The Man Died by Wole Soyinka is a profound exploration of survival, justice, and integrity, encompassing both individual struggle and communal significance. Soyinka’s imprisonment transforms into a cosmic journey through the mind, engaging with both the physical and spiritual worlds. The narrative is structured around cycles of intense emotional and psychological experiences that ultimately affirm life and humanity despite severe adversity.

Survival as a Communal and Cosmic Process

Soyinka’s memoir is structured around cycles of personal trials and triumphs, illustrating how the struggle for survival transcends the individual to become a communal and even cosmic process. During his imprisonment, he experiences a profound psychological journey, punctuated by moments of madness, isolation, and paranoia. These cycles serve as a ritual of transition, a concept explored through various allusions and metaphors, including parallels to the mythological voyage of Ogun, a Yoruba deity.

First Cycle: "Ibadan-Lagos"

The memoir opens with Soyinka’s arrest and initial detention, where he experiences a false sense of security. Despite being in chains and enduring humiliating interrogations, he maintains control over his emotions. However, his resilience is tested when he faces an assassination threat and a subsequent isolation at Shaki Maximum Security Prison. Here, paranoia blurs the lines between fear and reality, forcing Soyinka to fight for sanity by ensuring his statements reach the public, preventing governmental misuse of his name.

Amidst this turmoil, Soyinka reflects on the Western concept of tragedy, contrasting it with his own belief that individuals need not settle for failure. He draws inspiration from Picasso’s perspective, "I do not seek; I find," which becomes a guiding principle as he discovers that survival requires both human collaboration and the will to overcome annihilation.

Second Cycle: Isolation in Kaduna

Transferred to a more severe isolation in Kaduna, Soyinka confronts a harsher reality. Here, the options seem reduced to "violence or surrender," with the environment itself echoing despair through the cries of fellow prisoners. Despite physical deterioration due to the harsh climate, Soyinka retains clarity, rejecting governmental manipulations and uncovering truths about orchestrated massacres.

This phase is marked by a deep engagement with memories and political reflections, leading to another cycle of psychic disintegration and reconstruction. Soyinka’s mind becomes a battleground, likened to an undersea cavern, where he battles claustrophobic attacks and hallucinations. Yet, he finds moments of human connection, strengthening his resolve through a shared wave and nod with another prisoner.

The Third Cycle: Confrontation and Creation

Determined to end the mental torture, Soyinka initiates a planned fast, gradually intensifying it over several weeks to compel the regime’s recognition of his plight. This fast symbolizes a creative act, metaphorically depicted as a pregnancy, with the risk of annihilation if unacknowledged by the outside world. Opportunity arises during a visit from Gowon, the head of state, allowing Soyinka to communicate with the outside.

During this cycle, Soyinka’s mental landscape becomes a fertile ground, mentally re-enacting the history of the world, from prehistoric times to the creation of art and music. Despite the superintendent’s attempts to erase these creations, they symbolize Soyinka’s enduring spirit. This cycle culminates in a profound spiritual awakening, where he transcends desires and affirms his creative identity, echoing Picasso’s words.

Returning to Reality

The superintendent’s confrontation about using a warder as a courier brings Soyinka back to consciousness. Realizing his message has been delivered, he emerges from his transcendental state. Although faced with repeated false hopes of release and deprivation of privileges, Soyinka’s newfound trust in the superintendent and external support enable him to abandon future fasts.

Ultimately, Soyinka’s cyclic experiences yield a revelation not tied to physical liberty, but to the affirmation of the unconquerable human spirit. His adversaries, despite their efforts, fail to break him, and this assertion of the free spirit becomes his true victory.