{"id":72419,"date":"2022-03-09T14:19:51","date_gmt":"2022-03-09T13:19:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buzznigeria.com\/?p=72419"},"modified":"2023-11-25T22:00:33","modified_gmt":"2023-11-25T21:00:33","slug":"meet-professor-wole-soyinkas-wife-and-children","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buzznigeria.com\/meet-professor-wole-soyinkas-wife-and-children\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet Professor Wole Soyinka\u2019s Wife and Children"},"content":{"rendered":"

Professor Wole Soyinka’s wife is Folake Doherty Soyinka. He has been married three times and has eight children from his marriages. His children are Olaokun, Moremi, Iyetade, Peyibomi, Ilemakin, Oreunlewa, Bojode, and Eniara.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Professor Wole Soyinka is a Nigerian-born novelist, poet, playwright, and essayist in the English Language. With over 50 pieces of work, he was the first Nigerian to be awarded the Noble Prize for Literature for his prowess in the field. He is also known for his outstanding efforts in the history of Nigerian politics, his fight against British colonization, and corrupt leadership in Nigeria and Africa as a whole. Aside from these, Professor Wole Soyinka\u2019s wife and children are other important aspects of him that everyone should know.<\/p>\n

How Many Wives Does Wole Soyinka Have?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Professor Wole Soyinka<\/a>\u00a0has been reportedly married to three women with whom he shares children. He has not had it rosy when it comes to marriage. Below are the women he has been married to and his present wife:<\/p>\n

Who Is Wole Soyinka First Wife?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

His first marriage and love story was with a British writer Barbara Dixton. The duo met at the University of Leeds in the 1950s and got married in 1958 while Wole Soyinka was still a student. After five years of marriage, their marriage started experiencing a hard time, leading to a divorce. The first wife of the professor died sometime in the 2000s. The duo had a son, Olaokun.<\/p>\n

His Second Marriage was to Olaide Idowu<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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The literature icon got married for the second time to Olaide Idowu in 1963. The wedding was an extravagant affair that was graced by dignitaries from Nigeria. Olaide was a librarian at Ogun State University at the time of marriage. Professor Wole Soyinka\u2019s marriage to her lasted for about ten years before coming to an end. Their union produced three daughters and a son, but one of the daughters died in 2013 after an undisclosed illness.<\/p>\n

Who is Wole Soyinka\u2019s wife?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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Professor Wole Soyinka\u2019s current wife is Folake Doherty Soyinka, whom he married in 1989. The two met at the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) when she was still a student while Wole was a professor. They couldn\u2019t go into an affair at this stage of their life though they felt their mutual interest and attraction to each other. After completing her university education, she left for her National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Kaduna State.<\/p>\n

While serving her fatherland, she met an old friend who told her that the professor was interested in her and was on the search for her. After completing NYSC, she secured a job at the Guardian, where Professor Wole Soyinka met her again and they kicked off their relationship. However, her relationship wasn\u2019t rosy as her parents were not in support because of the fame and success that was attributed to Professor Wole Soyinka as of then.<\/p>\n

Though Folake\u2019s parents did not support the relationship, her brothers and sisters stood by her because her happiness mattered to them. Despite all these, the love birds still got married. A few months after their marriage, her parents grew to love the professor till their death. Asides from her parents, outsiders also had their opinions on their relationship, especially when he won the noble prize in 1986. The union has lasted to date and has produced three children.<\/p>\n

Who are Wole Soyinka\u2019s Children?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Professor Wole Soyinka has a total of eight children who are all successful. He, however, lost one in 2013 after an undisclosed illness.<\/p>\n

1. Doctor Olaokun Soyinka<\/strong><\/h3>\n