The Cameroonian writer dedicated a novel, published by Solferino, to the female condition: “My protagonists are” impatient “because they don’t give up”
Ramla must leave school at seventeen to marry a man of fifty. Her cousin Hindou seems luckier because her assigned groom, Moubarak, is handsome and young, but that’s not the case. Safira has been the local notable’s only wife for over two decades, but suddenly she has to accept the new bride Ramla. I’m The impatient ones, protagonists of the remarkable novel by the Cameroonian writer Djaïli Amadou Amal which after winning the Goncourt des Lycéens prize in France is now published in Italy by Solferino. The story is set in the North of Cameroon but, as the author will explain in the course of the interview, it has a universal value.
Why the title “The impatient”?
«Because in the culture peul, in which I set my novel, one of the fundamental virtues is patience, munyal, understood as acceptance. We must be patient, accept the destiny that has been decided for us, there is no other choice ».
Who decides this fate?
“Not just the parents. In our world, children are children of the whole village, any adult has the right and the duty to take care of them. This can be very beautiful, but it can also be overwhelming. Traditional culture ends up crushing any individual evolution. And this is particularly true for women ».
Her novel deals with terrible violence such as early and forced marriage, polygamy imposed on women, female genital mutilation. What makes an impression, more than the punctual oppression, is the sweet, continuous, subtle imposition, which lasts for years.
“It is the power of persuasion, something that has been practiced on boys and especially on girls since the early years. And it is women in particular who take care of it. Women have internalized the values of that male-dominated culture, and are its prime guardians. It may seem like a paradox, but they either have no choice, or think they don’t. They are patient, and they educate their children and grandchildren to be patient. Violence is perpetrated by women on other women ”.
What is the weight of Islam?
«I chose to set the novel in the Peul culture and in the Muslim environment, which are mine. There is a specificity linked to the fact that in recent years Islam has become radicalized. Then we follow the Koran in Arabic, in a language that is not ours, and this facilitates deviations and exploitation. But the story could well unfold even in a Christian village, things wouldn’t change much. In Africa the issue is the encounter and often the clash between traditional popular culture, monotheistic religions and then Western modernity, today much more at hand because we are interconnected, between smartphones and TV ».
How did you manage to rebel and express your impatience?
“First of all, I love to read. Once I climbed over the gate of the Catholic mission to secretly enter the library and read some books. Then my father, who was a teacher and also an imam, explained to me that it was not necessary to enter secretly, it was enough to ask, even if I was a Muslim. Then I started writing, I found it was a perfect outlet for me. I wrote for ten years, without thinking that one day I would publish books. It was something that allowed me to go on. ‘
But what was the decisive push?
“I too was the victim of a forced marriage. I’ve had all kinds of problems, eating disorders, depression. I endured a long time, but I couldn’t take it anymore as my two daughters approached adolescence and I realized that the same drama was brewing for them. That was what made me rebel. I couldn’t accept the idea that their usual fate would befall them. “
So she rebelled.
“And I had to do it all the way, because half measures were not possible. I changed my life, I went to Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon, and then to America, I founded the association “Femmes du Sahel” and became a UNICEF ambassador. The only way to save me and my daughters was to gain great visibility in order to have power and begin to change things, giving a voice to those who did not have it ».
And did it work?
“A few months ago I went to a middle school, and after two hours of meeting, in the end, the girls were convinced to ask the family to continue studying. If no one makes them understand that they have the right to do something else, their path is marked. I think they need an example, proof that one can rebel ».
Have you received threats?
«Sure, and I continue to receive them. Even a little while ago. On social media I get accusations of being a traitor, of being a servant of the West … But if ten people attack me, five encourage me to go on and so I continue ».
Do you think you have enough help, at least moral, from the West?
«I would say that I put myself in a different perspective. I believe that the problem of violence against women affects everyone, including Europeans. This is why I think my novel has a universal value, it should not be read as the exotic story about a distant African culture. Violence and oppression are also psychological, they begin with a wrong word, the denial of rights or equal treatment ».
What are your literary influences?
«Classical French-speaking literature, but also contemporary European and African authors. A very important author for me was the Senegalese Mariama Bâ, who first dealt with the themes that are most important to me ».
August 11, 2021 (change August 11, 2021 | 20:34)
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