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The Burden of Memory, the Muse of Forgiveness (W.E.B.Du Bois Institute S.)
The Burden of Memory the Muse of Forgiveness - W.E.B.Du Bois Institute S. Author:Wole Soyinka Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka considers all of Africa--indeed, all the world--as he poses the question: once repression stops, is reconciliation between oppressor and victim possible? In the face of centuries long devastations wrought on the African continent and her Diaspora by slavery, colonialism, Apartheid and the manifold faces of racism wha... more »t form of recompense could possibly be adequate? In a voice as eloquent and humane as it is forceful, Soyinka challenges notions of simple forgiveness, of confession and absolution, as strategies for social healing. Ultimately, he turns to art--poetry, music, painting--as one source that may nourish the seed of reconciliation, art as the generous vessel that can hold together the burden of memory and the hope of forgiveness. Based on Soyinka's Stewart-McMillan lectures delivered at the Du Bois Institute at Harvard, The Burden of Memory speaks not only to those concerned specifically with African politics, but also to anyone seeking the path to social justice through some of history's most inhospitable terrain.« less