The Chains Return: Wole Soyinka’s Chilling Warning of a New Slave Trade

The Chains Return: Wole Soyinka’s Chilling Warning of a New Slave Trade

The ghosts of shackled ancestors stir, restless beneath African soil. Their cries, once drowned in the crashing waves of the Atlantic, now echo in the wails of stolen children.

At the United Nations, under the solemn gaze of world leaders, Wole Soyinka took the stage—not as a poet, but as a prophet. His voice, sharp as a blade, sliced through diplomatic pleasantries.

"The slave trade has returned."

The words hung in the air, heavy as iron chains. Not the ghosts of the past, but a present-day nightmare. Not ships on the coast, but forests turned into prisons. Not auction blocks, but ransom demands.

"Is it hyperbolic to say we are witnessing a twenty-first-century slave trade?" Soyinka asked. But his question needed no answer—the truth was already written in blood and tears.

Once, invaders braved storms and war to steal Africa’s children. Now, the raiders sit and wait. Schools—temples of knowledge—become traps. The young, gathered in hope, vanish into the night, their futures bartered over phone calls.

What is this, if not slavery? What is this, if not a curse reborn?

"The world must wake up!" Soyinka thundered, as he condemned the hypocrisy of global silence. He spoke of justice—not selective, not convenient, but universal. He mocked the absurdity of nations celebrating ancient traditions while Africa’s own heritage is drowned in blood.

"Acknowledge the past. Repair the present. Build a future of dignity and justice."

The UN’s theme echoed his plea, but will the world listen? Or will history repeat itself—this time with the silent approval of those who claim to fight for human rights?

The chains are back. But will Africa break them, or be bound once again?

Drop your thoughts—is this a warning, or a prophecy unfolding before our eyes?