Culture of Thursday, 11 December 2014

Source: culturebene.com

Cameroon hosts ‘Prix Femina 2013’ award winner

Cameroon hosted one of its ambassadors of literature on its soil, Leonora Miano, author of a dozen books including ‘The Season of the Shadow’ which earned her one of the big awards of her French literature, ‘Prix Femina 2013’ which offered the public in Douala and Yaoundé a slice of her various work they did not know about.

After a press conference which was held earlier this week, Leonora Miano reviewed her books: L’intérieur de la Nuit, et également La Saison de l’ombre, un pur chef-d’œuvre sur la traite négrière sous une vue afro-centrée.

Subtle and concise, the author first of all took the opportunity to clarify the approach of her book which provoked certain reactions and how the African Union had wanted to stick to it.

As a citizen of France, she stated that ‘it does not mean I am not attached to my native land. I am a native of the coast in Cameroon.

"No one can take Cameroon out of me, even if I fall I will always shout Ayo Mbandééé", she said.

The author enlightens the reader to the genesis of that book in her mind and motives of her writing.

On Monday, December 8 and Tuesday, December 9 a meeting concerning her works took place in the auditorium of Yaoundé. The public was invited to trade on ‘Memoirs Speech on capture- Saharan slave trade’ in the presence of teachers like Alioum Idrissou, Ahmadou SeHou, Henry Kam, Kah Efuetnkeng and Stephen.

The exchanges were preceded by a screening of a new documentary of 52 minutes on the slave trade in Cameroon entitled, ‘La Route de l’Esclavage', directed by Souley Mane, a Lecturer at the Higher School of Yaoundé.

The visit was hosted by poet and Editor Jean-Claude Awono.