2nd EDITION OF CAFE LITTERAIRE: Immersion into the Pygmy Culture
The hall of the NSIF Head Office was the venue for a presentation of the literary works of Cameroonian writer Jean Nke Ndih on the 9th of November 2023. Two hours of literary exchange, sharing the forest peoples, and the author's inspiration.
“We will enrich ourselves with this literary exchange through literary works from Cameroon and no longer from abroad”. With these words, NSIF Director General Noël Alain Olivier MEKULU MVONDO AKAME set the tone for the ceremony. An afternoon of immersion into literature in an institutional setting.
The aim of this second edition was to present the writer's works, notably: « Le pygmée et la camionnette d’émancipation », « Le jour dans la nuit: acteurs et activités dans Yaoundé by night », 2022 », « Enyin ya okoba: Morceaux choisis des scènes de vie de A à Z dans la société traditionnelle Ekang » et « Expressions de sagesse chez les Bëti à travers la faune et la flore ».
It was an opportunity for the author to immerse us in his essay on the pygmies, in which he presents several social problems through the lives of the Bagielli (a group belonging to the forest peoples), namely health and environmental problems, human rights violations, corruption and questions of democracy and governance.
He draws his inspiration from his experience of these peoples, and from the questions asked by those around him after writing a thesis on the lives of pygmies: “So I wondered why I shouldn't write an essay about the lives of pygmies, especially as their lives only exist in scientific books” he said.
Marked by their conservative and magico-religious character, the writer tells us about his history with the pygmies in these words “As far as their lives are concerned, you should already know that they are big meat eaters. I have spent 35 years researching them, and I know them like my own family. They like to do things with each other: eat, hunt, and chat. Read my book and you will understand better” concludes the author.
During the discussion session, several questions were asked about the author's experience with the forest people. An opportunity for the Director General to return to the particularity of these people and to question the author of the book “Le pygmée et la camionnette d’émancipation”, on the certainty of the mystical properties of the pygmies.
The event ended with a book signing session. An edition of sharing and learning around the writer's passion for the culture of indigenous people.
