7th Edition of the Literary Café: “Le testament de Charles”
This is the title of the book by Cameroonian-born author Christian Eboulé, which was the subject of constructive discussion at this 7th Edition of the Literary Café, held at the NSIF Building at Avenue des Banques in Yaounde on the 25th of February 2025.
The attitude of the moderator and the author
The conference room on the 8th floor of the NSIF Building at Avenue des Banques was full from 4 p.m. on Tuesday, 25th February 2025, with an enthusiastic audience of NSIF staff and personalities from different walks of life invited to the 7th Edition of the Institution's Literary Café.
The participants were first given a background note by the moderator, Hervé Akame, who explained the identity of the book, the characters and, above all, the message it conveys. He then handed over to the guest of the day, who in turn gave a chromatic presentation of his book, justifying its title about the story told.
The literary community pays keen attention to the author's explanations
Should Africans sacrifice their identity, heritage, authenticity and customs on the altar of Western modernity? This was the question that guided the debate in which the author took part, to clarify the aspirations of “Charles”, the book's main character. The story of a young Cameroonian-Gabonese man who became a naturalised French citizen out of sheer greed prompted the room full of lovers of fine literature to ask questions about the strategy used by European troops during the colonial era to enlist Africans in the World Wars. Voluntarism or coercion? Debate! In any case, Charles, initiated into “Bwiti” at the age of 12 by his grandfather, the “wise Okili”, did not seem destined for a career as a warrior, until he was taken prisoner by circumstance. Aspiring to a better and “free” life, but more inspired by the authoritarian climate, he was made a soldier and contributed in his way to the success of his mission.
Participants were given the floor, as usual
Christian Eboulé spent more than an hour and a half discussing the fundamentals of Pan-Africanism with his guests, to justify the trajectory of the character in his book. It was the kind of effervescence you'd expect from a book like this, and it came as no surprise, given the intellectual added value it provided, retracing the history of our ancestors who enabled Africa to contribute to this major turning point in world diplomacy.
Cameroonian literature was aptly represented by the author, who took the opportunity to share his thoughts on global political transitions with the highly attentive audience.
The NSIF Team
The 7th Edition of the Literary Café lived up to its expectations in terms of quality, to the delight of lovers of fine literature, but above all those interested in history, our history.
