Wole Soyinka declares himself an atheist, rejecting belief in Islamic and Christian God.

Nigerian Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka has said he does not believe in the Islamic or Christian God, describing himself as an atheist.

CBI News reports that Soyinka made the remarks during an interview with CNN’s Larry Madowo, where he explained his preference for traditional Orisa worship over Christianity and Islam.

The playwright, who said he was exposed to both belief systems while growing up, noted that Orisa worship appealed more to him because of its artistic, creative, and mysterious nature.

“I was fortunate to be born in two worlds, the Christian world and the traditional Orisa worshippers. My grandfather, until he was a poor man, also got converted; he was an Orisa person and a chief, and his (grandfather’s) side (of Orisa) fascinated me a lot more,” he said.

“For me, it (Orisa worshipping) was more artistic, creative, and also more mysterious. I don’t find much of the mysterious in Christianity and even less in Islam and that is for a simple reason that I didn’t grow up in a Muslim environment.”

Soyinka also described Orisa as inclusive and non-violent, contrasting it with what he sees as the nature of other religions.

He said, “Orisa is open, and very ecumenical and that is why these foreign religions were able to penetrate it and even distort the truth. Because of the generosity of this spirit (Orisa), it is not violent. It is one of those African religions which eschew violence.”

He added, “I don’t believe in the Islamic or Christian God and for the adherents of these religions if that makes me an atheist, so I say, I am an atheist. I insisted that all human beings have a certain spiritual core in their being, I believe myself to be a more spirit-sensitive person.”