Don't take shadows too seriously. Reality is your only safety. Continue to reject illusion.
Wole SoyinkaRead
Nigeria has had the misfortune - no, the fortune - of seeing the worst face of capitalism anywhere in Africa. The masses have seen it, they are disgusted, and they want an alternative.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Wole Soyinka suggests that Nigeria's experience with capitalism has been detrimental, resulting in public discontent and a desire for change.
In this quote, Wole Soyinka reflects on the harsh realities of capitalism as experienced in Nigeria, contrasting the idea of misfortune with the potential for a transformative fortune. He indicates that the population has become disillusioned with the negative impact of capitalism, leading to a collective yearning for alternative economic and social systems that better serve their needs, highlighting a critical perspective on capitalist practices and the aspirations of the masses.
Themes
CapitalismNigeriaDiscontentAlternativeSocial Change
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech discussing economic reforms, one might quote Soyinka to emphasize the need for a new direction.
More from Wole Soyinka
All quotes →Trading and religion have always been aligned together in the history of the world, and especially on the African continent.
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A war, with its attendant human suffering, must, when that evil is unavoidable, be made to fragment more than buildings: It must shatter the foundations of thought and re-create. Only in this way does every individual share in the cataclysm and understand the purpose of sacrifice.
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Rwanda, which is one of the younger independent states in Africa, must be regarded as a model of how great human trauma can be transformed to commence true reconstruction of people. Human trauma can lead to stunted growth and mass withdrawal.
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I have a kind of magnetic attraction to situations of violence.
Wole SoyinkaRead
Art is solace; art is vision, and when I pick up a literary work, I am a consumer of literature for its own sake.
Wole SoyinkaRead
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