--- product_id: 5254357 title: "BURDEN OF MEMORY MUSE OF FORGIVENESS (W.E.B. Du Bois Institute)" price: "€ 67.55" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 7 url: https://www.desertcart.be/products/5254357-burden-of-memory-muse-of-forgiveness-w-e-b-du store_origin: BE region: Belgium --- # BURDEN OF MEMORY MUSE OF FORGIVENESS (W.E.B. Du Bois Institute) **Price:** € 67.55 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** BURDEN OF MEMORY MUSE OF FORGIVENESS (W.E.B. Du Bois Institute) - **How much does it cost?** € 67.55 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.be](https://www.desertcart.be/products/5254357-burden-of-memory-muse-of-forgiveness-w-e-b-du) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Nobel Laureate in Literature Wole Soyinka considers all of Africa--indeed, all the world--as he poses this question: once repression stops, is reconciliation between oppressor and victim possible? In the face of centuries-long devastation wrought on the African continent and her Diaspora by slavery, colonialism, Apartheid, and the manifold faces of racism, what form of recompense could possibly suffice? In a voice as eloquent and humane as it is forceful, Soyinka boldly challenges in these pages the notions of simple forgiveness, confession, and absolution as strategies for social healing. Ultimately, he turns to art--poetry, music, painting, etc.--as the one source that can nourish the seed of reconciliation: art is the generous vessel that can hold together the burden of memory and the hope of forgiveness. Based on Soyinka's Stewart-McMillan lectures delivered at the DuBois Institute at Harvard, The Burden of Memory speaks not only to those concerned specifically with African politics, but also to anyone seeking the path to social justice through some of history's most inhospitable terrain. Review: Five Stars - Great! Review: Soyinka is more than "The Burden of Memory..." - Wole Soyinka's mastery of the English language, as I have had occasion to say on another forum, borders on the supernatural. And perhaps therein lies the man's flaw--but that is a matter I will get to in a minute. "The Burden of Memory, the Muse of Forgiveness," you must understand, is "in the obligatory [Soyinka] fashion," a compilation of oral lectures the learned professor gave at Harvard. You must understand too, that the writing is basically academic, and suited more to an oral lecture. And because we speak of Soyinka, the writing is characteristically difficult. So then, his lectures-turn-books (including, of course, "The Burden of Memory, the Muse of Forgiveness") are not the best of works with which to appraise Soyinka's genius. For a true appreciation of Soyinka's literary prowess, you must read his plays and novels. The flaw, of which I spoke earlier, is captured in the question a friend once posed to me (not Soyinka): "Is not the purpose of language to communicate?" Without a full-fledged dictionary, and the will to re-read whole paragraphs, one would struggle to keep up with Soyinka's writing. In all, whether one likes it or not, the man is a literary giant, period! ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #764,213 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #97 in African History (Books) #209 in African Literature (Books) #319 in Cognitive Psychology (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.5 out of 5 stars 27 Reviews | ## Images ![BURDEN OF MEMORY MUSE OF FORGIVENESS (W.E.B. Du Bois Institute) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81IzfF4dSiL.jpg) ## Available Options This product comes in different **Media Format** options. ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Five Stars *by A***R on August 9, 2018* Great! ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Soyinka is more than "The Burden of Memory..." *by C***O on January 24, 2003* Wole Soyinka's mastery of the English language, as I have had occasion to say on another forum, borders on the supernatural. And perhaps therein lies the man's flaw--but that is a matter I will get to in a minute. "The Burden of Memory, the Muse of Forgiveness," you must understand, is "in the obligatory [Soyinka] fashion," a compilation of oral lectures the learned professor gave at Harvard. You must understand too, that the writing is basically academic, and suited more to an oral lecture. And because we speak of Soyinka, the writing is characteristically difficult. So then, his lectures-turn-books (including, of course, "The Burden of Memory, the Muse of Forgiveness") are not the best of works with which to appraise Soyinka's genius. For a true appreciation of Soyinka's literary prowess, you must read his plays and novels. The flaw, of which I spoke earlier, is captured in the question a friend once posed to me (not Soyinka): "Is not the purpose of language to communicate?" Without a full-fledged dictionary, and the will to re-read whole paragraphs, one would struggle to keep up with Soyinka's writing. In all, whether one likes it or not, the man is a literary giant, period! ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Wole Soyinka The Giant *by C***I on June 9, 2010* You read Wole Soyinka's work and you become a man, period. Please don't try reviewing work you don't understand. A quotation from Henry David Thoreau on "READING" will help those struggling with understading and of course in categorising reviewers: A man, any man, will go considerably out of his way to pick up a silver dollar, but here are golden words, which the wisest men of antiquity have uttered, and whose worth the wise of every succeeding age have assured us of;-and yet we learn to read only as far as Easy Reading... a very low level, worthy only of pigmies and manikins. That was WALDEN (1854) but still relevant today. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.be/products/5254357-burden-of-memory-muse-of-forgiveness-w-e-b-du](https://www.desertcart.be/products/5254357-burden-of-memory-muse-of-forgiveness-w-e-b-du) --- *Product available on Desertcart Belgium* *Store origin: BE* *Last updated: 2026-10-15*