Wole Soyinka

Silence Under Tyranny Erodes the Human Spirit

Courage often begins smaller than slogans: asking the unwelcome question in a meeting, refusing to falsify a record, documenting abuse, or standing with a targeted neighbor. These acts gain power when anticipated—train for civil courage, know legal resources, and build “rapid support” circles that mobilize when someone takes a risk. Ultimately, Soyinka’s challenge is less a command than an invitation: to keep the inner person alive by aligning speech with conscience. When we join voice to voice—fact to empathy, prudence to resolve—the grip of tyranny loosens, and the human spirit, once stifled, finds breath again. [...]