BINGUÉ, THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MEDAL

Bingué, The Other Side of the Medal is the first novel by Famahan SAMAKÉ. This story coldly analyses the problem of African emigration in Europe with its trail of broken homes, shattered lives and dreams in tatters. It also paints, without concession, not only the communitarianism that is the trademark of Western society, but also the clash of cultures and the abject and senseless terrorism that targets the West. This novel also denounces the religious syncretism that characterises many Africans who find it difficult to forsake the spirits and idols of their forefathers despite claiming to be Muslims or Christians. Excerpt : ''He even asked me whether I was comfortable in the handcuffs, otherwise he would loosen them up much further. How can one ever be comfortable in chains ? I thought that only the Kunta Kintés and demons suffered such fate, but certainly not me. I was in chains and I was leaving my house in shackles, flanked by two policewomen who framed me right and left. I was under arrest. I was in chains. I was in shackles like I often read about it in French literary works by writers such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Alexandre Dumas. I was in shackles. Yes, it was not a dream, not even a nightmare. I had just been shackled up. And it was real. How did my son feel as he witnessed that scene ? I never knew. We never talked about it. It was the law of the omerta. We acted like it never happened. Someone said that great pains are ever so silent. It was most likely true. In any case, I concede they were right all along".