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Fascism On Course, By Wole Soyinka

It would appear that a record
discharge of toxic sludge from our notorious smut factory is currently clogging
the streets and sewers of the Republic of Liars. It goes to prove the point
that provoked the avalanche EXACTLY! The seeds of incipient fascism in the
political arena have evidently matured.

 

A climate of fear is being
generated. The refusal to entertain corrective criticism, even differing
perspectives of the same position, has become a badge of honour and certificate
of commitment.

 

What is at stake, ultimately is –
Truth, and at a most elementary level of social regulation: when you are party
to a conflict, you do not attempt to intimidate the arbiter, attempt to dictate
the outcome, or impugn, without credible cause, his or her neutrality, even
before hearing has commenced. That is a ground rule of just proceeding. Short
of this, Truth remains permanently elusive.

 

The ensuing cacophony has been
truly bewildering. It strikes me as a possible ploy to smother recent
provocations by other far more trenchant issues, such as the revelation of
declarations of a religious war. If so, let it be known that I have long
declared war against religious fundamentalism, the nature of which justifies
the butchery, kidnapping and enslavement of students in the name of religion.
That aspirant’s alleged gaffe cuts no ice with me.

 

Far more alarming was the
grotesque fantasy of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court disguised on a
wheelchair, zooming off in space to a secret meeting with other parties to the
conflict. On its own, that is sufficiently scary. Swiftly followed thereafter
by a television tirade of intimidation, it strikes one as more than the mere
antics of the mentally deranged. The tactics are familiar: ridicule,
incriminate, then intimidate. Objective: undermine the structure of justice.
Just as a reminder: I was not being rhetorical when I declared, on exiting
prison detention: Justice is the first condition of humanity.

 

The instigating contest –
Nigerian Democracy 2023 – has witnessed much that is innovative – largely in
the retrogressive vein. Violence and ethnic profiling. “Spiritual” warfare in
the shape of sacrificial rams to keep “disloyal” communities under restraint – in
short, intimidation yet again! Easily overlooked, however, are those missives
of violence directed against dissenting voices, real or suspect. Such, for
instance, were the virulent attacks and threats to the musician, Seun Kuti, his
family and iconic music Shrine. His crime consisted of nothing more than
declaring the name “Obidient” derogatory to his sense of civic dignity and
activist history. Such beginnings – and instances are numerous – have
culminated in the open intimidation of the Court of Last Resort, even before
proceedings have begun.

 

By the way, I do agree with Seun
Kuti; ‘Obidients’ is one of the most repulsive, off-putting concoctions I ever
encountered in any political arena. Some love it however, and this is what
freedom is about. Choice. Taste. Free emotions. By contrast, I have no quarrel
with “Yes Daddy”. Roman Catholics are used to saying “Yes, Father”. Secularists
say “Enh, Baba”. The context and content are what matters, and lies – where
established – raise bothersome issues such as Integrity Deficiency.

 

Let us remind ourselves of the
following: In any adjudication, society finds it unacceptable that a party to
the dispute resorts to influencing tactics by extra-judicial means – such as
bribery. Intimidation and threats are merely the obverse complements of
material inducement. Those who fail to appreciate this are entirely free to
their existence in an illusory world.

 

What the nation needs to know
right now is if you are planning to send assassins after such negative
analysts! Coming to terms with an unpalatable projected eventuality – sorry –
possible eventuality, counsels deep reflection, not demonisation of the bearer
of sour news. For the seriously committed, it requires pulling back the horns a
little in order to regroup, rethink and resurge. Democracy is sometimes a long
haul. Some of us have been at it for quite a while.

 

We shall add the following
pointer for this particular electoral tussle – the news may be unpleasant, but
here it comes. Quite a few pundits have set out in some impressive – not
necessarily persuasive – detail the possibility that the complainants in this
presidential election are not as strongly planted on the victory podium as they
presume, see – for instance – Ambassador Haastrup’s fascinating analysis in
Newspeak etc. of 6 April. Right or wrong? That is not the issue. What the
nation needs to know right now is if you are planning to send assassins after
such negative analysts! Coming to terms with an unpalatable projected
eventuality – sorry – possible eventuality, counsels deep reflection, not
demonisation of the bearer of sour news. For the seriously committed, it
requires pulling back the horns a little in order to regroup, rethink and
resurge. Democracy is sometimes a long haul. Some of us have been at it for
quite a while.

 

I am well aware that the
foregoing is further invitation for more nauseous bilge from the besotted.
Please, be my guest. It is, after all, one of those special seasons of
convergence of two seasons of self-flagellation. Fasting makes bearers of
constricted minds even more light-headed. Delusions fill the vacuum.

 

Oh yes, could these rabid
parochial minds of easy excitation also kindly stop flattering themselves that
one’s energies are consecrated solely to the nation space known as Nigeria? The
whines of “silence” are relative to the reading scope and world knowledge of
idle complainants, as well as their grasp of the chain of continuity. I choose
my methods of intervention without the permission of social media border
patrols, so where you find a gap, just pick up the baton where last deposited
and stop whining and belly-aching – “he stopped talking all this while, why now?”
etc. etc. ad nauseum. Flat, easy disposable lies that gain traction by
repetition. However, even more importantly, they remain irrelevant to the
rights and wrongs of ongoing material issue. Sadly, these virtue vigilantes
succeed with the ignorant and susceptible – especially among the younger,
confused generation. The consequence is that the nation is plagued by fake CVs
compiled by all kinds of amateur commentators, still wet behind the ears, who
have too few truths to build on before they are corralled into positions of
No-Retreat. Nowhere has this been more evident than in the effrontery of
attempts to place the present contention on the same podium as the twenty-year
old anti-Abacha struggle! This gross abuse of historic licence actually
provides smug satisfaction for rookie activists. I advise them to seek out the
school of survivors where pertinent lessons still exist for those with
sufficient humility to LEARN before MOUTHING! Otherwise their world of false
mythologies will collapse under their feet, and leave them dangling in the
void.

 

Project Nigeria, I must confess,
has become near terminally soul-searing. Do I still believe in it? I am no
longer certain but – first, we must rid ourselves of the tyranny of the
ignorant and the opportunism of time-servers. In any case, there is not much
else to engage one on a foundation of ownership stakes. There is, of course,
always the possibility of a Revolution, with a clarity of purpose and
acceptance of all attendant risks, including costly errors.

 

May I seize this opportunity, by
the way, to condemn the sanctions imposed on Channels Television, which
anchored the performance of the LP candidate. As stated, I watched the
programme keenly – saw the valiant efforts of the interviewer to ensure fair
hearing. I fail to understand just where the station could be faulted, except
from a disposition for injustice. To sustain that penalty is to give joy to
others who turn the Internet into a soakaway for their rancid emissions, yet
feel that others should be silenced. If Channels feels up to it, I offer myself
willing to engage Mr Datti – or any nominee of his – on its platform on this
very bone of contention – one-on-one – without the malodorous intervention of
media trolls, and with the same interviewer as mediator. That should be taken
as a serious offer.

 

Project Nigeria, I must confess,
has become near terminally soul-searing. Do I still believe in it? I am no
longer certain but – first, we must rid ourselves of the tyranny of the
ignorant and the opportunism of time-servers. In any case, there is not much
else to engage one on a foundation of ownership stakes. There is, of course,
always the possibility of a Revolution, with a clarity of purpose and
acceptance of all attendant risks, including costly errors. Revolutions are not
however based on the impetus of speculative power entitlement. No matter, until
that moment, the structures that ensure just and equitable cohabitation must be
protected from partisan appropriation – be it from material inducement, fake
news, or verbal terrorism – the last being the contribution of one who is
positioned to assume co-leadership of the nation, no less. Revolution is not
about lining up behind the nearest available symbol. When a symbol does emerge,
however, we are still obliged to examine every aspect of what is fortuitously
on offer, and continue to guard our freedoms every inch of the way.

 

Before I take myself off for –
well, next port of call – the final word goes to a favourite maverick,
propagated even as he matched his words by action. I suspect that in this
instance we find ourselves on opposite sides of the strategic fence – that is
democracy. This now coopted watchword of his formulation remains apt,
applicable to all who strive for authentic social transformation: Your mumu don
do!

 

Ramadan Kareem. Happy Easter!

 

‘Wole SOYINKA is the first Black
Nobel Laureate in Literature.
 

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