Dear Ebrima, I found this issue very interesting but at the same time very disturbing,simply because the Soyinka I read to Know,is more of a progressive person,than the one in your posting.I read some of Soyinkas works,and I know part of his early works have been a confrontation with not only colonialism but also neo colonialism.The polemic between him and the Negretude movement,ala Senghore,who believed that everything black is perfect and beautiful,black no problem,they romanticize the poverty of the African people etc,etc,even though they continue to lay the condition for the continuing exploitation and oppression of the African people ,is a good example.Soyinka was not that type,I read to know him to be very real,you will find in his works the realities of the African people and not necessary that of a specific tribe,eg the Yorubas.He deals with the African problem from a realistic point of view,he is a sincere and open minded African intellectuals. I am of the opinion that the debate between the two might be a continuation of such a principle,even though with a different agenda.This issue of religion that is said to be their differences in my opinion ,is not speaking the whole truth.Although it seems that Ali has an Arab background,and black African radical intellectuals will never allow to exclude the Arabs from the historical fact that, they too by using religion,Islam,have exploited and enslave the African people.This has been a very sensitive issue within the Pan African movement,it is still and have contributed in dividing the Pan African movement.This is why many radical black African intellectuals are very sceptical to Ali .So I think I am not surprise that he is trying to portray Soyinka as an anti-Islamist,but the fact is that,Ali cant engaged in an effort to rewrite our history and expect that our intellectuals be passive onlookers,most of them are too sincere to accept this.It would have been interesting to know what the reaction of Shiek Anta Jobe would have been in this case.Accusing Soyinka of been a Yoruba nationalist might be too much.But However the Soyinka ,I read to know is not a nationalist,his stands against political oppression in Africa,and Nigeria in particular ,is far from being nationalistic.He is among those who spoke openly against the Abacha dictatorship,he was among those who spoke and defended Ken Saro and identify him self with the suffering and struggle of the delta people.I might be mistaking, because I know this man only through his works and as you said Intellectuals are just human beings who can make mistakes and sometimes serious mistakes.But until then, as you said in one of your postings,every one is entitle to his own opinion,my opinion is different. For Freedom Saiks Gambia L, If you could recall, I did say, the other day, that Wole Soyinka is a devout Christian and Ali Mazrui a devout Muslim, but my good brother Latjorr Ndow held a different view. Well, a short while ago, I decided to contact Professor Karin Barber, who is now the Director of the Centre of West African Studies, University of Birmingham, and asked her whether or not, it was fair to refer to Wole Soyinka as a "devout Christian" as I already did. But before giving you her answer to my enquiries, I'll introduce Karin briefly, so that people would know that she is a competent person to talk about Wole Soyinka and the Yorubas. For your information, professor Karin Barber's research interests are the sociology of literature and popular culture, with special reference to the Yoruba-speaking area of Nigeria. She researched and taught for many at the University of Ife, now Obafemi University, and has undertaken extensive fieldwork on Yoruba oral literature, religious ideas and practices, and popular travelling theatre. She is recognised as a leading scholar in these fields, has supervised research students on a wide range of topics relating to them. So this was how my conversation with her went a short while ago: "Karin, Ebrima here..... Tell me, was I right or wrong in calling Wole Soyinka a devout Christian," I had asked her. And she replied: "Well, Wole Soyinka is surely from a very strong Christian background; in fact, I know his family in Nigeria well, and I do know, for a fact, that they are very good practising Christians. Wole himself was also brought up as a Christian; but I understand he now uses an African religion (Yoruba) as well, and in fact he feels very strongly about it"... Asked further whether I was right or wrong in accusing him of having a pro-Yoruba agenda/bias, but because I am not sure whether her answer was off the record or on the record, I have decided to withhold it. But it was certainly an interesting anwswer anyway!! Actually, the conservation between Karin and myself was longer than this, but some of it, unfortunately, was off the record. I also contacted - this morning - a veteran professor of African studies who is keenly following the Soyinka/Ali Mazrui debate, but he however wishes to remain anonymous. All the same, he said, in his view too, religious differences were certainly PART of the root cause of the animosity between these two "great" African scholars. He said while Wole Soyinka's works hardly conveys his religious beliefs, he, nonetheless, strongly believes and defends his religion at all times. He has always accused Ali Mazrui of marginalising the African traditional religions and christianity as well, the professor added. Equally, Ali Mazrui is a very strong believer and defender of Islam. So it is very fair to say, according to this veteran professor, that differences in religion or beliefs have indeed been ONE of the MAJOR root causes of the hostility between the two scholars. "But now there is more to it than just religion", the veteran professor declared. I hope this clarification would help some of us, and surely this would certainly be my last piece on this sensitive subject!! We have far more important issues to address than this one. Ebrima Ceesay >From: latjor ndow <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list ><[log in to unmask]> >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: Re: The Root Cause of the animosity between Mazrui & Soyinka >Date: Mon, 21 Feb 2000 10:13:20 PST > >I am not sure if the fight between Soyinka and Mazrui can be neatly bottled >into a christian vs. muslim paradigm as Ebrima seems to suggest. If one >wishes to understand fully the debate, I would think that the works of >these >writers must be an integral part to one's analysis of the situation or as >Mr. Ceesay puts it, one's "interpretative journalism"! >Just wondering if Mr. Ceesay has read Soyinka's works? If so what is >christian about Soyinka's works? Does Soyinka's works not utilize a >traditional African religious (i.e. Yoruba) backdrop more so than a >christian one? > >Latjor >______________________________________________________ >Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com > >---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > >To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L >Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html > >---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ____________________________________________________________________ Get your own FREE, personal Netscape WebMail account today at http://webmail.netscape.com. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------------