I’ll admit it. I struggled with Part 1 of this book. Too lovey dovey I thought at some point. But I hardly ever give up on books and I certainly wasn’t going to set one down by one of Africa’s most acclaimed authors. So I consumed every word of Mariama’s elaborate painting of the love that Mireille and Ousmane shared.
A love that knew no colour and boundaries let alone oceanic rifts.
Separated momentarily they come of age. With Mirielle becoming more aware of the injustices posed by the very systems that her family benefits from and Ousmane interacting with fellow revolutionaries.
What remains through all of this is seemingly the love shared. Swayed by affairs but steadfast in the hope of a reunion.
Solidified by defiance and tested by time and eventually gratification in the form of an unlikely union.
As soon as you’ve bought into the idea of this rosy love story, the world starts crumbling.
Little things they say. Little intricacies like placement of laundry and cutlery usage. Varied taste in music. Constant efforts at pleasing one’s parents.
A mother’s constant disapproval not helping the situation whatsoever and with the preconceived notions on white women clouding every form of reason. Ans just when I thought Ousmane’s intellect and exposure over the years would help overcome this enters Ouleymatou. A woman on a mission.
Nothing can stop that kind of conviction and treacherous behaviour with a properly laid out plan.
As with many accounts of African relationships and marriages: Win the in-laws (particularly the mother-laws ) heart and you get peace in your union. Provided the selfish wants of a mother in law are met yours is basically a sealed deal.
It was only a matter of time!
Even when I could tell there was just a countable number of pages left I was hoping Ousmane would snap out of it somehow. Especially with the intervention of his friend Ali who offered wise counsel to Ousmane.
Referencing heart and reason; codes of honour but it all fell on deaf or rather defiant ears.
Besides what is wisdom to an infatuated man?
Considering Ousmane Gueye’s past as the ‘uncompromising disciple of Negritude’, Ali and Rosalie could only find justification in the possibility of Ousmane being spellbound by dédelés. Thinking that perhaps ritualistic deliverance would do. But what are rituals to a man lost in what he claims ‘the love he deserves’?
The role of friendships extends in the varied opinions with some admitting to cross-breeding as a a means to an end. There’s Boly who never understood why a man of Ousmane’s caste would marry a white woman while there existed enough black women. Ousseynou only cares in as far as his reputation is concerned.
In these sentiments Ousmane finds justifications. His actions he sees as a reclamation of his Africaness with Ouleymatou being a symbol of Africa.
His initial obsessions with Mireille he considers mere attempts at attaining the unattainable for a man of his means. Assertions sought and found and no longer useful.
There’s no shortage of “tributaries to swell the torrent of passion which carried him away”
He becomes a walking contradiction to most of what he once stood for. Adopting conveniences afforded to him as an ‘African man’ at the expense of fundamentals such as peace and equilibrium in his household.
As with all entanglements (Yes they called it that :) - P. 150), other parties stand to suffer and in this case Mireille bears the brunt of desertion. Alone in spite of all the sacrifices she made. Alone in spite of the son who in light of the burden placed on children as ties that bind marriages. Her love for her son is overcome by thoughts that Gorgui is the barrier for a prodigal return to her family and this plays out into an eventual murder.
Looking back to seek that which got her to her sad existence. Realizing that all the words penned in old love letters were only as a result of her temporary occupation of Ousmane’s heart.
And so she spirals. On the verge of madness intrinsic to long time suffering. Vital ingredients to inevitable derangement.
It was only a matter of time!
Race; Caste; Chauvinism; Tradition; Societal influence and appeasement for all and sundry; Love; Hate; and more. All bound up in this tale whose combination of themes and scenarios reveals a lot about the place of women as dictated by patriarchy. Considering the brevity of the book it is certainly amazing that this much could be packed into the few pages.