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sidharthvardhan's review against another edition
4.0
As the title suggests, the five essays focus on the climate of fear developing in the world. The first essay is about the biggest landmark event in this regard, the attack on WTC, (which made USA realise that terrorism it had been encouraging in Asia and Africa is a bad thing). Soyinka points out that people of East were used to that kind of thing. (Kind of talks to my own experience. The amount of terror people feel is in direct relation to wealth and nationality of people who are attacked - if white people are terrorised the whole world is scared. In India, you must attack a luxuruious Taj hotel, something only rich to get media attention. Attacks on poorer, third world country people is not something media would pay attention to. Even natural calamities follow this rule - the thousands dying in famines in Africa is an everyday.)
The second essay focuses on the inverse relationship between power and freedom. In society, one's power is always at expense of other's freedom. The examples he gives are from Africa. Of a country where a government was elected after it promised to overthrow democracy.
The thing about democracy is not so much about elected governments but about balances and checks which keeps anyone from gaining too much power in government and thus costing people their freedoms. (That is what you tell someone who says that a country needs a strong leader who doesn't have to fear anyone.)
The third essay talks about hysteria which is one of consequences of this fear. The US response to WTC attacks is again an example. Politics is one way in which the hysteria is created. The other thing is religion. Politics will have you believe that you are better because you belong to particular nation. Religious fanaticism will have you believe that you are better than people of other religion.
The fourth essay is probably the best one. It is about concept of 'dignity'. When you have to live in climate of fear enveloping world which makes vulnerable souls lose your dignity. There is of course fear from natural calamities but that fear doesn't cost you your dignity. It is only when you are afraid for your life of other people - from religious fanatics, politicians or terrorists, that you lose dignity. It is like Job's tragedy - if he didn't believe in God, he might have suffered in silence, but Job's tragedy caused by a God, a being of intelligence, which meant that it was combined with loss of dignity for him.
The last of five essays is about the freedom of speech and how it is hampered by the religion and politics. I don't agree with Soyinka's support for ban of all religious symbols in schools and you probably already know about threats faced by writers and artists. The only bit that can be interesting in the essay is culture of tolerance in Africa and her religions, but that is something g discussed in better detail in Soyinka's other essay collection 'Of Africa'.
One more quote
The second essay focuses on the inverse relationship between power and freedom. In society, one's power is always at expense of other's freedom. The examples he gives are from Africa. Of a country where a government was elected after it promised to overthrow democracy.
"We shall ascend to power on the democratic ladder—declared the evidently popular Islamist party—after which we shall pull up the ladder, and there shall be no more democracy."
"if you believe in democracy, are you not thereby obliged to accept, without discrimination, the fallout that comes with a democratic choice, even if this means the termination of the democratic process itself?"
The thing about democracy is not so much about elected governments but about balances and checks which keeps anyone from gaining too much power in government and thus costing people their freedoms. (That is what you tell someone who says that a country needs a strong leader who doesn't have to fear anyone.)
The third essay talks about hysteria which is one of consequences of this fear. The US response to WTC attacks is again an example. Politics is one way in which the hysteria is created. The other thing is religion. Politics will have you believe that you are better because you belong to particular nation. Religious fanaticism will have you believe that you are better than people of other religion.
The fourth essay is probably the best one. It is about concept of 'dignity'. When you have to live in climate of fear enveloping world which makes vulnerable souls lose your dignity. There is of course fear from natural calamities but that fear doesn't cost you your dignity. It is only when you are afraid for your life of other people - from religious fanatics, politicians or terrorists, that you lose dignity. It is like Job's tragedy - if he didn't believe in God, he might have suffered in silence, but Job's tragedy caused by a God, a being of intelligence, which meant that it was combined with loss of dignity for him.
"...assault on human dignity is one of the prime goals of the visitation of fear, a prelude to the domination of the mind and the triumph of power"
The last of five essays is about the freedom of speech and how it is hampered by the religion and politics. I don't agree with Soyinka's support for ban of all religious symbols in schools and you probably already know about threats faced by writers and artists. The only bit that can be interesting in the essay is culture of tolerance in Africa and her religions, but that is something g discussed in better detail in Soyinka's other essay collection 'Of Africa'.
One more quote
"Once righteousness replaces rights in the exercise of power, the way is paved for a permanent contest based on the primacy of the holier-than-thou."
theadegruchy's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
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