Do Jews Complain Too Much?

When Wole Soyinka said at the 2007 TCG Conference in MN that "Certain groups complain too much," obviously referring to Jews, Certain People got upset. Our Artistic Director, Tuvia Tenenbom, tried to get the TCG to issue an apology or, at the least, to distance itself from this statement. It also asked that Mr. Soyinka, a Nobel Laureate, issue an apology for offending the "certain groups." Instead, Mr. Soyinka chose to compare Tuvia to the infamous Nazi, Joseph Goebbels, and then went on to psychologically analyze Tuvia as an "attention seeker, a compulsive hate-monger undergoing a temporary dearth of convertible material" and a man "deficient in hearing, logic, and/or intellectual integrity." All this, of course, on the basis of never speaking to Tuvia in person beyond their 2-minute public exchange. As far as we can see it, this is a sad behavior indeed for a person who presents himself as an outstanding intellectual. In addition to this outburst, Mr. Soyinka also threatened to settle the matter in court: "I am taking advice from my solicitors on the option of letting the courts decide."

We strongly encourage him to go ahead.

As for the TCG, we have been waiting for them to issue a statement on the matter for months. But as of this date, they have not even released the transcripts--a practice they always do after national conferences (according to a conversation with them). And in the current issue of American Theatre, which is their own publication, they choose to ignore the controversy at all cost. As a result of this event, The Jewish Theater of New York is no longer a member of TCG, withdrawing its membership in protest.

To read more about it, check our initial Press Release and then our Follow-up Press Release.

To read Soyinka's letter (in PDF), click HERE. (Please note: Though the letter states "CC" to The Jewish Theater of New York, we never got a copy of it. It only came to our attention after the Black Mountain Institute, associated with the University of Nevada, made it available on their website.)

To read a selection from the media's articles and comments (all in PDF), click on the appropriate publication below:

Jewish Week,

Village Voice,

Back Stage.

To hear the conversation (in QuickTime format) between Cedric Muhammad and Tuvia Tenenbom on Black Coffee Channel, click HERE.

The Jewish Theater of New York is not a "newcomer" to issues of racism or Black/Jewish relations (click HERE or HERE for samples of our work on the latter issue). In fact, we deal with racism quite often (click HERE for current show). The fact that Mr. Soyinka fights against one sort of racism does not entitle him to condone another. Period. By behaving the way he does, he proves to be not a man who fights for human rights but rather a man who looks after his own. This goes as well to those within us who refuse to raise their voice against him on this matter. It is shameful that we have to carry this fight; we'd rather not. But we won't be quiet and let the matter drop. We hope that you understand.

Comments? Let us know!

Call our office at 212.494.0050 or email to TheJTNY@aol.com

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