FACE AUX « FAUVES » EUROPÉENS. REPRÉSENTATION DANS LES LITTÉRATURES AFRICAINES FRANCOPHONES (Face to Face with European « Predators ». Representation in the African Francophone Literatures)

Abstract

The victims of the cruelty of beasts, the Africans die with the hand of Europeans who are entertained by killing without being ever punished. The death comes even without the participation of European, the colonizer is only its cause indirect. In fact the contact between European and African is never realized. Another important aspect of this relation inferior-superior, of this death dehumanised, is its symbolic value: while the death of old-men of fictional Africa represents the disappearance of the notion of ancestors, the death of the young African generation takes away all the hope of one society which occurs to be on the brink of the existential crisis. At the same time the bestial behaviour, having no mercy, of European colonizers wake up the spirits of colonized Africans who experience the need of the liberty. The old and young generation of Africans dies in the moment when they prepare the revolution. The death of those defenceless wretches stresses the cruel existence in this Africa which is represented in francophone African novels.

Keywords

• African francophone literature
• novels
• animality
• depersonalisation
• identity crossroad