Aurore's Journey by Nadia Origo

Abstract

Reviewed by: Aurore's Journey by Nadia Origo Karen Ferreira-Meyers Origo, Nadia, Aurore's Journey. Trans. Aquene Kimmel, ed. Cheryl Toman, La Doxa Editions, 2020. Pp. 110. ISBN 978-2-37638-041-2. 10€ (paper). One of the ways in which Francophone African literature can reach a wider audience in- and outside of Africa is through diligent and context-appropriate translation. French-Gabonese Nadia Origo's short novel was first published in French in 2007 by Société des écrivains and reedited in 2008 by La Doxa Editions (Origo's own publishing house). Origo has published a series of novels, Le voyage d'Aurore (2007), J'ai résolu de… (2008), Le bal des débutants (2012) and La valse des initiés (2014), and a collection of poems (Sanglotites équatoriales, 2014) as well as two volumes of traditional stories (Le royaume de Longo, 2008); her work has been applauded as original and testimony of a lively second generation of women authors from Gabon. The story of Aurore's Journey is mainly autobiographical: 20-year-old Nadia-Aurore is a young, dynamic and committed, although quite naïve, student at her university in Libreville. In July 2000, during the holidays, she travels to Ogooué-Ivindo, in the northeast Gabonese hinterland, with her two friends, Pilli and Gal from Forest-Source. The objective of the fortnight "journey" is ecological in nature: the trio wants to meet the local populations to explain how to exploit the equatorial forest resources harmoniously and to fight against widespread deforestation. Nadia-Aurore's ecological engagement shines through; this is quite understandable as, besides being an editor, she holds a PhD in geography and sustainable development, health and environment. In her foreword, Cheryl Toman, the editor of the translated novel, explains the importance of keeping the [End Page 197] main protagonist's name in the title: Aurore, in French, means dawn, and Origo's focus on shedding light on African realities is part of her ideological commitment to her roots. Aquene Kimmel's French translation is beautifully and poetically crafted. She translates, transcribes, feels and expresses Origo's original text. As a translator myself, I particularly appreciate expressions such as "thumbing through a rosary of excuses" (29), and that Origo's work is now available in English ensures that communication across language barriers can take place. It echoes what Toman notes in her foreword, namely that "one of the vestiges of colonialism is indeed the post-independence reliance on the colonial language, and this complicates matters for Africans themselves. The young members of Forest-Source indeed encounter disadvantages as they must rely on translators to get their message across to their fellow citizens in Fang and Kota villages" (13). The topics Origo tackles in this short but poignant novel–ecology, grassroots involvement and participation, sustainability, individual and collective commitment, ecofeminism, afrocentrism–make her work relevant and thought-provoking, and will surely spark debate for years to come. Researchers will be tempted to compare her work to other travel writers (both male and female) from Africa and beyond. They might also look at authors who are committed to fight for our natural resources. In addition, scholars working on autobiography and autofiction will find the novel an interesting example of how women narrate their stories. There will also be scholars and members of the wider audience interested in the portrayal of both positive (rules of behavior, politeness, for example) and negative (bribery, for example) aspects of Gabonese culture. All in all, Origo poetically described one of the most beautiful, pristine and "magnificent landscapes" (21) of Gabon in her novel, in her "literary postcard" (Toman, Foreword, 14) and Kimmel allows us to travel to that exquisite spot on earth through her skillful translation in English. As readers we "forgive" all stakeholders involved in the production of this translation for the small punctuation and translation errors, especially since none of them hinder our understanding and reading pleasure. Karen Ferreira-Meyers University of Eswatini Copyright © 2021 Women in French Studies