• "With Dog Days, Patrice Nganang has established
himself at the forefront of the new generation of African Francophone
writers. With Swiftian tones which give this young author an authentic
and original voice, he leaves no doubt in our minds that the next
African revolution will come from its cities."
— Emmanuel Dongala, author of Little Boys Come from the
Stars and Johnny Mad Dog
• "An amazing representation of African modernity. With
its unique style, language, and rich creativity, this book indicates
how Africans are struggling to culturally and symbolically appropriate
the colonial heritage."
—Ambroise Kom, College of the Holy Cross, editor in chief of
PrČsence Francophone
|
"I am a dog," the narrator of Patrice Nganang's novel
plainly informs us. As such, he has learned not to expect too
much from life. He can, however, observe the life around him—in
his case the impoverished but dynamic Cameroon of the early 1990s,
a time known as les années de braise (the smoldering
years). When he isn't limited by the length of his master's leash,
the perceptive, even ironic, Mboudjak wanders the streets of Yaounde,
a capital city caught in the throes of social and political change.
Only partly understanding the words spoken around him (the other
dogs are as unreliable as the humans), Mboudjak relates an experience
that not only evokes the wildly diverse language of the streets—a
heady brew of French, Pidgin English, the indigenous Medumba,
and the urban slang Camfranglais—but also reflects the elusiveness
of meaning in politically uncertain times. Mboudjak is not alone
in his confusion or in his hardship. The blows he receives from
humans and the mocking laughter of other dogs are indicative of
a larger pattern of abuse that indicts the ruling regime.
Despite its unflinching depiction of a seething, turbulent society,
Dog Days is not a somber story; it is propelled by the
humor that is Mboudjak's greatest survival tool, and even by a
certain optimism. In the vibrantly chaotic marketplaces, in the
bustling energy of Massa Yo's bar, and in the escalating political
demonstrations, a brighter future for Cameroon can be glimpsed.
This story told by a canine everyman offers something for any
reader interested in freedom withheld and the early stirrings
that will someday win it back.
Patrice Nganang is Associate Professor
of French and German at Shippensburg University. Dog Days,
the second in a trilogy of novels on urban Cameroon, was recognized
with both the Marguerite Yourcenar prize and the Grand Prix de la
Littérature de l'Afrique Noire. Amy Baram Reid is Associate
Professor of French at New College of Florida.
|
