Nobel Laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka has revealed that he was abducted and robbed in Bucharest, Romania, while attending the Sibiu International Theatre Festival.
Recounting the ordeal in an interview, Soyinka said the incident occurred shortly after his arrival at the airport, where he missed the party sent to pick him up. He boarded what appeared to be an official taxi bound for his hotel, but the driver diverted to a deserted area.
According to him, the driver produced a POS machine and coerced him into attempting to enter his bank details. “I was in effect abducted, robbed, and deposited in this strange place,” Soyinka said, adding that the confrontation lasted about 30 minutes as he deliberately entered wrong PINs to buy time.
The 89-year-old playwright described the tense situation as “a battle of wills inside the car,” noting he feared possible violence. Eventually, he made it to his hotel before travelling on to Sibiu for the festival.
The Sibiu International Theatre Festival is one of the world’s largest performing arts gatherings, attracting thousands of artists and audiences globally.
