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of nobility by presenting its beauty in all its facets, in an infinite kaleidoscope. This is what I wish to do through the novels that I write. I campaign for the rehabilitation of Africa by the Africans themselves and I believe in the rebirth of this continent.
In Agnonlètè ", the life of an Amazon, you speak of Benin and slavery. Was it easy to find a suitable narrative to tell a subject which remains very little known and which sometimes hurts the perceptions of each other despite the plethora of books on slavery?
The research work that this novel asked me to do was fascinating. I studied documents in the form of texts, images and works of art. Friends were kind enough to inform me about the habits and customs of their regions. I then felt transported to the 17th century, in different countries of Africa and Europe. The subject of slavery is delicate: painful for some, embarrassing for others. So, I chose to remain objective to present this dark page of the history of humanity, according to the version of those who suffered: the Africans. It is time that we reveal what really happened to us for centuries. Europeans, for their part, should be able to face the reality of past acts. It is not a question of revengeful accusations but of the reestablishment of the truth about this slavery that certain countries of Europe imposed to black people after the destruction of Native Indians.
A question that has often been asked to African writers and essayists on slavery. After your research, notably in the history of slavery, do you think it is still normal to accuse Africa as a chief collaborator in the slave trade?
Thank you for asking me this question.
It is time to expose a shameless lie. The one who says that Africans are responsible, the main craftsmen, the organizers of slavery. This toxic information was spread in bad faith. Conscious of the ugliness of their acts, those who participated in these horrors decided to lay guilt on their victims. They acted like lecherous attackers, those who swear that the victim provoked them by an indecent attitude or behavior. This misinformation has been so widespread that it passes for the truth. However, the reality of transatlantic slavery stands in cowardly aggression.
Welcomed from 1400, European adventurers, Portuguese for the first, informed their kings about hospitality and the absence of firearms on this continent. So, they destroyed the kingdoms and civilizations of Africa by incessant attacks, and this for centuries. Despite resistance from Africans, European mercenaries invaded the territories, built forts along the coasts, depopulated regions by killing and kidnapping people. The survivors of all these raids have been traumatized, lost. The amount and the quality of the population weakened. Their descendants intoxicated by lies ended up believing their ancestors were guilty, since they sold their brothers, sisters, parents and children.
It's time to set the record straight: Africans are the victims of an aggression that has taken place on their soil, on the sea, abroad, and this for centuries. Introduced into a system of suffering, they could only get out of it by death. So, it was genocide.
What does the word Agnonlètè means? And why did you choose it, as the title of your work?
I asked a Beninese friend a word meaning you are beautiful in Fon language. When she answered me, I heard and transcribed "Agnonlètè". Read [ Ah Nyong Laih Taih]
I wanted through this name to celebrate the virtuous African Woman, with dark complexion and woolly hair so that the natural beauty that melanin gives triumph. In this novel, I campaign for the natural complexion of black women, frizzy hair and the graceful forms that we are the only ones to have.
I also wanted to present an image of beauty of strength and nobility to draw the reader's attention to a reality: African women are warriors who wage several noble combats at the same time.
Your Heroine is a strong black woman who faces a king. Although the intrigue of your novel is in the past, it is no less topical because the heroine has the gall to say no to a king; something difficult to believe even in our days, when so many stories about manners, abuse of authority, are making headlines. By building this intrigue what was your objective? to make a statement about feminist militancy, or just to promote equity?
In building this intrigue I wanted to show that, no matter how strong a man is, a woman is never obliged to give in, if she does not wish to bond with him. You can say "no" to maintain your dignity. It is a value that deserves to be emphasized because nowadays, too much importance is attached to money and power.
Flashmag January 2020 www.flashmag.net