It feels oddly surreal (no pun intended) as I read Cesairé’s opening lines of Discourse on Colonialism (1955). Or, should I say apropos given our current political climate?

A civilization that proves incapable of solving the problems it creates is a decadent civilization. A civilization that chooses to close its eyes to its most crucial problems is a stricken civilization. A civilization that uses its principles for trickery and deceit is a dying civilization.