"For us in vast swathes of the African continent, Mr Trump's guilty verdict is a daybreak on a new democratic promise," Mr Soyinka said.
Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka has described the guilty verdict passed on former president of the US, Donald Trump, in his hush-money criminal trial as a "daybreak on a new democratic promise."
In a personally signed statement on Friday, Mr Soyinka noted that the verdict presented a clear warning that sooner or later, the clamour of equity would break down the stoutest gates on guard across the citadel of impunity.
In a seven-week-long historic trial, a New York jury on Thursday found Mr Trump guilty on all 34 counts he faced. The former Republican president, set to face off against Democratic incumbent Joe Biden in November's election, had pleaded not guilty.
Mr Trump was accused of 34 felony counts of falsifying business documents in relation to a hush money payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels in the run-up to the 2016 US Presidential election, which he won.
At the end of Thursday's proceedings, a sentencing date was set for 11 July at the request of defence lawyer Todd Blanche. The hearing falls four days before the start of the Republican National Convention in Wisconsin, where Mr Trump is expected to be officially recognised as the party's presidential nominee.
Reacting to the verdict, however, Mr Soyinka expressed the belief that "for millions in anguished parts of the world, certainly for us in vast swathes of the African continent, this is a daybreak on a new democratic promise."
The social crusader noted that the Trump debacle was also a challenge, a call to preparedness and steadfastness.
"Installed and putative fascisms - secular, military or theocratic - will extract from this only the wrong lessons, batten down and 'crackdown' in self-protection. It is "Not yet Uhuru", not anywhere close for humanity in our global village," he said.
While the world awaits Mr Trump's sentencing on 11 July, Mr Soyinka declared that "nonetheless, a celebration, albeit in a minor key, is justified."
In light of the Trump verdict, the Nobel laureate also hinted that he might choose to apply for restoration of his card of Permanent Residence in the US.
