Boubacar Boris Diop Boeken

In April of 1994, nearly a million Rwandans were killed in what would prove to be one of the swiftest, most terrifying killing sprees of the 20th century. In Murambi, The Book of Bones, Boubacar Boris Diop comes face to face with the chilling horror and overwhelming sadness of the tragedy. Here, the power of Diop's acclaimed novel is available to English-speaking readers through Fiona Mc Laughlin's crisp translation and a compelling afterword by Diop. The novel recounts the story of a Rwandan history teacher, Cornelius Uvimana, who was living and working in Djibouti at the time of the massacre. He returns to Rwanda to try to comprehend the death of his family and to write a play about the events that took place there. As the novel unfolds, Cornelius begins to understand that it is only our humanity that will save us, and that as a writer, he must bear witness to the atrocities of the genocide.

The media tends to portray Africa in a manner that grossly distorts reality. The picture they paint is intended to make people of African descent feel ashamed of their past and their identity. This is unacceptable and must change. It is therefore a moral imperative for all those who can make themselves heard, to speak out. These texts reflect the point of view of an African intellectual who has selected them for this book since they were all born out of the desire to tell the truth as it is. Besides chapters that pay homage to Cheikh Anta Diop and Mongo Beti, the wide variety of topics in this book include the dilemma of the writer who is stuck between two languages, the shipwreck of the Joola in Senegal, the continuing waves of migration towards Europe and the cultural challenges of globalization. The genocide of the Tutsis in Rwanda, which too many people are still trying to deny, has been given special importance. The implication of the French government is stressed, because its responsibility in this tragedy, via François Mitterrand, is neither well-known nor accepted, despite all the irrefutable evidence. Projecting one’s gaze beyond the mirror means trying to expose the lies that hide behind so many clichés that are common currency about Africa. Above all, it means ringing the alarm bell as a warning against the sinister political intentions that feed a growing Afrophobia.

This dark and suspenseful novel tells the story of a fictitious West African country caught in the grip of civil war. The dispassionate and deadpan narrator, Asante Kroma, is a former head of Secret Services and finds himself living with the corpse of the dictator, a man who once ruled his nation with an iron fist. Through a series of flashbacks and letters penned by the dictator, N'Zo Nikiema, readers discover the role of the French shadow leader, Pierre Castaneda, whose ongoing ambition to exploit the natural resources of the country knows no limits. As these powerful men use others as pawns in a violent real-life chess match, it is the murder of six-year-old Kaveena and her mother's quest for vengeance that brings about a surprise reckoning.

The first novel to be translated from Wolof to English, Doomi Golo is a masterful work that conveys the story of Nguirane Faye and his attempts to communicate with his grandson before he dies.

Der Roman Murambi von Boubacar Boris Diop ist ein Versuch, Antworten auf den Genozid im Ruanda des Jahres 1994 zu finden. Fragen über Fragen werden darin gestellt in Form zahlreicher, perspektivisch dargelegter Standpunkte und erlittener Schicksale. In einer klaren, nüchternen und minuziös bearbeiteten Sprache erzählt der Text durchgängig den mörderischen Wahnsinn des Menschen, das Grauen. Auf der Folie zweier Lebensläufe wird das ganze Geschehen erzählerisch aufgerollt und mosaikartig zusammengefügt: Cornelius, einerseits, der nach Jahren eines unbeschwerten Lebens im Exil in die Heimat zurückkehrt (Murambi) und mit dem Ausmaß des Verbrechens (auch seines Vaters) konfrontiert wird. Auf der anderen Seite verfolgt der Leser die Entwicklung einer anderen Protagonistin, Jessica, die in Ruanda geblieben ist und den Völkermord erlebt hat. Um nicht in die Falle eines esoterischen Dualismus der Ansichten zu geraten, lässt Diop zahlreiche andere Stimmen zu Wort kommen: einfache Bürger, gehetzt und geschlachtet wie Vieh, grausame Mörder, entsetzte Zeugen, Ausgelieferte. Durch ein solches Kompositions- und Erzählverfahren bekräftigt der Autor seine Meinung, dass die Wahrheit nirgends auf einen wartet, sie muss mitten im Scherbenhaufen des verunstalteten Lebens mühsam aufgelesen werden. Boubacar Boris Diops Roman Murambi. Das Buch der Gebeine ist in erster Linie ein Werk, das sich unmittelbar an unser Bewusstsein richtet. Es lädt uns zum Nachdenken ein, auch darüber, wie es gegen Ende des Textes heißt, dass „unsere Existenz kurz ist. Sie gleicht einem Rosenkranz aus Blasen, die in unserem Inneren platzen. Wir wissen nicht einmal welches Spiel das Leben mit uns treibt, aber wir haben nichts außer ihm.“