Origins of an Opintar

Origins of an Opintar

“Birds got something to teach us all; About being free, yeah; Be no rain… Be no rain…” – Gil Scott-Heron, from the lyrics, I Think I’ll Call It Morning

I proclaim myself an Opintar sometimes. Opinterity is the closest I know to freedom and joy.  It is part aspiration, part practice. Many think Opintar is a fun name. Or of vernacular because they cannot google it. Or the vanity of one gnawed by rough illness many times. It is none of these. Opintar describes my lot in life and my journey compass. Ordinary is the life of an Opintar. (more…)

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Postponement of Elections and Chinua Achebe’s Spirit

Chinua Achebe was ostracised by the Western academy for his truthful but hard to swallow comments on two European intellectual sacred cows, Joseph Conrad and Albert Schweitzer in which he branded them as racists using the pretext of artistic expression. It is reputedly proposed by many around the world that his comments cost him the Nobel Prize. (more…)

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Sarcasm: Evidence of Genius

Sarcasm: Evidence of Genius

Sarcasm and ‘figures of speech’ are as old as language itself. From the Ivy League professor of literary criticism to the Oxbridge linguist. Or from the illiterate farmer to the naked tribesman with a bone in his nose. No matter the language or the region of the world they all understand and use sarcasm and similar. Yes, in varying degrees of application and contexts. (more…)

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