2024-05-26 04:38:10
1- You sing of ladies and their magnificence in your poems. The girl is each a supply of inspiration and poetic materials. “Remodeled right into a poetic object”, the girl took on larger significance within the twentieth century, particularly with the surrealist poets. Would you’ve gotten been influenced by this literary motion?
No approach. Western literary tendencies have enormously influenced poets world wide, however not me. However you needed to learn, be taught and know this surrealist motion. That is what we name having tradition, being open to the world, not closing ourselves off. For me, it was about leaving house, from Africa and the ability of its poetry drawn from the fiery sources of orality. We’ve got nothing to envy of others, even much less to flatly copy their poetry. Senghor actually appreciated Baudelaire however he isn’t Baudelaire and didn’t write like Baudelaire. He tried to overhaul him. What would have been the purpose of being a second Baudelaire? Nothing ! For me, it was essential to discover a place in world poetry and for that, it was essential to combat, to create an authentic work. I discovered the way in which at house, at my Fulani poet mom. Fulani oral poetry, like Berber amongst others or Ashanti or Yoruba… allowed me to discover a place for myself. It was essential to begin from the actual to entry the common. To European surrealism I opposed Negro and African sub-realism. This gave one other type of poetry.
2- Freedom is your watchword in your poems, even banishing punctuation. The place does the constraint lie in your artistic course of?
Sure, you simply mentioned the phrase: freedom! I in a short time freed myself from the imprisonment of my European readings. However they had been those who had been initially of every little thing. I owe them rather a lot. As we speak I say to younger poets: go learn and uncover the nice poets of European literature. They’re helpful and foundational. Afterwards, go learn and uncover the nice Arab, Japanese and Chinese language poets. Learn, learn and uncover. Then come again to your self, to your personal tradition to be your self and never grow to be another person. Keep away from and escape constraints. Be free in all issues. The one legitimate constraint: grow to be your self and invent your personal poetic universe primarily based by yourself cultural wealth. Originality isn’t distant. It’s on the ft of your personal tradition nourished, after all, by the tradition and literature of the world.
3- The poet is at all times related to utopia and desires. Your dream for Africa occupies an essential place in your work. How can we transfer in direction of this excellent and obtain it?
Dreaming is nothing aside from wanting one thing aside from the current! We’d like to consider the long run, anticipate the long run. Poets, writers and artists are greatest positioned, via their humility and sensitivity, to shortly obtain this objective. The politicians have failed. There aren’t any underdeveloped international locations, there are solely underdeveloped men and women, that’s to say with out tradition, with out desires, with out coaching. It’s on the crossroads of desires and utopia that cause triumphs.
Sure, Africa is the place I battle probably the most. However I at all times shortly regain confidence after I arrive in Morocco. Morocco is a youth, a rustic the place letters and the humanities have a elementary place. Africa should return to this elementary. It’s not the riches that we lack. What we lack are males of spirit with imaginative and prescient. Allow us to go away our kids as an inheritance not homes and buildings, however a rustic. It’s this dream that we should domesticate to offer everybody an opportunity. My poetry carries the combat.
4- You have got acquired a number of distinctions in Senegal and overseas, together with the distinguished Prize for the affect of French language and literature awarded by the French Academy for all your works. You additionally acquired the Grand Prize on the African Poetry Competition in Rabat, on the event of its celebration because the capital of African tradition. What emotion did this umpteenth prize provide you with?
Sure, it’s at all times an emotion and an immense gratitude for the juries. I’ve a motto that I set for myself: “Even excellence will at all times be barely sufficient”! To say that there is no such thing as a age to cease working, particularly within the discipline of writing. At all times search to surpass your self, to dazzle. I thank Morocco which has grow to be my second homeland. Morocco is within the coronary heart of Senegal. HM King Mohammed VI and the President of the Republic Macky Sall work tirelessly to strengthen ties between the 2 international locations and the 2 peoples.
5- How is Moroccan poetry doing, in your opinion?
Poetry is doing effectively in Morocco. We encounter it from contact with the Moroccan people who find themselves open, pious, loving magnificence. I listened to numerous Moroccan poets, I learn some that I knew in Asilah then in Rabat. For my part, the issue arises on the degree of translation, good translation. Girls at all times take an essential place in poetry, even when they aren’t at all times given their rank.
2024-05-26 04:38:10