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Work #1150 · Late

The Open Sore of a Continent

Wole Soyinka
1996 · English
Political essays · African political-philosophical essay / Postcolonial criticism

Soyinka's 1996 political essays from exile — Abacha's Nigeria, Saro-Wiwa's execution, the unfinished work of African democracy

Attribute Fingerprint

Rows where works disagree are highlighted in gold. The full ontology grid is shown.

Attribute The Open Sore of a Continent (Late)
Time · Extent Infinite
Time · Ontological Status Substantival
Time · Grain Continuous
Time · Freedom Non-Deterministic
Time · Traversability Linear
Time · Dimensionality One
Time · Direction Uni-directional
Space · Extent Finite
Space · Ontological Status Substantival
Space · Curvature Flat
Space · Dimensionality Three
Space · Locality Local
Matter · Extent Infinite
Matter · Ontological Status Substantival
Matter · Conservation Conserved
Matter · Dimensionality Three
Matter · Locality Local
Observer · Time Instance Single
Observer · Space Instance Single
Observer · Knowledge Extent Partial
Observer · Knowledge Retainment Total
Observer · Physicality Embodied
Observer · Agency Active
Observer · Number Plural
Observer · Metaphysical Agency None
Observer · Moral Authority Community
Observer · Theological Method
Energy · Extent Infinite
Energy · Ontological Status Substantival
Energy · Conservation Conserved
Energy · Dispersibility Irreversible
Information · Ontological Status Substantival
Information · Cosmic Conservation Conserved
Information · Personal Conservation Conserved
Information · Granularity Discrete

Dimension-by-Dimension Evidence

What each work's passages reveal about its stance on each of the six dimensions.

Time

The Open Sore of a Continent

The 1993-96 Nigerian crisis period; the broader post-Independence African political setting.

Space

The Open Sore of a Continent

Nigeria from exile; the broader African and global political-conscience setting.

Matter

The Open Sore of a Continent

The embodied Nigerian political community caught under Abacha military rule.

Observer

The Open Sore of a Continent

Soyinka in exile as participant-observer-essayist.

Energy

The Open Sore of a Continent

The political-moral energies of the resistance against military authoritarianism.

Information

The Open Sore of a Continent

The political-essay content of the personal-narrative.

Internal Tensions

Where each work's argument pulls against itself.

The Open Sore of a Continent

Soyinka's exile political-essay work has been variously assessed within Nigeria — defenders see proper political-moral leadership, occasional critics see exile-distance from on-the-ground political work.