| Pity
and revolt are the two feelings that the readers of “Journal
d’une Bonne” shall certainly have. And this
happens in a growing evolution. Indeed, from a “gabonese
ghetto”(first part of the story) to the “surprising
happiness of the fate”, passing by the “familial
hell”, “Agathe or Adjo, following the example
of a classical tragic heroin whose fate is in advance guaranteed
by god, will suffer moral and physical tortures, which will
reach a climax at the end of the novel where she will recover,
may be, the rest…
The main theme of “Journal d’une Bonne”
is of course the new slavery form of which are suffering
African children, orphans and poor people : these who suffer
daily tragedy which is hidden by an euphemism of consensus-expressed
as : African household workers”. But this current
them in the writings of Dissirama BOUTORA TAKPA, will have
more possibilities of change thanks to the story telling
techniques used by the writer : between a false autobiography
and an intimate paper (journal) which allows the author
to disappear (or to substitute himself) in order to let
Agathe or Adjo appear.
This process is efficient for an increasing of the pathetic
events. Moreover, through this process, the author can avoid
the traps of the “realism ordinariness” and
succeeds in telling not what happened, “but what could
have happened or what was possible as far as the need or
the probability are concerned”.
In that vein, “Journal d’une Bonne” is
dealing with both social and literary concerns, an association
which gives once again evidence of social function of a
writer which confirms his tie with the genre. Through this
function, Dissirama BOUTORA TAKPA, as he is upsetting and
sensitising us, makes us be conscious of a curse which undermines
our African modern societies ; at the same time he encourages
us to fight against this modern pest, the evil which is
the concern of all of us ; this cruel injustice of which
we are in majority guilty or party to, through our silence…
It is understandable that the jury of the literary price
France-Togo wanted to award the young novelist with the
price of the edition 2001. then, there is the opportunity
to receive coolly the initiative of France-Togo Association
which works to defend and illustrate the togolese good writings.
There is also the occasion to express the gratefulness of
the author and of the publisher to the institutions which
are partners and whose help allowed the publishing of this
novel and the beginning of personal experience of support
for the publishing : those institutions are the Service
of Cooperation and Cultural Action of French embassy in
Togo and the Project Public Reading.
Finally as it is insufficient to tell about a novel I invite
people to read “Journal d’une Bonne”.
Guy Kokou MISSODEY
Teacher and Researcher (U.L)
Literary Critic.
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