Philip A. Ojo
Benin’s rich oral literary tradition contributed, as in other parts of the African continent, to the emergence and development of modern Beninese literature. Its thematic concerns embrace amongst others subjects, postcoloniality, nationalism, tradition and modernity, feminism, all within an overarchingly rich stylistic innovation. Although poetry (with the largest number of titles ) and drama (a genre dominated more by theatrical companies than playwrights, and the most innovative in recent years) appear to be common, prose remains the genre par excellence in contemporary Beninese literature.
Literary fora like clubs and festivals, and writing competitions played a tremendous role in inspiring and producing young writers. This intellectual and cultural ferment led to the rise of several small publishing houses publishing an average of five to ten titles annually. Examples are “Intermonde”, “Encre Egbakoku”, “Phoenix Afrique”, “Wloguèdè”, “Ruisseaux d’Afrique”, “Camoura”, “Gazette Livres” “Golfe Livre”, “La Récade du Bénin”, “Editions du Bénin”, “La Nôtre” “COPEF”, “Imprimerie Whannou”, “Imprimerie Minute”, and “MEPS” in Cotonou; “Serval”, “Probel”, “CNPMS”, “Africa du Bénin”, and “L’Etincelle” in Porto-Novo; and “Service des Publications Universitaires” in Abomey-Calavi.
However, three Cotonou-based publishing houses are unique for their unusual record of two to three dozens titles annually. They are Editions du Flamboyant (founded by Oscar de Souza), Editions Aziza (founded by Henri Dagbedji Hessou), and government-owned Editions ONEPI (Office National d’Edition de Presse de Publicité‚ et d’Imprimerie). Some authors also patronized publishers in the West African sub-region like Nouvelles Editions Africaines in Abidjan, Dakar, and Lomé; CEDA in Abidjan and Yaoundé, Nouvelles Editions Ivoiriennes in Abidjan; SONEDIS in Lomé; and Afrique Editions in Lagos. Today, Benin boasts of dozens of outstanding writers who use their creativity to comment on socio-political and cultural issues.
A popular theme in Beninese writing is a romanticizing of the country’s cultural heritage. Many texts represent efforts aimed at reviving and promoting the originality of Beninese culture. Chistine Adjahi Gnimagnon’s Do Massé: Contes fons du Bénin (2002) and Amoussa Rockyath’s Sinantou et la calebasse de la chance. Contes du Bénin (2005) were motivated by the need to preserve the memory and mythology of their native land. Their texts contain didactic folktales that help young people and adults discover the wisdom and philosophy of Benin’s rich cultural heritage. Alidjanatou Saliou-Arekpa’s Une Vie (2004) is the story of Aïcha, a Benino-Nigerian who strives and is encouraged to consistently respect her dual cultural heritage. Jérôme Carlos’sLe Miroir (1994) focuses on the dilemma authors often face when writing national literature. Given that some African notions are inexpressible in Western languages and aesthetics, Carlos suggests that the writer domesticate the French language and its literary models, and evolve a new mongrel language and aesthetics to effectively capture those aspects of Beninese culture impervious to expression in standard French. Henri Dagbedji Hessou’sLe Masque de Dakodonou (1986), examines the conflict between tradition and modernity, and depicts the wealth of Beninese culture by deploying an innovative aesthetics on oral traditions.
Gender issues and relations is another popular theme. Beninese women writers deal with a wide array of topics centered on female oppression by and subordination to patriarchy. In an attempt to change women’s condition, these writers channel their creative energy – in the form of mostly autobiographies – towards female empowerment by bringing a problematic domestic realm into the public domain, and questioning patriarchy. In Modukpè, le rêve brisé (2000), Adelaide Fassinou cautiously revisits the whole concept of womanhood and challenges the essentialist patriarchal idea consigning the sign, woman, to a reproductive function. She encourages self-empowerment by depicting how education can lift them from their subaltern status. Her work raises awareness about the evils of early marriage, which jeopardizes girls’ education, and the cruel fate of young girls who are forced to marry much older men. Ken Bugul’s Le baobab fou (1982) and Riwan ou le chemin de sable (1999) narrate the common experience and destiny of African women under abusive patriarchal systems. The texts contain paradoxical but bold reflections on African traditions and specifically denounce polygamy, which exposes some women (and their children) to untold mental, material, and physical torture.
In the context of daily life in Benin, Adélaïde Fassinou’s Yémi ou le miracle de l'amour (2001) narrates the experience of Yèmi, a young girl, who is placed as “vidomègon” in a wealthy family in Cotonou. Contrary to the experience of most “vidomègon”, who are subjected to all forms of abuse and exploitation, Yèmi enjoys the same rights and privileges as the biological children of the family. This positive experience shows that the happiness or misfortune of the "vidomègon" depends mainly on the character of the employer. A negative experience of “vidomègon” is related in Flore Hazoumé’s Une vie de bonne (1999), the story of Sarafato, a “vidomègon”, who shares her testimony of unending psychological, physical, and sexual abuses. Both authors write about the detrimental effects of child labor and child trafficking; they denounce the miserable conditions of orphans and deprived children who roam Cotonou streets, and they advocate love, compassion, tolerance as well as a greater sense of responsibility on the part of society. The virtues of kindness and compassion are further examined in Adélaïde Fassinou’s Enfant d'autrui, fille de personne (2003) where Ananou adopts two abandoned orphans and shows motherly care, her own way of alleviating the sufferings of the underprivileged.