They Sang with a Thousand Tongues

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April 25, 2021

a project of ServiceSpace

Much like a wave is not just part of the sea but the very sea in its specific materialization, my voice and my words only make sense within a commonwealth of other beings that make me possible.

- Bayo Akomolafe -

They Sang with a Thousand Tongues

"Might I venture to say that our most compelling imperative today--if one is permitted to speak in those ways--is to reclaim the thickness of our tongues and learn the names and faces of our neighbours; it is to realize that our worldview is just a tittle in a never-ending sentence; it is to see that there are more ways to learn than school and polished degrees could ever accommodate and more ways to live than could be captured in a Facebook post. The imperative is to recognize that our theories of change have to change and that urgency is not always a function of increased effort and logical coherence. We must reacquaint ourselves with allies that cannot be seen, too subtle for the modern eye, and forgotten human capacities that are wondrous beyond compare, too outrageous for rational thought. We must recognize that our crises emerge from clinging too tightly to a single story, from drinking out of a single drying wellspring while others flow unattended. This recognition also implies that there are no convenient 'others,' no convenient enemies, and that we are the systems we oppose. It means admitting that we don't know the answers, talk less of the questions -- and that's okay." Bayo Akomolafe tells a story of western values in this thought-provoking piece. { read more }