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- Ferdinand Oyono's Houseboy (1956): The Power Struggles between France and West Africa
Ferdinand Oyono's Houseboy (1956): The Power Struggles between France and West Africa
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The French language in Ferdinand Oyono’s Houseboy reveals the power struggles between the colonizers and the colonized that took place in French West Africa.
| creator | Kinana, Aminata Buganzi |
| Title | Ferdinand Oyono's Houseboy (1956): The Power Struggles between France and West Africa |
| advisor | Mevorach, Katya Gibel |
| advisor | Byrd, Vance |
| supporting host | Grinnell College. German Department. |
| supporting host | Grinnell College. Anthropology Department. |
| Index Date | 2018 |
| Date Issued | 2018-05-11 |
| Publisher | Grinnell College |
| Type of Resource | text |
| Genre | research paper |
| Digital Origin | born digital |
| Digital Extent | 33 pages |
| Media Type | application/pdf |
| note | This paper investigates the use of the French language in Ferdinand Oyono’s Houseboy and how it reveals the power struggles between the colonizers and the colonized that took place in French West Africa. The French language has played several roles in the history between Europe and Africa. It acted as a symbol of domination in the colonial period when it signified the power of the colonizers, and only a minority of Africans had the opportunity to learn French. During the fall of the French empire as decolonization was sweeping the African continent, the role of the language transformed into one of resistance as Africans proficient in the language became revolutionaries and led independence movements in their countries. In the modern world, the French language has become a symbol of collaboration as it unites France with her former African colonies through la Francophonie. Many people think of the relationship between France and West Africa as one filled with a history of abuse, oppression and even death, but these events and interpretations are a part of a much larger story. France and West Africa have evolved together with the French language acting as the primary facilitator of their exchanges. This research stresses the advantages of studying the relationship between these regions with nuance rather than through a balkanized lens that separates the two and shows one as consistently more powerful and influential than the other. A more complex view of the relationship allows for the efficient study of the several identities and trade dealings that have stemmed from centuries of collaboration between the European and African continents. |
| Language | English |
| Topic | History and criticism |
| Topic | African literature (French) |
| Topic | Oyono, Ferdinand, 1929-2010. Vie de boy. |
| Topic | French literature |
| Geographic | Africa, West |
| Temporal | Nineteen fifties |
| Keyword | French Colonialism |
| Keyword | African Independence |
| Keyword | The Power of Language |
| Keyword | Post-Colonial Studies |
| Keyword | African Literature |
| Keyword | Ferdinand Oyono |
| Classification | PQ3989.O9 V5 |
| Related Item | Digital Grinnell |
| Related Item | Student Scholarship |
| Identifier (local) | grinnell:23297 |
| Access Condition | Copyright to this work is held by the author(s), in accordance with United States copyright law (USC 17). Readers of this work have certain rights as defined by the law, including but not limited to fair use (17 USC 107 et seq.). |
| Identifier (hdl) | http://hdl.handle.net/11084/23297 |