Representations of Colonial Racism in Monnè, Outrages and Challenges of Ahmadou Kourouma

Abstract

This work explores in a precise way Monne, outrages and challenges by Ahmadou Kourouma (1990). In it, novelist reconstructs colonial history of a region of black Africa (the Mandingo) and makes it an essential base for his poetics. Kourouma traces there in a relatively systematic way various stages of installation of Whites in Soba, from conquest to disappointments of independence. He also paints a scenographic picture of life of Djigui, king of Soba, from his accession to throne until his death. He therefore intends to reread this story in order to reflect on repressive methods adopted by colonizer at this time. He focuses mainly on forms of racism of which novelist speaks in his fiction, notably question of rite of allegiance and the ceremony of consumption of submissive, to cite only these two examples. It shows that black African community, at time of colonization, had no value. The latter suffered from various atrocities (repression, violence, marginalization, racism, etc.) [1]. So he is targeting negative image that Karma’s novel talks about. This tends to become a denouncer insofar as reader is put in a position to take side of representatives of this crushed community. By this assigned place, this same reader sees himself led to deem unbearable fate reserved for black man who is nevertheless living and active force of African continent.