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ab83be6
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Romance is the sweetening of the soul With fragrance offered by the stricken heart.
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romance
soul
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Wole Soyinka |
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9f4d392
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Books and all forms of writing are terror to those who wish to suppress truth.
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equality
freedom
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Wole Soyinka |
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618fb42
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The man dies in all who keep silent in the face of tyranny
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Wole Soyinka |
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efe0a76
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The arrogant elimination of the Djaouts of our world must nerve us to pursue our own combative doctrine, namely: that peaceful cohabitation on this planet demands that while the upholders of any creed are free to adopt their own existential absolutes, the right of others to do the same is thereby rendered implicit and sacrosanct. Thus the creed of inquiry, of knowledge and exchange of ideas, must be upheld as an absolute, as ancient and ete..
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Wole Soyinka |
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7800f04
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For the fire consumes all but the arsonist.
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Wole Soyinka |
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6cc97c0
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If you believe in democracy, are you not thereby obliged to accept, without discrimination, the fall-outs that come with a democratic choice, even if this means the termination of the democratic process itself?
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democracyy
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Wole Soyinka |
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e168b4d
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Today, the constituency of fear has become much broader, far less selective
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Wole Soyinka |
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61c3e4e
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Sadly, it is within the religious domain that the phenomenon of rhetorical hysteria takes its most devastating form. I am aware that, in some minds, this tends to be regarded as a delicate subject. Let me declare very simply that I do not share such a sentiment. There is nothing in the least delicate about the slaughter of innocents. We all subscribe to the lofty notions contained in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights but, for some r..
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religion
right-to-life
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Wole Soyinka |
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3f9f9d0
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The fault, of course, is not in religion, but in the fanatic of every religion. Fanaticism remains the greatest carrier of the spores of fear, and the rhetoric of religion, with the hysteria it so readily generates, is fast becoming the readiest killing device of contemporary times.
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fear
terrorism
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Wole Soyinka |
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8e485f6
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In any case, the Christian world is not one, neither is the Islamic, nor does their combined authority speak to or for the entire world, but the world of the fanatic IS one and it cuts across all religions, ideologies and vocations. The tributaries that feed the cesspool of fanaticism may ooze from sources separated by history, clime and race, by injustices and numerous privations, but they arrive at the same destination - the zone of unque..
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terror
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Wole Soyinka |
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44c3c11
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So, once again, back to the question - just what IS power? Is it perhaps no more than a deadly mutation of ambition, one that may or may not translate into social activity? Any fool, any moron, any psychopath can aspire to the seizure and exercise of power, and of course the more psychopathic, the more efficient: Hitler, Pol Pot, Idi Amin, Sergeant Doe and the latest in the line of the unconscionably driven, our own lately departed General ..
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Wole Soyinka |
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d1f269d
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Everything is linked,' said an enraptured Baremboim on stage; 'everyone is linked, all our actions have ramifications, and music is a teacher of this interconnected reality.' There was, however, in the letter a mundane, prosaic footnote that nibbled at the very edges of possible understanding, since understanding must always be preceded by human curiosity. Perhaps it will vanish in the charged space between one suicide bomber and the next m..
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understanding
music
peace
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Wole Soyinka |
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b55cd85
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Pozvoliu sebe skazat', chto ne vizhu osoboi vrazhdebnosti mezhdu vami. -- Eto zhe i est' tsivilizatsiia. My vse tut ochen' tsivilizovannye.
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Wole Soyinka |
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c30de86
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In one form or the other, the quest for human dignity has proved to be one of the most propulsive elements for wars, civil strife and willing sacrifice. Yet the entitlement to dignity, enshrined among the 'human rights', does not aspire to being the most self-evident, essential need for human survival, such as food, or physical health. Compared to that other candidate for the basic impulse of human existence - self-preservation - it may eve..
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human-rights
existence
self-preservation
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Wole Soyinka |
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44b304f
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the very least we can live with is an agreement that does not reduce us to slaves of imposition, but makes us partners of consent. Yes, we are compelled to make peace, we submit to force majeure, but leave us at least a piece of clothing to cover our nudity. This is the motivation behind every formula of diplomatic contrivance that is sometimes described as face-saving, and wise indeed is the victor who knows that, in order to shield his ow..
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dignity
diplomacy
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Wole Soyinka |
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96a5bc4
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The man dies in all who keep silent in the face of tyranny.
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Wole Soyinka |
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ff8e993
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The greatest threat to freedom is the absencee of criticism.
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Wole Soyinka |