Identifier

etd-0526103-104932

Degree

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

French Studies

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

My thesis deals with : ««Engagement» in African Literature : the study of the Poetic Myth: Maïéto Pour Zékia by Joachim Bohui Dali or the Violence as the Symbol for Love». According to the myth of Maïé, at the beginning of the world, men and women lived in different areas and the two communities did not have any physical let alone sexual contact. After a significant war between these two groups, the women were defeated and therefore forced the men to marry. In short, the myth of Maïé explains how men and women met. Bohui Dali, in his book has inverted the myth of Maïé. The new war, according to him, is no longer between men and women. The war in the poem of Bohui Dali is the one that opposes Good to Evil. There are two main reasons for my choice of this topic: First of all, Maïéto Pour Zékia is the first literary work to have dealt with the mythic origin of marriage and polygamy in Ivorian society. In addition, Maïéto Pour Zékia allows us to understand the suffering of women in Africa and why they are always considered to be «inferior» to men. Then, Maïéto Pour Zékia presents issues for a possible approach to teaching of African oral literature in universities and other academic institutions. First, I will begin my study by situating the space of diffusion of the myth of Maïé in a comparative context and by defining the term of myth and explaining its importance in African culture. Finally, I will concentrate on the study of the poetic myth of Maïéto Pour Zékia. I will insist on some aspects such as the place of women in the rebirth of African culture, the question of violence, and the theory of «Engagement» in African literature.

Date

2003

Document Availability at the Time of Submission

Release the entire work immediately for access worldwide.

Committee Chair

Ngandu N. Pius

DOI

10.31390/gradschool_theses.3646

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