the invited guests have confirmed that they will attend. Secondary school pupils, who have submitted their pre-screening essays, are also set for the non-competitive essay holding on July 13. The event itself holds on July 13 and 14.
As is traditional with the project in past six years, it coincides with the 82nd birthday anniversary of the Nobel Laureate, Professor Oluwole Akinwande Soyinka, who is the grand motivation behind the project.
Wife of the Ogun State Governor, Mrs. Olufunso Amosun, will be holding a special mentorship session with the pupils from the state and other youths at the main hall of the Ogun State Cultural Centre, Abeokuta, on the topic, ‘Challenges or not; I love my country’.
One of the highlights of this year’s event will be the presentation of cheques to the remaining winners of the Project WS Essay competition from 2014, who are yet to receive their scholarship funds.
This is due largely to the challenges the management of the project said it has faced in the past two years due to lack of sponsorship.
“Although this year’s event is not any different and sponsorship has been scarce, we do not want to drop the ball on the event as we are aware of the immense impact that it has had on some of our teenage and adult participants,” said the organisers.
An all-female panel is expected to feature at the advocacy lecture this year. The panelists include Hafsat Abiola-Costello, a Nigerian human rights activist and founder of the Kudirat Initiative for Democracy (KIND); Kadaria Ahmed, a journalist and social commentator; Sola Salako (the anchor), who is also a freelance writer and critic; as well as Rose Moses, a former managing editor and member, Editorial Board of Champion Newspapers Limited.
The panelists will be speaking on the topic, ‘Corruption as it affects children, women and our humanity’.
The Special Guest of Honour, Prof. Femi Osofisan, as well as the keynote speakers, Tunde Fagbenle and Prof. Segun Ojewuyi, have also confirmed their attendance.
The WSICE is organised yearly under the auspices of the Open Door Series as designed and promoted by Zmirage Multimedia Limited in collaboration with the United States-based GlobalNewHaven.
Teju Kareem, executive producer of the WSICE, said that “this year’s theme for the youth segment is aimed at awakening the patriot in young Nigerians, even as many in the older generation have become disillusioned due to the recurrent failure of the Nigerian state.”
The 82 student-essayists and 18 past winners, along with WSICE officials, as is often the case, will pay a courtesy visit to Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State and afterwards proceed to the country home of Prof. Soyinka at Ijegba for a unique personal one-on-one experience.