I am surprised that you even allowed yourself to be tempted to dignify Sam Omatseye's essay with a response.
By the time I struggled to finish his essay, logical contradictions, and all, I became convinced that this is another one
of those fellows who claim to be the world expert on Soyinka or Achebe, based on single reading of few of their works.
I am no expert on the two great writers, but I cannot agree that anyone should consider comparing them, in the way he did.
The interventions of Achebe and Soyinka in the arts generally and literature specifically have enriched the world of scholarship in different ways.
That Soyinka won the nobel prize is only an aspect of his achievements as a scholar and writer; which does not detract from
Achebe's achievements and accomplishments as a writer and scholar of note. Analysts must avoid the temptation of making
value judgement of the work of scholars, without a recourse to rigorous analysis. Reading the statement
'But high art is not always easy to understand.' one is tempted to ask: at what point does low art stop and high art commence?
Has the author has read any of Achebe's essays? What makes high art high - the medium or the message? Soyinka writes employ
elevated, sometimes obscure narratives in his work; Achebe renders his work in clearly accessible language.
Yet, the basic messages of the two writers would not escape a careful and discerning reader. So why compare?
Felix
On Tuesday, April 2, 2013 2:31:56 AM UTC+1, Ikhide wrote:
-- "First, TFA was a great book not because of its literary properties but because of its ideological potency. The Nobel Prize does not go to a novelist whose work is signposted by sociological fixations supplanting narratives with long pages of how Igbo villages are organised."- Sam OmatseyeSigh, the days since the passing of Professor Chinua Achebe have brought out the best in the world, I sincerely cannot get enough of the tributes to the man. People have reached inside themselves to honor a great man that spoke to their souls, using words in the best ways that they know how.But then you read semi-literate crap like this by this Sam Omatseye guy, you endure the grammatical challenges and the awful logic and your heart stops with shame and embarrassment - for the author. I mean, this man wrote this stuff, read it to himself, patted himself on the back and hit "SEND." What is wrong with this man? Where do you begin to correct the glaring inaccuracies in this drivel? Why should you? I mean, where in the name of serious scholarship do you begin to compare Wole Soyinka and Chinua Achebe? Who does that? And to what purpose? They are two different spirits on many levels. I mean, seriously?What has the Nobel Prize got to do with any of this? That is the other thing, some of our people have this utterly primitive sense of entitlement, we deserve the Nobel Prize, whine, whine, whine, while our leaders steal the equivalent of the prize daily. Omatseye the smug proud author of this drivel did not see it fit to question why Nigeria was silent for over two decades as Achebe seethed in exile, like Okonkwo. Why, the money stolen by the great, pardoned statesman Alamieseigha in one week could have built Achebe an ADA compliant mansion close to UNN, complete with a highway and an army of vehicles to take him to lecture halls. No Omatseye was silent, lying in wait to attempt to rain on a parade he did not assemble.Does Omatseye really believe himself when he says that Achebe's works were good, not great? Read the quote above and ask me why this character should not hang his semi-literate head in shame? If we were to use that quote to judge Soyinka's works, that is to eliminate works that are great only because of their "ideological potency" would Soyinka have won the Nobel Prize? Absolutely not. Every one of Soyinka's works is GUILTY of what this character Omatseye accuses Achebe's works of being. Does this character even understand what Soyinka's plays were about? What is wrong with our people? I mean, there are really people that are sharing this drivel with smug satisfaction, grammatical errors and all. Really? Sometimes you just want to holler. *cycles away slowly*
- IkhideStalk my blog at www.xokigbo.comFollow me on Twitter: @ikhideJoin me on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ikhide
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