Wole Soyinka :
Personal Background
- Born: July 13, 1934, in Abeokuta, Nigeria.
- Ethnicity: Yoruba.
- Education:
- Government College, Nigeria.
- University College, Ibadan.
- Graduated in English from the University of Leeds (1958).
Literary Career
Playwriting Style:
- Satirical depiction of modern West Africa.
- Themes of power, corruption, and social issues.
- Influenced by Yoruba folklore and Western literary techniques.
Major Plays:
- A Dance of the Forests (1960) – Satirized Nigerian independence.
- The Lion and the Jewel (1959) – Mocked Westernized schoolteachers.
- The Trials of Brother Jero (1960) & Jero’s Metamorphosis (1973) – Criticized fraudulent preachers.
- The Strong Breed (1963) & Kongi’s Harvest (1966) – Critique of authoritarianism.
- The Road (1965) & Madmen and Specialists (1970) – Explored existential themes.
- Death and the King’s Horseman (1975) – Colonial vs. traditional conflict.
- The Beatification of Area Boy (1995) & King Baabu (2001) – Political satires.
Fiction:
- The Interpreters (1965) – Critique of Nigerian elite.
- Season of Anomy (1973) – Political allegory.
- Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth (2021) – Satire on corruption.
Poetry Collections:
- Idanre, and Other Poems (1967).
- Poems from Prison (1969, republished as A Shuttle in the Crypt, 1972).
- Mandela’s Earth and Other Poems (1988).
- Samarkand and Other Markets I Have Known (2002).
Autobiographical Works:
- Aké: The Years of Childhood (1981).
- Ìsarà: A Voyage Around Essay (1989).
- Ibadan: The Penkelemes Years (1994).
- You Must Set Forth at Dawn (2006).
Critical & Political Essays:
- Myth, Literature, and the African World (1976) – African mythology in literature.
- The Open Sore of a Continent (1996) – Critique of African leadership.
- The Burden of Memory, the Muse of Forgiveness (1999).
Political Activism & Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize:
- Awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1986 – First Black African laureate.
Political Struggles:
- Imprisoned (1967–1969) for opposing the Nigerian Civil War.
- Spoke against military rule and corruption in Nigeria.
- Periods of exile and activism against dictatorship.
Political Organizations:
- National Democratic Organization.
- National Liberation Council of Nigeria.
- Pro-National Conference Organizations (PRONACO).
- Founded the Democratic Front for a People’s Federation (2010).
Academic & Editorial Contributions:
- Co-editor of Black Orpheus (1960–1964).
- Taught at Nigerian universities (Ibadan, Ife, Lagos).
- Member of Encyclopædia Britannica Editorial Board of Advisors (2005–06).
Literal Meaning: A live burial refers to the horrifying act of being buried alive, a motif that has been explored in literature and folklore as a symbol of ultimate fear, suffering, and entrapment. If the story or poem titled "Live Burial" involves an actual burial, the title directly reflects the central event of the narrative.
Psychological and Emotional Entrapment: The phrase can also symbolize a state of being metaphorically buried—trapped in a situation with no escape, such as societal oppression, psychological distress, or personal isolation. It could represent characters who feel suffocated by their circumstances, relationships, or internal struggles.
Themes of Death and Rebirth: Burial is traditionally associated with death, but in some literary contexts, being buried alive might suggest a transition or transformation—perhaps a forced rebirth or an experience that leads to a profound change.
Political or Social Commentary: If the work has a political dimension, "Live Burial" could symbolize the suppression of voices, censorship, or the erasure of certain groups by oppressive forces.
Wole Soyinka’s poem Live Burial employs its title as a powerful metaphor, encapsulating themes of political oppression, psychological torment, artistic censorship, and existential suffering. The title resonates with the poet’s personal experiences, historical contexts of suppression, and the broader struggle of truth-seekers and dissenters against authoritarian forces.
1. The Political and Social Dimension: Burial as a Symbol of Oppression
The phrase “Live Burial” immediately evokes the horror of being buried alive—a terrifying fate where one is entombed yet still conscious, suffering without hope of escape. In the context of Soyinka’s poetry, this burial metaphor extends beyond the physical to symbolize:
- Political Persecution: The poem critiques authoritarian regimes that silence dissenting voices by metaphorically ‘burying’ them. The speaker describes a space—"Sixteen paces by twenty-three”—suggesting imprisonment, solitary confinement, or even an underground cell where political prisoners are entombed alive, cut off from the world.
- Censorship and Suppression of Intellectuals: The reference to Galileo in the poem (“We hoped he’d prove—age / Or genius may recant—our butchers / Tired of waiting / Ordered; take the scapegoat, drop the sage.”) underscores how even historical figures were forced to deny their truths to survive, much like the intellectuals of Soyinka’s time who faced persecution for their ideas.
This use of live burial represents a state of existence where a person is physically alive but politically and socially erased, their voice stifled by oppression.
2. Psychological and Emotional Entrapment: The Mental Toll of Oppression
Beyond the political, the title also conveys the psychological torment of a person trapped in an isolated and oppressive environment. Soyinka was imprisoned for nearly two years during Nigeria’s Civil War, much of it in solitary confinement. The line “Employing time to drill through to his sanity” suggests that isolation is being used as a weapon to break the prisoner’s mind.
The buried individual is alive but suffering, slowly being stripped of their humanity as time erodes their mental resilience. The poem’s imagery reflects this mental struggle:
- The voyeur (possibly a guard or official) “times his sly patrol” to witness the prisoner’s suffering, suggesting a perverse enjoyment in watching his torment.
- The ghoul—representing executioners or corrupt enforcers of power—sniffs snuff to “clear his head” after a morning of executions, indicating a desensitization to brutality.
The live burial in this sense is a metaphor for a slow psychological disintegration, where the prisoner remains physically present but mentally deteriorating.
3. Artistic Censorship and the Struggle of the Writer
Soyinka’s Live Burial also speaks to the role of the artist in society and the way authoritarian regimes attempt to control artistic expression. The poem states:
- “Confession / Fiction? Is truth not essence / Of Art, and fiction Art?”
- “Lest it rust / We kindly borrowed his poetic licence.”
These lines highlight how oppressive regimes manipulate artistic expression, forcing intellectuals to either conform or be silenced. The phrase “poetic licence” being borrowed suggests that the state has taken control over the artist’s creative freedom, dictating what can and cannot be said. The live burial here represents the silencing of creativity, where artists are forced to self-censor or risk persecution.
4. Mythological and Historical Allusions: Burial as a Symbol of Resistance
Soyinka references Antigone, the Greek tragedy by Sophocles, where the protagonist defies state power by burying her brother despite the king’s decree. The phrase “Schismatic / Lover of Antigone” suggests that the buried individual in the poem is also a rebel against authority.
The line “Seal him live / In that same necropolis” mirrors Antigone’s fate—entombed alive for defying unjust laws. This parallel reinforces the idea that the buried person is a martyr for truth, someone who refuses to conform even in the face of death.
Additionally, the reference to Galileo—who was forced to recant his heliocentric theory under threat from the Church—further links the poem’s themes to historical instances of truth being suppressed. Like Galileo, the speaker’s voice is being stifled, but the very act of writing this poem is an act of defiance against such burial.
5. The Irony of the “Burial”
Despite the oppressive force seeking to bury the prisoner alive, the poem itself stands as a testament to resistance. The burial is meant to silence, yet the poem speaks. The very existence of the poem defies the burial—it gives voice to the entombed, ensuring that the truth does not stay buried.
Moreover, the plastic surgeons who tend to the prisoner’s “public image” suggest a manipulative rewriting of history. The state may claim that the prisoner “sleeps well, eats well”, but the poem exposes the reality of their suffering. The live burial, in this sense, is an illusion created by those in power—they attempt to bury the truth alive, but truth has a way of resurfacing.
Conclusion: The Title as a Symbol of Resistance
The title Live Burial serves as a powerful metaphor for:
- Political and social oppression, where regimes silence dissenters by imprisoning or isolating them.
- Psychological entrapment, where individuals are driven to madness by the burden of solitude and suppression.
- Artistic censorship, where truth-tellers are forced into silence or exile.
- Historical resistance, as seen in references to Antigone and Galileo, figures who suffered for their defiance but whose legacies outlived their persecutors.
Ultimately, while burial suggests death and finality, the poem itself challenges this notion—by writing about it, Soyinka ensures that the buried voices continue to speak. The poem transforms Live Burial from a symbol of erasure into one of endurance, resistance, and truth’s inevitable resurrection.
Soyinka, W. (2024, June 28). LIVE BURIAL – Nigerian Poetry Library. https://nigerianpoetry.com/2024/06/28/live-burial/
Words : 1515
Images : 2
Thank You.....
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