dear chidi
i might have shared your thoughts had i been writing about trump, etc.,
but i realized toyin is trying to turn around a larger ship than merely
bad-mouthing a monarch. you know what i mean: the vituperative
statements that have haunted the dialogue over biafra, and thus igbos
and the responsibility of hausas or yorubas, and who would drown whom,
and who is exaggerating claims of genocide, and who was responsible for
the ills of nigeria etc etc, have not only tended to overwhelm the
exchanges but to drown out other voices. there is a considerable sea of
resentments and prejudices that have been exposed in the exchanges, at
times, leaving many shell-shocked.
i have no worries about whether our moderator can take criticisms, or
praise for that matter. but i know, i believe, his intent, which is to
foster a really powerful intellectual culture by encouraging the vast
sea of diaspora and africa-based scholars and intellectuals to enter
into a potent dialogue, without driving away entrants with vituperative
exchanges.
so, while farooq's comments would have probably bothered no one, toyin's
critique might have served the goal of righting the ship. that's how i
take it. not a directive to steer away from criticizing a ruler. buhari
or jonathan will continue to be subject to scrutiny and attacked since
they are political figures whose acts and words have to be subject to
our scrutiny. but that might be different from simply vilifying...
i can do that, vilify trump, on my facebook page, but i will try hard
(!) to avoid doing so here...!
ken
On 1/5/16 4:37 PM, Chidi Anthony Opara wrote:
> Professor Falola,
> This forum is becoming over moderated. What if I feel that way about the Benin monarch or any other monarch, am I not supposed to say what I feel? Must I say what the majority say? If Jesus Christ and other greats had lived like that, would there have been the great historical events? I hope this gets posted.
> ,
> CAO.
>
--
kenneth w. harrow
professor of english
michigan state university
department of english
619 red cedar road
room C-614 wells hall
east lansing, mi 48824
ph. 517 803 8839
harrow@msu.edu
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