Emi la Fafa / Mon Père et moi: Récit autobiographique de Joseph Esuke, 1938: Introduction et commentaire de H. Vinck

Abstract

Cette autobiographie romancee est la reponse a un concours litteraire lance par la revue Africa de Londres pour 1939. L'auteur presente son pere (ne en 1887), un important personnage au village Bonguma, situe au bords de la Ruki a 50 km a l'est de Mbandaka, en R.D. du Congo. Avec son epouse, ils vont vivre a la mission catholique de Bokuma. L'epouse donne naissance a un fils. Ils vivent dans le bonheur jusqu'au moment ou l'homme herite du harem de son pere et laisse la mission. L'homme semble transferer tout son amour a sur son fils et aussi sur sa concubine preferee seulement parce qu'elle se consacre a l'enfant. Il travaille avec une application soutenue a l'education et au bien-etre de son fils. Le fils finit par realiser la sincerite et l'ardeur de l'amour de son pere et lui rend de tout coeur son amour. Il decrit la jalousie et les ruses de la mere et la perversite du peuple, qui parviennent exploiter la situation. Il quitte temporairement son pere pour aller a l'ecole. Des tentatives pour retablir le premier mariage echouent. Pere et fils deviennent tour a tour malades. Le recit termine avec la mort du pere bien-aime. Mots-cles : Bonguma; autobiographie; Congo; Bokuma; Coquilhatville; Groupe Scolaire In 1938-1939, the journal Africa (London) planned a literary composition contest in African languages. Esuke’s autobiography was a submission for this contest. It is the story of the relationship between father and son. The father is a man of distinct consideration in the village of Bonguma. He and his wife move to the Catholic mission of Bokuma. The wife gives birth to a son. They are living in happiness until the time that the man inherits the harem of his father and leaves the mission. The man seems to transfer all his love to his son and to his preferred concubine, who devotes herself to the child. He takes care of his son’s upbringing with great zeal and attention. The son realizes the sincerity and ardour of his father's love, and reciprocates this love. There is the jealousy and the ruses of the mother, there is the perversity of the people, who manage to draw profit from the situation, there is the anxious behaviour of the concubine who seeks to maintain her position with the man. The boy suffers from sickness. He leaves his father temporarily to go to school. It is then the turn of the father to become ill. Then there are several attempts by the father and by the son to reestablish the former regular marriage condition and the constant ill-will of the mother to return to her husband. Finally the death of the father puts an end to the tale. Keywords : Bonguma; autobiography; Congo; Bokuma; Coquilhatville; Groupe Scolaire