Le roman zaïrois de langue française
Institution:
Paris 12Disciplines:
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Abstract EN:
The zairean literary works in french language owe their origin to the combined efforts of five principal factors : the introduction of french in the educational system of the belgian congo, the establishment of public libraries in the colony, the creation of socio-cultural circles with literary competition for the educated natives, the admission of blacks to press writings and finally, the alteration of the colonial literary works by the replacement of their approach to african realities. During the colonial period, the congolese narrative literature was marked by the works of paul lomami-tshibamba, one of the rare belgian congo writers to describe the awful change of the traditional african societies in contact with western civilisation. The extensive work of the traditional novelist exploits the relationship, established by the african mythology, between the visible world and the supernatural forces. Particularly inspired by the myth founders, inspired by the myth fonders, the authors magnified the greatness of traditional african civilisation with an effort to put its values in the modern world. Presently, the remarkable stride in the production of zairean literary works points in two directions : the intellectual writers who question the coming of the west into africa and the realist writers that challenge and condemn the bad management of public affaires by post-independent african leaders. Having attained maturity and autonomy in the mastery of writing, the zairean literary works now look forward to a nationwide spread. Their future is remarkably tied to that of francophony in africa.
Abstract FR:
Le roman zairois de langue francaise doit sa naissance a l'action conjuguee de cinq principaux facteurs : l'introduction du francais dans le systeme scolaire du congo belge, l'institution des bibliotheques publiques dans la colonie, la creation des cercles socio-culturels et des concours litteraires pour les autochtones scolarises, l'acces des noirs a la presse ecrite et enfin la mutation du roman colonial par le renouvellement de son approche des realites africaines. Pendant la periode coloniale, la litterature narrative congolaise est marquee par les ecrits de paul lomani-tshibamba, l'un des rares ecrivains du congo belge a decrire la decomposition des societes africaines traditionnelles au contact de la civilisation occidentale. Romancier traditionaliste, son oeuvre considerable exploite la mythologie africaine dans les rapports que celle-ci etablit entre le monde visible et les forces surnaturelles. L'auteur s'inspire en particulier des mythes fondateurs, exalte la grandeur de la civilisation africaine traditionnelle et cherche a inserer certaines de ses valeurs dans le monde moderne. Actuellement, la production romanesque du zaire - en essor remarquable - s'oriente en deux directions : le roman intellectualiste qui remet en question l'ascendant de l'occident sur l'afrique et le roman realiste qui conteste et denonce la mauvaise gestion des affaires publiques par les dirigeants africains issus des independances. Parvenu a la maturite et a l'autonomie par la maitrise de l'ecriture, le roman zairois de langue francaise attend cependant sa large diffusion a travers le pays. Son avenir est lie notamment a celui de la francophonie en afrique.