Truth, satire, dragons and death
13 January 2014 By Abi Giwa

The world is not about to end. It is not the beginning of the world either. The world had witnessed journalists killed for truth in the past. It doesn't mean journalists would not be killed again for truth. The 12 cartoonists recently killed in Paris, in a swoop, from one organization for no crime, other than that they did a cartoon some fellows did not like, showed how criticism could get people enraged.
Some people believe it could not have been ordinary cartoon and caricature, and that there must been some truth imbedded in the cartoons that brought the worst out of the
It is not that people don't like cartooning and caricaturing. It is the opposite, because the love people have for cartoons and caricatures sell newspapers for their light heartedness. But rarely have cartoonists been killed for making people laugh, unlike the serious business of telling or reporting the truth.
Cartoonists are like comedians. Satirists often hide the truth by turning words round to make it less serious than it should be. But they tend to achieve the same objective in criticism like the written word. It is the criticism aspect of the cartooning like the written word that people in high places like human dragons who attacked Charlie Hebdo don't find comfortable.
No one seems to like criticism known to end friendship and at times kinship. No one wants to be told he or she has smelling mouth or a dirty ass. No one wants the truth about a dirty deal to be unearthed against him or her. Yet the journalist cannot remain in business if he or she cannot get he truth to enrage; the cartoonist will be out of business if his or carton cannot turn heads. You must attract attention, and which without no one will notice your existence.
It is evident that getting noticed either reporting the truth or making caricature with cartoons can also lead to death. Editor-in-Chief of Charlie Hebdo knew danger lurked, but he did not for that reason develop fear and change the magazine's editorial policy. Having an armed guard was just a precaution to guard against the possibility. He mayst have the words of Julius Ceasar in imprinted in his mind that "Cowards die many times before their deaths, that the valiant never taste of death but once, and that of all the wonders it seems to him men should feR, seeing that death , a necessary end will come, when it will come." It is also a reminder of the words of Beowulf, "For everyone one of us, living in this world means waiting for our end. Let whoever can win glory before death. When a warrior is gone, that will be his best and only bulwark."
Beowulf did not stop there. He said "O flower of warriors, beware of that trap. Choose the better part , eternal rewards. Do not give way to pride. For a brief while your strength is on bloom, but it fades quickly and soon there will follow illness or the sword to lay you low, or a sudden fire or surge of water or jabbing blade of javelin from the air or repellent age. Your piercing eye will dim and darken; and death will arrive, dear warrior, to sweep you away."
What is left after death is the service one may have done to humanity as in the case of Beowulf himself, who after killing Grendel and its mother - was himself killed after ruling his people for fifty years, in a fight with a murderous dragon over a cave, where possessions of the rich were kept.
Some people believe it could not have been ordinary cartoon and caricature, and that there must been some truth imbedded in the cartoons that brought the worst out of the
It is not that people don't like cartooning and caricaturing. It is the opposite, because the love people have for cartoons and caricatures sell newspapers for their light heartedness. But rarely have cartoonists been killed for making people laugh, unlike the serious business of telling or reporting the truth.
Cartoonists are like comedians. Satirists often hide the truth by turning words round to make it less serious than it should be. But they tend to achieve the same objective in criticism like the written word. It is the criticism aspect of the cartooning like the written word that people in high places like human dragons who attacked Charlie Hebdo don't find comfortable.
No one seems to like criticism known to end friendship and at times kinship. No one wants to be told he or she has smelling mouth or a dirty ass. No one wants the truth about a dirty deal to be unearthed against him or her. Yet the journalist cannot remain in business if he or she cannot get he truth to enrage; the cartoonist will be out of business if his or carton cannot turn heads. You must attract attention, and which without no one will notice your existence.
It is evident that getting noticed either reporting the truth or making caricature with cartoons can also lead to death. Editor-in-Chief of Charlie Hebdo knew danger lurked, but he did not for that reason develop fear and change the magazine's editorial policy. Having an armed guard was just a precaution to guard against the possibility. He mayst have the words of Julius Ceasar in imprinted in his mind that "Cowards die many times before their deaths, that the valiant never taste of death but once, and that of all the wonders it seems to him men should feR, seeing that death , a necessary end will come, when it will come." It is also a reminder of the words of Beowulf, "For everyone one of us, living in this world means waiting for our end. Let whoever can win glory before death. When a warrior is gone, that will be his best and only bulwark."
Beowulf did not stop there. He said "O flower of warriors, beware of that trap. Choose the better part , eternal rewards. Do not give way to pride. For a brief while your strength is on bloom, but it fades quickly and soon there will follow illness or the sword to lay you low, or a sudden fire or surge of water or jabbing blade of javelin from the air or repellent age. Your piercing eye will dim and darken; and death will arrive, dear warrior, to sweep you away."
What is left after death is the service one may have done to humanity as in the case of Beowulf himself, who after killing Grendel and its mother - was himself killed after ruling his people for fifty years, in a fight with a murderous dragon over a cave, where possessions of the rich were kept.