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Two giants of Ivorian literature

Ahmadou Kourouma · Bernard Dadié

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Ahmadou Kourouma (1927–2003) wrote Les Soleils des indépendances (1968, first published in Montreal) about disillusion after independence, and Allah n'est pas obligé (2000, Prix Renaudot) about child soldiers. Bernard Dadié (1916–2019), born in Assinie, was a writer and playwright and minister of culture from 1977 to 1986, known as the 'father of Ivorian literature', author of Climbié and Un Nègre à Paris.

Kourouma brought the rhythm and thought of Malinké into French and changed African literature in French; Dadié, through his long life and work, witnessed a whole century from colonisation to independence.

CE QUE VOUS VERREZ · What you will see

On the bookshelves of Abidjan's elite, a book called The Suns of Independence; the full name of the national cultural palace in Treichville is 'Palais de la Culture Bernard Binlin-Dadié'.

POURQUOI · So what

Literature conveys the hopes and disappointments after independence with more warmth than history books.

SAVOIR-FAIRE · How to use it

Mentioning that you are reading Kourouma at an elite dinner is a powerful cultural signal. Allah n'est pas obligé is available in English as Allah Is Not Obliged.

Asian and European parallelsCompare Pai Hsien-yung or Huang Chun-ming: a society's transformation told through ordinary people.

Where to experience itBookshops in Abidjan (such as Librairie de France); second-hand bookshops in France.