Novel
Le Héraut têtu
Not translated into English
Patrick G. Ilboudo · 1991
Synopsis
Sadjo, a stubborn herald lost between the soul and the navel, burns his life for an ideal of youth: the revolution and the unity of Dondulma, a continent that closely resembles Africa. He travels the world, talks with heads of state, organises ordinary citizens and takes the front line on every front, to stop this continent from choosing a destiny of drowsiness; along the way he runs up against corruption and ethnic divisions.
Context
The novel appeared in 1991 in Ouagadougou, from the Imprimerie nationale, three years before its author's death; it was his fourth novel and the last he was able to publish, another remaining unpublished. His writing, laden with recherché terms and Latin, also draws on the stories of the Moaga tradition, like that of his earlier books. The text is now studied in Burkina's secondary schools, where it gives rise to class presentations.
Who it is for
In French, in a learned language rich in rare words: its readers say it cannot be read without a dictionary.
Prizes and reception
Grand prix littéraire d'Afrique noire in 1992, awarded by the Association des écrivains de langue française.