Novel · A way to begin
Sarraounia
Not translated into English
Abdoulaye Mamani · 1980
Synopsis
In 1899, the Voulet-Chanoine column advances towards Lake Chad, burning the villages on its way. At Lougou, in the heart of the Azna country, Sarraounia, queen and priestess of a people that has remained faithful to the old cults, trained in the handling of weapons and plants, refuses to submit when so many neighbouring chiefs choose to come to terms with the invaders. She gathers her warriors and her allies to await the riflemen and their officers.
Context
The novel appeared in 1980 from L'Harmattan, in the Encres noires series, one hundred and fifty-nine pages, under the full title of drame de la reine magicienne; its author had just come out of prison. In it he retells the story of the Voulet-Chanoine mission, whose officers massacred entire villages before being shot by their own troops, and gives his heroine a final speech that sums up the theses of his party: redistribution of land, rejection of the ethnicisation of political life, secularism, defence of the common people. Med Hondo made a film of it in 1986, for which the novelist co-wrote the screenplay.
Who it is for
Short and direct, mixing narrative and documents; it is best read alongside the film made from it.
Prizes and reception
Regarded as a classic of Nigerien literature, it brought the figure of the queen of Lougou into the memory of the country.