Alexandre biyidi awala, known as mongo beti or eza boto, was a cameroonian writer. Beti spent much of his life in france, studying at the sorbonne and becoming a professor at lycee pierre corneille. Elliot ziwira at the book store cameroonian writer mongo beti explores the thorny issues of culture and religion in a compelling way in mission to kala 1957, using the satirist trope and. Feb 01, 2008 mongo beti 19322001 was a key figure in modern west african literature. Alexandre biyidi awala 30 june 1932 8 october 2001, known as mongo beti or eza boto, was a cameroonian writer.
The church boy is trying desperately not to be african. Someone has suggested it is a picaresque novel and that the protagonist, jeanmarie, is a picaresque hero. Do you think that reading a book can change your life. Oct 08, 2001 mongo beti, cameroonian novelist and political essayist. Mission to kala by mongo beti words without borders. Mission to kala compare the characters zambo and medza,what aspects or concerns are highlited by this. Monoculture, introduced by colonialism made the african producer helpless in the face of capitalism manoeuvres.
Culture and religion in mission to kala the herald. Mongo beti was born in yaounde, the capital of cameroon, in 1932. Nnolim department of english alvin ikoku college of education, nigeria let me begin by drawing attention to a couple of what i consider critical misjudgments about beti s mission to kala. It brings together, in english translation, the first published 1954 novel by cameroonian author alexandre biyidi awala 19322001, written under another pseudonym, eza boto, and his 1955 written essay romancing africa, which represents the first ever published francophone african critique of the contemporary. It is a story about a young student sent to a ruralremote village to convince a wayward wife of his kinsman niam to comeback to her husband. Just simply by reading a book can do nothing to you. African communism, african marriages, parent to child relationship, polygamy, dating. Someone has suggested that beti s mission to kala is a picaresque novel and that the protagonist, jeanmarie, is a picaresque hero.
The novel, translated from french by peter green and published by. The theme of culture and african tradition is brought out in the novel. Mongo beti 1 19322001 writer expelled from school 2 twice won literary honors 3 noveis critical of postcolonial politics 4 returned to homeland 5 selected writings 6 sources 7 cameroonian author mongo beti 8, under the pen name of alexandre biyidiawala, wrote several sharply sa. Andre djiffack university of oregon environmental justice in south africa.
Mongo beti returned to cameroon in 1991 after 32 years of exile. Mongo beti s mission to kala and richard wrights black boy are my favourite books. It took awhile for me to get interested in mongo beti s mission to kala. Celebrated cameroonian writer kenjo wan jumbam is dead. Though the book has no european characters, their ideology is embodied in the protagonist, a lyceeeducated african. She may not have attained the type of significance which those other writers i think she is better than have achieved, but her place in african or world literature is assured. The entire novel is governed by humor and irony, characters are caricatures, and the sound description recalls mongo beti s masterpieces of the colonial era such as mission kala and the poor christ of bomba. The original french title of beti s novel mission terminee. African novels worth loving poor christ by mongo beti. Pretty awesome story with a premise something like the ambassadors if strether were a callow college kid.
Pay no attention to critics whod have you believe that mongo betis 1956 novel is an allegory of colonialism. By idang alibi chidimamanda ngozi adiche my people, the bekwarra of northern cross river state, and the tiv people of benue state, are neigbours. Chimamanda adichie s purple hibiscus which weaver press has made available to us in a zimbabwean edition echoes this earlier preoccupation but at. Mongo beti s mission to kala,2 the story of young jeanmarie mezdas reverses in cameroon after he failed to graduate from the french. The late mongo beti 1932 2001 ranks among cameroons foremost writers and mission to kala, although lighthearted and entertaining, is underpinned by a moral message. The villagers and the students at the mission school get hit with beti s satire as well as they try in various ways to get around the colonial system or to make it work for. Mongo deti s demystif ication of the french educational and political systems. Mission to kala by mongo beti meet your next favorite book. Mongo betis mission to kala and shimmer chinodyas first novel dew in the morning are examples from cameroon and zimbabwe respectively. Chimamanda ngozi adichie and anne giwa amu watchman. His major works of fiction include the poor christ of bomba 1956, mission to kala 1957 the miraculous king 1958, and perpetua and the habit of unhappiness 1974. May 27, 2012 im already looking forward to getting acquainted with betis other works when ive finished reading the world. Nov 10, 2019 pretty awesome story with a premise something like the ambassadors if strether were a callow college kid.
Like penguin, and other paperback series, the early aws editions largely consisted of titles that had already appeared in hardback from other publishers. The cook, who is the other member of the priests entourage, is fleecing the system for everything he can get. Review of purple hibiscus anthony chennells weaver press. Apr 29, 2020 two africas in one joe ushie, 2008 writer of the year writer of the year, jal, no. The three novels are camara layes the black child,1 the story of camaras childhood in guinea, of his education prior to his departure for oaris, and of his qualms regarding his decision to remain in france.
Synopsis a young student is sent to a rural village to persuade a wayward wife to return to her husband. Mongo beti article about mongo beti by the free dictionary. He received his early education in local schools, it was followed by studies at the sorbonne in paris. The new edition of cruel city by mongo beti is a rare kind of book. Mission to kala compare the characters zambo and medza,what aspects or concerns are highlited by this characters. The colonial and other roots of mongo beti s iconoclasm. Jun 23, 2014 pay no attention to critics whod have you believe that mongo betis 1956 novel is an allegory of colonialism. Published in 2008 by mallory, the book is an engaging tale of a young mans adventure in a remote village of colonial cameroon which he visits on a dogood mission for a relative. And you cant get a much better recommendation than that.
Sign up for librarything to find out whether youll like this book. Mongo beti, cameroonian novelist and political essayist. In king lazarus, betis next offering, a missionary persuades the polygamous tribal chief of the essazam to convert to christianity and give up all but one of. They share a common boundary and they interact liberally. Mongo beti 19322001 was a key figure in modern west african literature. Similarly, in mongo betis mission to kala, the poor christ of bomba and king lazarus, the production of cocoa for export marks the beginning of an international capitalist economic order, so detrimental to africa. Mission to kalaby mongo betithe literary work a novel set in. Mission to kala by mongo beti, translated from the french by peter green mallory publishing, 2008.
Now a french citizen, he lives and teaches in paris, where he is the editor of the journal peuples noirs, peuples africains, founded in 1978. Alexandre biyidiawala, better known under his pseudonym mongo beti, was a novelist and political essayist from cameroon. Trust me when i say the novel is actually about sex. Achebes own novels, plus those of cyprian ekwensi and peter abrahams, and translations of frenchlanguage works that had been published by parisian publishers, like mongo beti s mission to. It took awhile for me to get interested in mongo betis mission to kala. Mongo beti, one of africas greatest writers african heritage. By the time it was ending, i had, to borrow the words of a character in mongo beti s novel, mission to kala, worked my fingers to the bone. Mongo beti having failed his examinations at college, medza returns to his village in the southern cameroons in. Medza is sent off to retrieve a villager s wife who has run off with a man from another tribe.
Chimamanda ngozi adichie and anne giwaamu dateline nigeria. Cruel city tells the story of a young man s attempt to cope. A member of the beti people, he wrote his books in french. The tiv occupy all of the northern flank of bekwarra almost encircling it at the northern eastern flank. Mongo beti is the pseudonym of one alexandre biyidi, a novelist from the exfrench cameroun, who wrote the body of his work in the 1950s, before his country gained its independence. Cruel city tells the story of a young mans attempt to cope. As to be expected, the level of the social and economic intercourse between the.
Similarly, in mongo beti s mission to kala, the poor christ of bomba and king lazarus, the production of cocoa for export marks the beginning of an international capitalist economic order, so detrimental to africa. Jan 27, 20 the late mongo beti 1932 2001 ranks among cameroons foremost writers and mission to kala, although lighthearted and entertaining, is underpinned by a moral message. Mission to kalaby mongo betithe literary work a novel set in the cameroon republic in the late 1950s, before it gained independence. An essential theme of betis early novels, which advocate the removal of all vestiges of colonialism, is the basic conflict of traditional modes of african society with the system of. Then came the grown men, who all wanted me to write letters for them. Neocolonialism and the african writer africa forum.
Beti followed with mission accomplished, the story of young, westerneducated jeanmarie medza and his mission to retrieve the wayward wife of a relation in primitive kala. First of all, there were the instances of what i can only call cultural sensibilities. Events in history at the time of the novelthe novel in focus source for information on. His novels, which focus on the difficulties of maintaining african culture in postcolonial countries, often attacked french colonial policies or depicted the struggles of finding a sense of self in postcolonial africa a topic that has since gained popularity in african. Rodney, cabral and ngugi as guides to african postcolonial. Mission to kala mission terminee is a powerful comic novel set in late colonial. Two africas in one joe ushie, 2008 writer of the year writer of the year, jal, no. In africa, whether in orate precolonial period or after, literature has never been a phenomenon detachable from the material realities of the society in which it is produced.
I wrote about mission to kala by mongo beti for my book a basket of leaves. Mongo beti explores themes such as cultureclash and religion, as well as. Medza is sent off to retrieve a villagers wife who has run off with a man from another tribe. Geoff wisners thoreaus animals gives the reader the opportunity to approach the animals of thoreaus concord as thoreau would. Monoculture, introduced by colonialism, made the african producer helpless in the face of capitalist maneuvers.
What is the theme of the novel mission to kala by mongo beti. Published january 1st 1982 by heinemann educational books first published 1957. Im already looking forward to getting acquainted with betis other works when ive finished reading the world. In character and mode, the erudite academic becomes the village king solomon, cast in the form of jeanmarie medza, the lead character of mongo betis mission to kala. It took awhile for me to get interested in mongo beti s mission to kala but once i did, i enjoyed it first of all, there were the instances of what i can only call cultural sensibilities the story takes place in cameroon and there are many examples that will make the western reader realize. Oct 24, 2012 mongo beti returned to cameroon in 1991 after 32 years of exile.
1363 382 1204 486 256 1318 424 400 1190 26 1055 82 173 1223 1022 904 1210 1380 678 1372 1282 161 406 1533 1129 565 905 1324 1341 125 156 1287 540 1281 481 307 1481 839 95