Francophonie et production littéraire nigérienne en traduction française : dialogue des cultures

Abstract

This paper examines from the viewpoint of comparative literature the interaction between the French version of Nigerian literary production in English (source language) and Francophone African literature. It comprises two parts. The first part presents a critical appraisal of the French version of novels, poems and plays written by Nigerians, mostly those of the Nigeran pioneer writers like Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, Cyprian Ekwensi and Amos Tutuola. The study shows that translation into French (target language) makes it possible not only to promote the interaction between cultures within the framework of Francophonie in the global village, but also to project the Nigerian authors concerned and their writings on Francophonie's international literary scene, as well as to make significant contributions to the advancement of studies and research in comparative literature. The second part narrows down the discussion on cultural interactions to the relationship existing between two different African novels: Le Monde s'effondre,French version of Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart and L'Aventure ambigue,Cheikh Hamidou Kane's original text written in French. Emphasis is placed on the symbiotic relationship that should exist between traditional African and modern European cultures, as portrayed in a peculiar manner in both literary texts.