A random mental walk.

Saturday, June 13, 2015

So, speak and die

For years I've been trying to find the quote.  I couldn't remember the speaker's name, only that the translation was powerful.  I found the reference to Tahar Djaout in a review of “The Meursault Investigation” by Kamel Daoud in the June 8, 2015 NY Times:

There are several translations.  In the quote in the review was:

Silence is death And if you say nothing you die, And if you speak you die. So speak and die. 

If you speak, you die. If you do not speak, you die. So, speak and die. ( izquotes.com/author/tahar-djaout)

I remember the quote as If you speak, they will kill you.  If you do not speak, they will kill you. So, speak and die.

To quote from the wikipedia entry for Tahar Djaout:
He was assassinated by the Armed Islamic Group because of his support of secularism and opposition to what he considered fanaticism. He was attacked on May 26, 1993, as he was leaving his home in Bainem, Algeria. He died on June 2, after lying in a coma for a week.

“Le silence, c’est la mort, et toi, si tu te tais, tu meurs. Et si tu parles, tu meurs. Alors dis et meurs.” - (http://www.algerie-focus.com/blog/2015/01/quand-tahar-djaout-symbolise-le-courage-face-aux-terrorisme-aux-yeux-des-journalistes-francais/)

Blog Archive