Pages & Pressings

NO SPOILERS

“Colonialism is not a machine capable of thinking, a body endowed with reason. It is naked violence and only gives in when confronted with greater violence”

-Frantz Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth, trans. Richard Philcox

Babel is one of the most important texts I’ve read by far. Although, many of us (I hope) understand the toll colonialism has had on world history through the violation of human rights, it’s never bad to be reminded.

Babel is loaded with a myriad of themes including, but not limited to: colonialism, racism, white supremacy, white feminism, resistance, and the power of language. While I can go into depth on these topics, you’re better off just reading Babel itself.

It’s been an hours since I finished this book and I’m still deep in thought, trying to describe this book as best as possible without giving too much away. I’m awestruck, truly.

I think despite everything that has transpired in this book, we must always remember that language is power. Language is what connects us as a society. No matter how much history tries to erase and subjugate us, the language(s) we speak fuels innovation and industry.