Ma_Mere

------------------------------------------------- AZA 1061 CULTURE ESSAY 1 ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- AZA1061 FRENCH AND FRANCOPHONE STUDIES 1 ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- Name : Womba Njolomba ------------------------------------------------- Due Date : 25 April 2013 Instructions: 1. Don’t be tempted to answer a question before reading the whole poem. 2. Please answer all three of the following Essay questions 3. Questions must be answered in English even though you can include some quotes in French. Questions: French-speaking Literature is to owe its originality and its authenticity, and its durable contribution to Negritude movement as it returns to tribal origins or its African roots as a way of ‘Thinking Black’as suggested in Legitime Defence in 1932 created by Etienne Lero who excluded all and any compromise with Latin cultures. * 1. Read the poem A ma mère ‘To my mother’ and show in which ways Camara Laye ‘s treatment of images in this poem could be regarded as fundamentally African. (200 words) * 2. What is your response to Négritude where the ‘Black Woman’ is a central figure while the woman, as people argue, did not occupy a central place in society as it is even today' (200 words) * 3. Cesaire's disciple Frantz Fanon dismissed the Négritude movement as too simplistic, a limiting philosophy although he was not entirely against it. Can you elaborate on this' (200 words) ANSWERS 1. Camara Laye’s treatment of images in this poem is fundamentally African in that he mentions in one of his opening lines “O Dâman, O mother, who carried me on your back, who nursed me”. This act of carrying infants on the back is fundamentally African in nature as African women mostly put children in African cloths and carry them on their backs for ease of movement whereas in western culture it is sometimes seen as abusive and primitive, as for breastfeeding this in some cultures is believed to strengthen the bond between mother and child and as part of tradition and refusal to breastfeed is usually frowned upon unlike in western culture where it is optional and unfashionable. The other fundamentally African words are when he calls his mother a woman of the field and the river and later great river, which is an integral part of African literature as water in this case a river unlike in western society where they have seas and oceans and bushes or a field are also always part of African literature and culture for women to go to the fields to farm for food unlike in western culture where they go to companies to work. (203 words) 2. A woman whereas she might not have the strength is the most important piece of the puzzle and although society generally does not view the woman as central, she is the beginning of everything as a mother she brings all to life. Children growing up tend to spend more time and be more connected with the mother than the father hence almost everything a child turns out to be; all their dreams, aspirations and beliefs are mainly influenced by the woman. Additionally there is a quote even in western culture that states “behind every successful man is a woman” as they are the ones that give their support to men before anyone else does. Michelle Obama for example is credited with helping American President Barack Obama win his second term all because of a speech she gave in support of him and also the projects she started. In Africa Winnie Mandela helped Nelson Mandela as she was the one who helped keep support and belief in his cause alive when he went to prison in all the years, she never stopped rallying support for him hence when he was released it was like he never left. (197 words) 3. He concludes that the negritude movement was too focused on preaching hatred for the whites and trying to prove blacks are better than white people in every sense and this made it a shallow battle that was pointless. Fanon’s main aim was to encourage racial unity and not preach hatred. He felt this movement proved the black man to be less intellectual than he was trying to prove he was making white assumptions about his intellectualism correct. Preaching about one issue that one race was facing was very shallow of the black people sure he commended the movement for creating awareness about issues faced by black people but at that the movement should have included more complex issues (political, ethical, inequality .etc.) faced by all races. However the movement focussed on spreading black hatred towards whites which was not intellectual in his eyes blacks should have so to speak killed the whites with kindness by taking the high road and showing them how intelligent and complex he was in his thinking through preaching about issues faced by everyone and trying to create unity in order have a better world. Blacks should have not forgotten but forgiven white oppression(turning the other cheek). (202 words) A ma mère Femme noire, femme africaine, ô toi ma mère je pense à toi… Ô Dâman, ô ma mère, toi qui me portas sur le dos, toi qui m’allaitas, toi qui gouvernas mes premiers pas, toi qui la première m’ouvris les yeux aux prodiges de la terre, je pense à toi… Femme des champs, femme des rivières, femme du grand fleuve, ô toi, ma mère, je pense à toi… Ô toi Dâman, ô ma mère, toi qui essuyais mes larmes, toi qui me réjouissais le coeur, toi qui, patiemment supportais mes caprices, comme j’aimerais encore être près de toi, être enfant près de toi… Ô Dâman, Dâman de la grande famille des forgerons, ma pensée toujours se tourne vers toi, la tienne à chaque pas m’accompagne, ô Dâman, ma mère, comme j’aimerais encore être dans ta chaleur, être enfant près de toi… Femme noire, femme africaine, ô toi, ma mère, merci ; merci pour tout ce que tu fis pour moi, ton fils, si loin, si près de toi ! Camara LAYE TO MY MOTHER (an English translation by Deborah Weagel, University of New Mexico) Black woman, African woman, O mother, I think of you … O Dâman, O mother, who carried me on your back, who nursed me, who governed by first steps, who opened my eyes to the beauties of the world, I think of you … Woman of the fields, woman of the rivers, woman of the great river, O mother, I think of you … O Dâman, O mother, who wiped my tears, who cheered up my heart, who patiently dealt with my caprices, how I would love to still be near you. Simple woman, woman of resignation, O mother, I think of you. O Dâman, Dâman of the great family of blacksmiths, my thoughts are always of you, they accompany me with every step, O Dâman, my mother, how I would love to still feel your warmth, to be your child that is close to you … Black woman, African woman, O mother, thank you; thank you for all that you have done for me, your son, so far away yet so close to you! Camara LAYE