Thèse de doctorat en Études africaines
Sous la direction de Jean Levaillant.
Soutenue en 1990
à Paris 8 .
Inventer un roman authentique, conciliant les cultures francaise et africaine, dans un contexte de biculturalisme vicie par des prejuges imposant la reclusion dans la difference, voici la dualite ou s'inscrit la creation. Roman "para-colonialiste", "median", "integral", les createurs y vont chacun de leur alchimie certes, mais, au bout de l'aventure, trome la meme impression d'impuissance, de depossession de soi, d'exotisme bon teint, d'amalgame et d'absence reelle de perspective. L'essence du roman nargue opiniatrement le reluisant edifice esthetico-ideologique de la renaissance culturelle originellement lezarde. Le genre est partage entre le reniement par depit de son europeen de pere et l'exigence de sa reconnaissance. Le reperage de de l'alienation quoique souvent ardu n'infere point son insignifiance pour la seule litterature. Son habitude a tout simplement amene le negro-africain a se composer souvent une tres illusoire bonne mine culturelle de circonstance. Se redefinir, reformuler la problematique de la renaissance culturelle, resister aux sirenes de l'europe, restaurer l'etre litteraire originel, vivre enfin d'abord pour soi, telle parait etre la porte de sortie. Issue ou illusion d'issue ? dans un monde ou la force du culturel est a la mesure du poids economique et technologique, le negroafricain, qui vivote n'est pas pret pour cet autre affrontement avec l'europe. En attendant, il "reve" comme il peut et ce, a l'image de cette vie provisoire que meme l'afrique noire francaise.
Alienation and imaginative creativity among african francophone novelists from 1953 to 1968
To create au authentic novel reconciling both french and african culture, in a double-culture context corrupt by preconceived ideas that force seclusion into antagonism, to keep one's own identity. This is the double side issue of the literary work. Although the "colonial based novels", the "novels seeking compromise between western and african values" and the "novels based entirely on african culture", prove to be promising, they create a feeling of impotence, of self dispossession, of sheer exotism and lack of perspective. Their essence jeers at the ever blossoming aesthetico-ideological edifice of the cultural renaissance originally cracked. The novel is shared between the denial of its euroepan father and the requierements of its reconnaissance. The search for alienation in the works is often a vain entreprise. Yet, this does not diminish the significance of this social phenomenon in literature. The habit has simply led the negro-african into composing a good and very illusory circumstancial cultural face. To redifine itself, to reformulate the cultural renaissance issue, to stand against the attraction of europe, to live for oneself, this is the way out. Way out or illusion of way out ? in a world where the cultural force equates the economical and technological force, the negro-african who lives sparely is not ready to face europe. For the time being, he "dreams" as he can and these dreams seem to be at the size of the provisional life of french speaking black africa.