This short but powerful statement emphasizes that having a voice and expressing yourself is fundamental to your very being and identity. To be silenced or to be unable to articulate your truth is akin to being erased.
Quote by Nuruddin Farah: “To speak is to exist.”
To speak is to exist.
Insight
Historical Context
Farah consistently highlighted the suppression of voices under dictatorial regimes in Africa. This quote underscores the vital connection between speech, freedom, and human dignity, especially in contexts of censorship and oppression.
About the Author
Somali novelist whose trilogy Variations on the Theme of an African Dictatorship and later novels are considered among the most important works of African literature in English. He has spent much of his life in exile, and his writing consistently examines the politics of identity, gender, and power in Somalia.
View all quotes by Nuruddin Farah