In an exclusive interview with CEMAC-ECO.FINANCE, Djaïli Amadou Amal, an award-winning author and passionate advocate for women’s rights, shares her inspiring journey from Maroua in Cameroon to becoming an influential voice for the women of the Sahel. Through her deeply personal and socially conscious writings, including the internationally acclaimed “Les Impatientes,” Amal discusses her mission to challenge societal norms and empower women, her reaction to winning the prestigious Goncourt des Lycéens, and the profound impact her work has had on her career and community.
Can you tell us about your literary career and how you became an important voice for women in the Sahel?
Born in Maroua in the Far North of Cameroon, my first real experience with books dates back to the days of my eighth birthday, with a children’s novel about an enchanted forest, elves and fairies, the title of which I unfortunately no longer remember. It was an enchanted, I’d say magical, world that I’ve never left. My passion for reading stems from this book. In the wake of my passion for reading, I’ve always written and drawn. In fact, I was already keeping a diary, but literary expression came with my awareness of the social realities of my own society. A long and winding road that led to my first novel, “Walaandé; l’art de partager un mari”, in 2010, which won international awards and was translated into several languages. Other novels followed, including the Prix Goncourt des lycéens in 2020.
Essentially, I denounce discrimination and violence against women through the themes of early and forced marriage, polygamy and socio-cultural burdens.
How did you feel about winning the Prix Goncourt des lycéens for “Les Impatientes”, and what impact did it have on your career?
An immense source of pride, of course. It had an immediate impact on both my literary and activist commitments. Les impatientes sold a record number of copies in France and has been translated into some thirty languages worldwide. The book is part of the school curriculum in Cameroon and beyond. Above all, these new resources have strengthened the activities of my association Femmes du Sahel with, among other things, the creation of 2 libraries in Douala and Maroua. My new status as a Unicef ambassador now carries my voice through high-profile advocacy campaigns.
“Les Impatientes” tackles powerful themes such as polygamy and domestic violence. What have readers’ reactions been to this subject, and what research or personal experiences have fueled the writing of this novel?
My texts are above all inspired by real events. As such, they are the product of my direct or indirect social experiences. They have been inspired by the social realities of my environment, close friends and acquaintances in the foreground and, in the case of impatient women, my own experience too. Readers’ reactions are those we generally experience in our societies. Those who criticize negatively do not generally read in their overwhelming majority. Common criticism suggested that I was anti-traditional or anti-Islamic. The latter has all but disappeared with the Choix Goncourt de l’Orient which I won in the wake of the Goncourt des lycéens and which includes 10 Arab countries. As for traditions, I would stress that these are superfluous considerations when it comes to subjects that arbitrarily cause suffering to women. Let’s be clear: no tradition can stand when it causes suffering and alienates any component of the community it characterizes. Humanity and human rights are universal, based on human values that are also obviously universal. No tradition can take precedence over these values. And by the way, while we’re on the subject, let me point out that traditions don’t just come to us from heaven – they come to us from our ancestors. They come from our ancestors. They have certainly evolved to reach us in the form in which we conceive them today. What was appropriate centuries ago is not necessarily so today. Each generation, each community, in the interests of progress and the development of its members, has the task of evolving its own traditions to adapt them to the times. A community that fails to positively evolve its traditions is condemned to its own downfall. And this evolution will only be possible thanks to enlightened people, animated by deep humanist convictions and infatuated with the truth that humanity, regardless of gender or color, is unique and enjoys strictly the same rights. For the rest, “Les impatientes” is now part of the socio-literary universe in Cameroon and in many countries in Africa and beyond, with the impact we know in terms of raising awareness of the status of women.
“Coeur du Sahel” deals with traditional beliefs and inter-ethnic class struggles. How have you balanced these elements with the contemporary realities of life in the Sahel, and what impact do you hope this book will have on social perception in this cultural area?
There’s no question here of balancing these elements with any kind of reality. The writer is the mirror of his society. An observer of his time. In this sense, events, carried through his imagination, interweave with one another in the dynamics of the novelistic framework he develops.
“Cœur du Sahel” conveys the spirit of tolerance and acceptance of difference, in line with the concept of “vivre-ensemble” , a concept that has been challenged over the past decade in our Sahelian countries and beyond, in Africa and around the world.
Your earlier books, such as “Walaandé, l’art de partager un mari”, “Mistiriijo; la mangeuse d’âmes”, and “Munyal; les larmes de la patience” were also very successful. Can you tell us about their influence on your writing?
The common denominator of these works is the theme of the status of women. Each looks at some aspect of this condition with a more or less specific sensitivity. It’s the combination of the two that makes the work so special. Having said that, the constancy remains my writing style, making language a support for my Fulani culture.
What inspired you to write “The King’s Harem” and why did you choose this title?
The environment of the lamidat, as the top-ranking traditional chieftaincies are known, particularly in North Cameroon and Nigeria, has always been omnipresent in my mind. But it’s also a mythical, closed and feared environment. We didn’t always know what was going on there, except in bits and pieces. It’s a world that has always fascinated me, ever since I was a teenager, without me deigning to set foot in it. The fate of one of my classmates, who became the king’s wife, only strengthened my sensitivity to the idea of exploring the status of women in this bastion of tradition and religion. The title speaks for itself. I decided to write a novel whose characters are the women who share the king’s intimacy. Who are these women? What are their feelings, motivations and hopes?
Can you tell us about the main characters in “Le Harem du Roi”, Boussoura and Seini, and their dynamics in the story?
The couple, a doctor and a literature professor, were in perfect love and had a happy family, until Seini decided to become king. While Boussoura is determined to save her couple from the encroachment of tradition, with its heavy-handedness and the undermining of its assets, Seini is now preoccupied with his prerogatives as lamido and the responsibilities he intends to assume. From then on, the gulf between them continued to widen.
How did you approach the themes of tradition and female emancipation in “The King’s Harem”, and what challenges did you face in writing the book?
The guiding thread was the relationship between Seini and Boussoura, and how it evolved through the tumultuous events that irremediably distanced one from the other. The royal environment, as I said earlier, was foreign to me. And this was undoubtedly the greatest challenge I faced, to succeed in making it my own through my research and the decisive testimonies likely to give me the feeling of immersion I was seeking beforehand. This is very necessary to produce highly sensitive work.
What message do you hope to convey through “Le Harem du Roi“, and were there any autobiographical elements or personal experiences that influenced the writing of this book?
There’s always an element of the self in a novel. My feminist commitment stems from my personal experiences and, as such, it goes without saying that these have influenced the writing not only of The King’s Harem, but of all my literary works to date.
“Le Harem du Roi” points out the harmful effects of certain aspects of tradition on the status of women. These include the persistence of servitude in a context where slavery has been officially abolished. On the other hand, we also gradually see how power has transformed a good man, driven by the good will to change things for the better, but who ends up losing the values and disintegrating the family unit to which he was so attached.
What is your greatest dream as a writer and activist, and what are your future plans for the evolution of your commitment to women’s rights?
My biggest dream! Imagine where I’ve come from and how far I’ve come, and you can sketch out an answer to your question yourself(laughs). In terms of projects, I’ll be continuing to publish as much as I can, while at the same time carrying out social activities through my association in favor of education and the status of women, in the name of my intellectual and militant convictions. For the rest, my commitment to women’s rights remains dynamic and will evolve in line with the new realities that will be part of my path.
Thank you again for your time and for sharing your vision and work with us. We wish you every success for “Le Harem du Roi“, which will continue to touch and inspire readers.
By Blaise Pascal TANGUY