2 - (Re-)Telling the War Story, Healing the Wounds: A Bibliotherapeutic Reading of Ahmadou Kourouma’s Allah is Not Obliged
Afrique et développement,
Vol. 46 No 4 (2021): Afrique et développement
Résumé
The devastation associated with both civil conflicts and wars takes physical and emotional efforts
to heal. There are works of African literature that have analysed war trauma, testimony an healing of emotional wounds utilising psychoanalytic perspectives. This article attempt to deepen analysis of such works using a bibliotherapeutic reading of Ahmadou Kourouma’s Allah is Not Obliged. This article adopts a psychoanalytic perspective of testimony and memory to analyse reading the war story, its traumatic impact and healing potential. This article fills a gap in the intellectual understanding of the role of literature (i.e., bibliotherapeutic) in healing the wounded souls. We employed a qualitative methodological approach by which a literary analysis of the novel is done.
The literary text is complemented with an analysis of secondary materials related to civil war in Africa. Allah is Not Obliged testifies about war trauma and healing process among child soldiers
through sharing of personal stories and experiences connected to war. The various warring countries captured in the text are a metaphor for his patients – sick bodies in need of medical attention. Sicknesses are strong metaphors for social deviations. Additionally, the novel stressed the importance of writing, telling, and language as methods of traumatic flashback and bringing healing to child soldiers. We contend that reading Allah is Not Obliged can provide the reader with help in dealing with trauma of war.
Télécharger la référence bibliographique
Endnote/Zotero/Mendeley (RIS)BibTeX
- Adichie, C.N., 2003, Purple Hibiscus, Chapel Hill, NC: Algonquin Books.
- Bainto, F., 2011, ‘Child soldier: the trauma and triumph’, in A. Özerdem and S. Podder, eds, Child
- Soldiers: From Recruitment to Reintegration, Hampshire, NY: Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 20–75.
- Bøås, M., 2005, ‘The Liberian civil war: new war/old war?’,Global Society,Vol. 19, No. 1, pp. 73–88.
- Burger, J.M., 2008, Personality, 7th ed. Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth.
- Dallaire, R., 2011, They Fight Like Soldiers, They Die Like Children: The Global Quest to Eradicate the Use of Child Soldiers, New York, NY: Walker & Company.
- Denov, M., 2010, Child Soldiers: Sierra Leone’s Revolutionary United Front, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Eagleton, T., 2010, ‘On Evil’, Yale: Yale University Press.
- Eichstaedt, P., 2009, First Kill Your Family: Child Soldiers of Uganda and the Lord’s Resistance Army, Chicago, IL: Lawrence Hill Books.
- Freud, S., 2010, Beyond the Pleasure Principle. Toronto: Broadview Editions. Gates, S., 2011, ‘Why do children fight? Motivations and the mode of recruitment’, in A. Özerdem and S. Podder, eds, Child Soldiers: From Recruitment to Reintegration, Hampshire, NY: Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 29–49.
- Iweala, U., 2005, Beasts of No Nation, New York, NY: John Murray.
- Kourouma, A., 2006, ‘Allah is Not Obliged’, Trans. by Frank Wyne. New York, NY: Anchor Books.
- Machel, G., 1996, ‘The effect of armed conflict on children’, Report presented to the UN’s General Assembly.
- Matar, H., 2005, In the Country of Men, London: Viking.
- Podder, S., 2011, ‘Child soldier recruitment in the Liberian civil wars: individual motivations and rebel group tactics’, in A. Özerdem and S. Podder, eds, Child Soldiers: From Recruitment to Reintegration, Hampshire, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.pp. 20–75.
- Rosen, D., 2005, Armies of the Young: Child Soldiers in War and Terrorism, London: Rutgers University Press.
- Vingerhoets, A.J.J.M., Bylsma, L.M., and De Vlam, C., 2013, ‘Swearing: a biopsychosocial perspective’, Psychological Topics, Vol. 22, No. 2, pp. 287–304. Weiten, W., 2004, Psychology: Themes and Variations, 6th edn, London: Thomson Wadsworth.
- Zyck, S.,A, 2011, ‘“But I’m a man”: the imposition of childhood on and denial of identity and economic opportunity to Afghanistan’s child soldiers’, in A. Özerdem and S. Podder, eds, Child Soldiers: From Recruitment to Reintegration, Hampshire, NY: Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 159–72.
Les références
Adichie, C.N., 2003, Purple Hibiscus, Chapel Hill, NC: Algonquin Books.
Bainto, F., 2011, ‘Child soldier: the trauma and triumph’, in A. Özerdem and S. Podder, eds, Child
Soldiers: From Recruitment to Reintegration, Hampshire, NY: Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 20–75.
Bøås, M., 2005, ‘The Liberian civil war: new war/old war?’,Global Society,Vol. 19, No. 1, pp. 73–88.
Burger, J.M., 2008, Personality, 7th ed. Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth.
Dallaire, R., 2011, They Fight Like Soldiers, They Die Like Children: The Global Quest to Eradicate the Use of Child Soldiers, New York, NY: Walker & Company.
Denov, M., 2010, Child Soldiers: Sierra Leone’s Revolutionary United Front, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Eagleton, T., 2010, ‘On Evil’, Yale: Yale University Press.
Eichstaedt, P., 2009, First Kill Your Family: Child Soldiers of Uganda and the Lord’s Resistance Army, Chicago, IL: Lawrence Hill Books.
Freud, S., 2010, Beyond the Pleasure Principle. Toronto: Broadview Editions. Gates, S., 2011, ‘Why do children fight? Motivations and the mode of recruitment’, in A. Özerdem and S. Podder, eds, Child Soldiers: From Recruitment to Reintegration, Hampshire, NY: Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 29–49.
Iweala, U., 2005, Beasts of No Nation, New York, NY: John Murray.
Kourouma, A., 2006, ‘Allah is Not Obliged’, Trans. by Frank Wyne. New York, NY: Anchor Books.
Machel, G., 1996, ‘The effect of armed conflict on children’, Report presented to the UN’s General Assembly.
Matar, H., 2005, In the Country of Men, London: Viking.
Podder, S., 2011, ‘Child soldier recruitment in the Liberian civil wars: individual motivations and rebel group tactics’, in A. Özerdem and S. Podder, eds, Child Soldiers: From Recruitment to Reintegration, Hampshire, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.pp. 20–75.
Rosen, D., 2005, Armies of the Young: Child Soldiers in War and Terrorism, London: Rutgers University Press.
Vingerhoets, A.J.J.M., Bylsma, L.M., and De Vlam, C., 2013, ‘Swearing: a biopsychosocial perspective’, Psychological Topics, Vol. 22, No. 2, pp. 287–304. Weiten, W., 2004, Psychology: Themes and Variations, 6th edn, London: Thomson Wadsworth.
Zyck, S.,A, 2011, ‘“But I’m a man”: the imposition of childhood on and denial of identity and economic opportunity to Afghanistan’s child soldiers’, in A. Özerdem and S. Podder, eds, Child Soldiers: From Recruitment to Reintegration, Hampshire, NY: Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 159–72.