


































EXCELLENCY JOFOCUS 2025.cdr


The Representation of the Congolese and their Traditions in 

Alain Mabanckou's Novels

  Chiemela  Imelda Ibeku, Phd

 Federal University Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti State Nigeria

   07032786331

chiemela.ibeku@fuoye.edu.ng melabeks@yahoo.com or 

Abstract
Folklore covers too many territories that prompt one to be specific 
about the kind of Folklore and where it is drawn from. Using the 
Congo region as a sample of African folklore culture, this paper 
examines how Alain Mabanckou depicts the disharmonious 
behaviour of the Congolese in his novels (Demain, j'aurai vingt ans 
(2010), (translated as Tomorrow I' ll be Twenty) and Memoirs de 
Porc-épic (translated as Memoirs of a Porcupine) and Petit Piment 
(translated as Black Moses)  through folklore and the presentation of 
the vices of some persons in the region, their belief in traditional 
superstitions as it relates to the progress of the region under study. 
Through the lens of folk narrative theory, this paper examines how 
folktales serve not just as an entertainment but also as vital tools to 
critique the anomalies in a given society. Mabanckou's use of folklore 
in his narratives succeeded in creating a vivid portrait of rural 
Congolese society, their values, ways of thinking and behaving, how 
they learn, who they are and how they make meaning out of the world 
around them. This paper centres on folklore as a tool for addressing 
the negative activities of the Congolese as well as their beliefs in 
traditional superstitions which have hindered development in the 
Congo region. The findings reveal that greed, power and human 
nature are interconnected and that he who lives by the sword dies by 
the sword. This paper concludes that folklore is not just body of 
expressive culture but also a tool to correct the anomalies in a given 
society.
Keywords: Alain Mabanckou, Traditional Superstitions, 
Folklore, Congo region, Cultural Practices 

Chiemela Imelda Ibeku, PhD - The Representation of the Congolese and
their Traditions in Alain Mabanckou’s Novels

116

Introduction
 African culture shares historical and cultural experiences 
which shape how they share and exchange intellectual concepts, 
material goods and cultural traditions.  The term “folklore “ was 
first used in 1846 by an English scholar, William John Thoms, who 
molded his ideas for studying expressive culture on the work of 
the Grimm brothers (Oring, 1986c,6). Folklorists looked for 
references to traditions and beliefs in other to locate folklore 
within a certain ethnic, social or cultural framework, and to trace 
the migration of texts as people moved from one geographic 
region to another and transmitted texts within and across 
generations or social groups. Taking note of the significance of 
words, symbols or references, as well as looking for literary 
patterns in oral and written texts, anchored this approach in 
academic and literary study, which reinforced the idea of a text as 
an object that could be studied separately from settings of the 
people who shared and created the texts (Sims, M. and Stephens, 
M. 2005, 23).

 Literature is a part of people's culture and language. The 
examination of Alain Mabanckou'sDemain, j'aurai vingt 
ans(translated as Tomorrow I' ll be Twenty),Memoirs de Porc-épic 
(translated as Memoirs of a Porcupine) and Petit Piment 
(translated as Black Moses) looks at literature and it's role as a 
mirror of the society.

 Folklore is a widely used term that is adopted in reframing 
a holistic picture of grief, archetypes, identity, myths and factual 
picaresque form of originality and oppression (P. Hoideiniang and 
B. Evangeline: 2023). The selected novels uses folklore as a 
mechanism to portray the price of power in the society while 
shading light on the level of greed in the Congolese society. 
Folklore is an arrangement of expressive culture like those of oral 
history, customs, music and so forth, which transfigured itself into 
an assessment of Information and tradition of various social fields 
(Zou and B, 2023).

COOU JOFOCUS: COOU Journal of Folklore and Cultural Studies, Vol. 5, No. 1, 2025

117

mailto:chiemela.ibeku@fuoye.edu.ng
mailto:melabeks@yahoo.com


 Following the definitions of great scholars in folklore such 
as Alan Dundes, Mary Hufford and William Wilson, folkloreplays 
important roles in every day life of the people in the society. It 
shapes every day experiences in stories and also helps in the way 
they discover and express who they are and how they interact and 
fit into the world. In the novels under study, Mabanckou passed 
through the roles of folklore to denounce the backwardness of the 
Congo region without outright confrontation. Mabanckou 
personified an animal – the Porcupine who has a human double to 
achieve this in Memoirs de Porc-épicand Petit Piment. While 
belief in traditional superstitions is used in Demain, j'aurai vingt 
ans as a vehicle to denounce the actions and activities of the 
Congolese in the face of their plight. The novels under study touch 
what folklore does and what it means to the society that shares it in 
a bid to expose the greed, power tussle and unhealthy competition 
in the Congo region.

 Many definitions illustrate the ways that folklore is part of 
unofficial, non-institutional knowledge and experience. For Jan 
Harold, “folklore is the traditional, unofficial, non-institutional 
part of culture.  It encompasses all knowledge,  values, attitudes, 
understanding,  assumptions, feelings and beliefs transmitted in 
traditional forms by word of mouth or by customary examples 
(1978,4). The process of folklore is a combination of both 
changing (dynamic) and static (conservative) elements that 
connect with a group's past and present in ways that evolve and 
change through sharing, communication performance (Toelken, 
1996,). Folklorists such as Mabanckou go into the field in 
contemporary societies to observe, record and write about people, 
what they do, what they believe in and how they communicate not 
just to shape or preserve culture but also to convey political 
message through animal characters. Alain Mabanckou passed 
through traditional knowledge systems and cultural practices to 
mock the Congolese for being responsible for the backwardness in 
their region. 

Chiemela Imelda Ibeku, PhD - The Representation of the Congolese and
their Traditions in Alain Mabanckou’s Novels

118

Memoirs de Porc-épic is Mabanckou's folk narrative that 
personified a Porcupine who has a human double and serves as a 
source of terror for the local population. The Porcupine is known 
for its intrigues and enormous capacity to outwit bigger 
opponents, including supernatural beings. The Porcupine is more 
of a trickster and culture bearer. The novel presents the character 
of the Porcupine not as a creator but a destroyer who failed to fulfil 
his promises and who dupes others at will. Mabanckou in Demain, 
j'aurai vingt ans and Petit Piment made references to the 
Congolese reliance on traditional superstitions to make progress 
in life. This paper affirms that Mabanckou passed through his folk 
narratives not only to teach a lesson but also to convey a political 
message about the state of affairs in the Congo region. 

Folk Narrative Theory 
 Theories complement the social functions and educational 
values of the folktale. Tales are the mirrors of the society which 
validate culture; it can entertain, educate and also critique the state 
of affairs in a given region. This paper deploys folk narrative 
theory for the analysis of the message that Mabanckou tried to 
pass to the Congolese in relation to the state of affairs in their 
region.Folk narrative theory is the best tool for this analysis as 
Mabanckou paid close attention to literary elements such as 
character roles, structure and moral lessons inherent in the texts 
under study.  Mabanckou's character choice helps to shed more 
light on societal expectations and conflicts in the region.  Folk 
narrative theory is a framework used to interpret and analyse oral 
literature and traditional stories passed down through generations 
within specific cultural groups (world literature, 2024). The theory 
is more concerned about the role of storytelling in shaping values, 
social norms and cultural identity as well as its function in 
community bonding and historical preservation. 

 Folk narrative theory is very relevant where references are 
made to how folktales serve not just as a tool for entertainment but 
also for correcting the societal ills that hinder development. It is 

COOU JOFOCUS: COOU Journal of Folklore and Cultural Studies, Vol. 5, No. 1, 2025

119



also necessary where the storyteller is seen or considered as a 
pivotal figure in maintaining the dynamic nature of oral traditions 
through performance. Folk narrative theory is very relevant for 
cultural studies as it shows themes that revolve in narratives across 
different societies while reflecting unique cultural contexts.  

 Folk narrative theory is the right tool box for the analyses 
of the novels under study because it helps us to appreciate the 
significance of oral traditions within a given society or region.  
The personification of a Porcupine in Memoirs de Porc-
épicreveals the level of greed in the society and how the 
Congolese hide under the umbrella of superstitions to inflict pains 
against one another. Folk narrative theory provides valuable 
insights about the role of oral traditions in the preservation of 
cul tural  ident i ty  and shared values  within specific 
groups.Mabanckou's exploration in the novels under study 
reflects the region's social norms, history and moral lessons. 
Mabanckou's role in the narratives fosters a sense of belonging 
and continuity in the culture. The author's involvement in the most 
exciting developments of knowledge on folklore and cultural 
studies were made manifest in the publications of the novels under 
study.

 In today's society, folk narrative theory remains relevant 
because it helps to highlight diverse experiences that contribute to 
the global cultural diversity while preserving core values. 

Literature Review
Existing literature that relates to the present study is available both 
in English and French languages. However, the existing body of 
works leaves scope for reading Mabanckou's Demain, j'aurai 
vingt ans, Memoirs de Porc-épicand Petit Piment through the 
perspective of folk narrative theory. Below is a brief literature 
review concerning the present study.  

Chiemela Imelda Ibeku, PhD - The Representation of the Congolese and
their Traditions in Alain Mabanckou’s Novels

120

Sims, M. and Stephens, M. (2005) affirm that folklore is a way of 
understanding people and the wide-ranging creative ways we 
express who we are and what we value and believe. Mitra (2007) 
attempts a reading of selected Bengali folktales in his book 
MethodologyofFolklorethrough the perspectives of historical 
materialism and psychoanalysis. The study reflects the nature of a 
feudalistic society, its forms of oppression and subsequent class 
struggle. 

 Tagore (2018) maintains that folktales reflect the 
resistance of common people against the forces of social 
oppression, economic exploitation and unjust sufferings 
experienced in Indian society.  This study is very relevant to the 
present study from the perspective of Alain Mabanckou in the 
selected novels as they relate to the Congolese society. 
Nath(2023) examines the themes and characters of two selected 
tales, namely Tejimola and Panesoi, from the collection of 
Assamese folktales entitled BurhirAair Sadhu, in the light of 
historical materialism and Freudian psychoanalysis respectively. 
The paper affirms that the body of folk literature is the symbolic 
representation of the class struggle itself. 

Folklore: A representation of reality in the Congo region 
 Folk literature stands as oral narratives among the people 
of a particular nation or community. This paper examines 
Mabanckou's depiction of the state of affairs in the Congo region 
through folktales and the region's belief in traditional 
superstitions. The expectations and desires of a given society find 
expressions in items such as music, myths and folktales. Thus, the 
read ing  of  Mabanckou ' s  Demain ,  J 'aura iv ing tans , 
MemoirsdePorc-épicand Petit Piment through the lens of folk 
narrative theory provides valuable insights to repression, social 
problems, anxieties as well as people's responses or reactions in 
the face of their plight. 

COOU JOFOCUS: COOU Journal of Folklore and Cultural Studies, Vol. 5, No. 1, 2025

121



 Memoirs de Porc-épic is the tale of a Porcupine who has a 
human double, Kibandi. The main character is just an ordinary 
Porcupine in the Congo region until Papa Kibandi performs a 
ritual that transformed him into the harmful double of his son : a 
vrai dire, je n'ai rien a envier aux hommes, je me moque de leur 
prétendue intelligence puisque j'ai moi-même été pendant 
longtemps le double de l'homme qu'on appelait Kibandi et qui est 
mort avant-hier ......  (MemoirsdePorc-épic, 2006:8). To be 
honest, I would not want to be a man, they can keep their so-called 
intelligence, for years I was the double of a man named Kibandi, 
who died two days ago ... (Memoirs of a Porcupine, 2011:11). 

According to Greene, L and Burke, J. (2017), myth offers us a vast 
array of stories about parent-child relationships. The human 
imagination founds solace and enlightenment in creating tales 
about mothers, fathers, sons and daughters and the mystery of 
what binds them together through unbreakable emotional cords. 
Family myth revolves around how parents expect nothing less 
than success and progress from their children. Mabanckou passed 
through the character of Papa Kibandi to make sense of how 
parents go to the extreme for their children to succeed in life.

  In Memoirs de Porc-épic, the Porcupine reveals that Papa 
Kibandi performs a ritual to transform him into a harmful double 
of his son in a bid to secure his future and make him more powerful 
in the society. Kibandi is a symbol of a common man in the society 
whose actions and activities (killing innocent people with the help 
of his animal double, the porcupinethrough fetish means) have 
indirectly caused many families the Joy and happiness they 
deserve : ... Mama Kibandi ne sut rien de plus sur l'affaire , le père 
et le fils savaient de quoi ils parlaient et il y avait ces décès qui se 
multipliaient à Mossaka, des décès qui ne s'espacaient plus, les 
enterrements se suivaient, on avait à peine fini de verser des larmes 
sur un mort qu'un autre attendait son tour, Papa Kibandi ne se 
rendait pas à ces funérailles , cela suscita des interrogations dans 
un village où tout le monde se connaissait ... (Memoirs de Porc-

Chiemela Imelda Ibeku, PhD - The Representation of the Congolese and
their Traditions in Alain Mabanckou’s Novels

122

épic, 2006:51). Mama Kibandi knew nothing more about it, father 
and son understood each other and there were so many deaths in 
Mossaka, one hard upon the other, nose to tail burials, you had no 
sooner finished lamenting one dear departed, and there was 
another one lined up, Papa Kibandi did not go to the funerals, 
which got people asking questions in the villages, where everyone 
knew everyone  ... (Memoirs of a Porcupine,  2011: 54). Folklore 
draws all participants into highly active roles. The characters of 
Kibandi and Papa Kibandi play active negative roles in the society. 
They both had animal doubles that terrorised the local population 
and caused them their peace of mind. Kibandi has a Porcupine as 
an animal double while Papa Kibandi has a rat with abnormal tail 
as the animal double.

 Mythodological stories often describe events which occur 
outside of the human experience with non-human characters and 
events that cannot be proven to be true or false. Mabanckou 
deploys folklore as a self-help psychology to explain the mysteries 
of life and shed more light on human nature as they relate to the 
state of affairs in the Congo region. Mossaka which formed part of 
the settings of Memoirs de Porc-épic is presented as a deadly 
environment where people died in numbers. The high number of 
deaths occurred not as a result of environmental degradation or 
pollution but as a result of man's inhumanity to man.

 Mabanckou through Memoirs de Porc-épic retold the 
stories of humans with animal doubles, exploring the 
psychological themes associated to it with insights on how the 
stories apply to the lives of the Congolese in the face of their 
plight. From mans inhumanity to man, to corruption, exploitation, 
oppression, wickedness family conflicts and ambition, to 
ultimately facing the responsibility and roles of the individual in 
the society. Mabanckou passes through folklore and traditional 
superstitions to expose the darkness, challenges and loss in the 
Congo region due to the negative actions and activities of the 
people.

COOU JOFOCUS: COOU Journal of Folklore and Cultural Studies, Vol. 5, No. 1, 2025

123



 The depictions in Memoirs de Porc-épic seem to represent 
a denouncement of the date toll emanating from incessant killings 
in tribal wars in the Congo region. Mabanckou's characters were 
used as symbols to represent the evil that exist in the society, in 
relation to the ethnic crisis that claimed many lives as a result of 
greed, anger, envy and jealousy among the ethnic groups:

sans doute étaient-ce la frustration et la 
révolte qui avaient conduit mon maîtreà 
vouloir s'occuper de cette famille parce  que, 
je dois le préciser, mon cher Baobab, pour 
qu'un être humain en mange un autre il faut 
des raisons concrètes, la  jalousie, la colère, 
l'envie, l'humiliation, le manque de respect, 
je te jure que nous n'avons en aucun cas 
mangé quelqu'un juste pour le plaisir de le 
manger, … (Mémoirs de Porc-épic, 
2006:77).

I expect it was frustration and fury that 
drovemy master to take on this family, 
because, let me make it quite clear, dear 
Baobab,for one human being to eat another 
you need concrete reasons, jealousy, anger, 
envy, humiliation, lack of respect, I swear we 
never for once ate someone just for the 
pleasure of eating, …  (Memoirs of a 
Porcupine, 2011:81).

Mabanckou deploys folk narrative to ridicule the level of anger, 
hatred, frustration and jealousy in the society. The Congo region 
has been known as a resource-rich country, but sadly, the region 
has been facing a major rebel attack and has been ravaged by tribal 
conflict with high number of deaths for so many years. Although 
many have condemned and denounced the silence of the 
international community in the face of perpetual crisis in the 
region. Alain Mabanckou, as the son of the soil shows his 

Chiemela Imelda Ibeku, PhD - The Representation of the Congolese and
their Traditions in Alain Mabanckou’s Novels

124

engagement and commitment in the literary arena of Central 
Africa through the publication of Memoirs de Porc-épic to 
denounce corruption, tribalism, power tussle, mismanagement, 
greed, terror and other societal ills that lead to loss of lives in the 
region. Although Mabanckou passed through folklore and 
traditional superstition to achieve this, but he made success 
through his characterisation, settings, themes, plots and other 
literary devices deployed in the novels under study.
Consequently, the character of Amédée is regarded as a symbol of 
light in the society but this light was deemed as a result of the level 
of jealousy, envy and hatred inherent in the society:

d'un type qu'on appelait Amédée, si je 
parle de lui au passé, c'est qu'iln'est plus 
de ce monde, paix à son âme, il était ce 
que leshumains appellent un lettré, un 
homme cultivé, il avait fait de longues 
études, on le respectait pour cela, en 
plus il avaitbeaucoup voyagé, il était 
monté à plusieurs reprises dans l'avion, 
cet oiseau bruyant qui déchire le ciel et 
manque chaquefois de trancher ton 
faîte, il paraît qu'Amédée était le plus 
intelligent des gens du Sud, pour ne pas 
dire du pays entier, eh bien, nous 
l'avions quand même mangé comme tu 
l'apprendras bientôt, (Mémoirs de 
Porc-épic, 2006:81).

… from a guy called Amédée, and the 
reason I speak of him in the pasttense is 
because he has passed on to the next 
world, may his soul rest in peace, he 
was what humans called an educated 
man, a cultivated man, who had studied 
for many years, he was respected for it, 
he had travelled widely, he had been up 
in a plane several times, one of those 
noisy birds that rip the sky in two, every 

COOU JOFOCUS: COOU Journal of Folklore and Cultural Studies, Vol. 5, No. 1, 2025

125



time you think it's going to take your 
head off, apparently Amédée was the 
most intelligent man in the entire south, 
not to say in the whole country, but that 
did not stop us, we still ate him, as you 
will soon learn, …(Memoirs of a 
Porcupine, 2011:85).

 The death of Amédée is an allegory of how the actions and 
activities of the Congolese have caused the region the progress and 
development they so much desire. The narrator made reference to 
Amédée being the most intelligent in the society but was killed out of 
envy because he was respected by all in the society.

Tradition and Superstition
 The population's incorrigible faith in magic is seen as one 
of the reasons why the Congo region is lagging behind. The novels 
under study made reference to beliefs based on superstition and 
how they were sources of misery and sorcery in the society. 
Traditional beliefs in the Congo region as the novels depict them 
led to irrational decisions that cost the society the peace and sanity 
that is needed to live a normal life. Moses, the narrator of Petit 
Piment (2015) reveals how superstition and traditional beliefs 
lead to a high number of abandoned girls in the orphanage because 
there is a belief that having a girl child as your first child is a sign of 
failure:

En ce temps-là, mon petit Moïse, 
les enfants m'appelaient « Maman 
l'animatrice » et nous n'avions à 
p e i n e  q u ' u n e  t r e n t a i n e  d e 
pensionnaires, pour la plupart des 
filles dont une bonne dizaine 
avaient été abandonnées par leurs 
pa ren t s  devan t  l a  por te  de 
l'orphelinat parce que dans les 
coutumes de ceux-ci, c'était un 

Chiemela Imelda Ibeku, PhD - The Representation of the Congolese and
their Traditions in Alain Mabanckou’s Novels

126

échec d'avoir comme premier 
enfant une fille (Petit Piment,  
2015:66)
'Back then, my dear Moses, the 
ch i ld ren  ca l l ed  me  “Mama 
Organiser”, and there were just 
thirty orphans, mostly girls, a good 
number of them were cast aside by 
their parents at the gate of the 
orphanage because  in  thei r 
customs, it was considered a failure 
to have a first child who was a girl. 
(Black Moses, 2017:54)

Mabanckou deploys flashback to denounce superstitions 
and traditional beliefs that have hindered development in the 
Congo region. Superstitious and traditional beliefs of this kind 
reduced the affected girls to victims of a stagnant traditional belief 
in a society whose citizens suffer from extreme deprivation, 
precisely the one from the family that is meant to protect and care 
for them. 

The narrator of Demain, j'aurai vingt ans (2010) Michel, 
affirms that the fetisher accused him of being a child during the 
day and an old man with white hair at night, who meets up with a 
gang of other old people that hates the mother to plot against the 
mother: C'est pour ça que tu as bien fermé le ventre de maman 
Pauline. Quand les enfants veulent venir, ils trouvent la porte 
fermée et ils meurent juste devant cette porte. Or la clé qui ouvre le 
ventre de ta maman c'est toi qui l'as avec toi (Demain, j'aurai vingt 
ans, 2010:189), “So it is because of that, that you closed up 
Maman Pauline's belly. When children want to come, they find the 
door shut and they die just in front of the door. So you are the one 
that has the key to your mother's belly” (Tomorrow I'll be twenty, 
2012: 188).

COOU JOFOCUS: COOU Journal of Folklore and Cultural Studies, Vol. 5, No. 1, 2025

127



Mabanckou further reiterates the place of superstition in 
the Congolese society through the story of the president of the 
Republic. The narrator alerts this study that people book 
appointment to see the fetisher in their region just like you do 
when you want to see a white doctor. Mama Pauline while 
pleading with the husband to give her a chance to go and see the 
most powerful fetisher in their quarter because of her 
childlessness affirms that, their president also has a personal 
fetisher, who is also regarded as the most powerful among 
all.Mama Pauline rejected the idea of Papa Roger to go and see a 
white doctor for being childless because she believes that their 
president was able to bear a child through the help of the great 
fetisher, Sukissa Tembé: 

Il y a un féticheur qui vient de 
s ' ins ta l l e r  dans  l e  quar t i e r 
Voungou, juste sur l'autre rive de la 
Tchinouka. Tout le monde dit du 
bien de lui. Il a guéri la stérilité de 
la femme du chef du quartier. Il a 
même fait parler un enfant de dix 
ans qui n'avait pas prononcé un seul 
mot depuis sa naissance. — 
Comment qu'il  s 'appelle, ce 
féticheur? — Sukissa Tembé. Il 
vient du nord du pays et il paraît 
qu'il était le féticheur personnel du 
président de la République. Si le 
P rés iden t  e t  s a  f emme on t 
maintenant un enfant c'est grâce à 
lui, Sukissa Tembé (Demain, 
j'aurai vingt ans, 2010:156).
'There is a fetisher that comes to 
work in the Voungou district, just 
across the Tchinouka. Everyone 
says he is very good. The wife of 
the local chief was sterile and he 

Chiemela Imelda Ibeku, PhD - The Representation of the Congolese and
their Traditions in Alain Mabanckou’s Novels

128

cured her. He even got a ten-year 
old child who had never spoken a 
single word to talk.' 'What is he 
called, this fetisher?' 'Sukissa 
Tembé. He is from the north. 
Apparently he was the personal 
fetisher to the President of the 
Republic. That is the only reason 
the President and his wife has a 
child, thanks to Sukissa Tembé.' 
( To m o r ro w  I ' l l  b e  t w e n t y , 
2012:156).

Consequently, the superstitious beliefs inherent in the 
society draw attention to the fact that the population's incorrigible 
faith in superstition could be one of the reasons why the Congo 
region is still underdeveloped. The society replaced hard work 
with superstition as Demain, J'aurai Vingt ans highlights:

Tout le quartier le consulte, même 
ceux qui cherchent du travail et 
ceux qui veulent que leurs enfants 
réussissent aux examens scolaires. 
Sans compter ceux qui ont d'autres 
maladies comme la diarrhée 
chronique, les règles douloureuses, 
etc. C'est un long travail qu'il va 
faire pour nous, et il faut que je 
prenne rendezvous pour toute une 
demi-journée au moins (Demain, 
j'aurai vingt ans, 2010:157).
Everyone round there goes to see 
him, even people looking for work 
and people who want their children 
to do well in their exams. Not 
counting the ones with chronic 
diarrhoea or painful periods and 

COOU JOFOCUS: COOU Journal of Folklore and Cultural Studies, Vol. 5, No. 1, 2025

129



the rest. It is a difficult thing you are 
asking; we will need a half-day 
appointment, at least.' (Tomorrow 
I'll be twenty, 2012:157)

The narrator's worry increased when Mama Pauline 
stopped crying because Papa Roger reassures her that they will 
book an appointment with the Fetisher as regards her 
childlessness. Confused by the emotional state of the mother, 
whom he believes attends Saint-Jean Bosco every Sunday and 
professes her faith, the narrator questions the society in what 
seems to be a rhetoric question: Est-ce qu'un féticheur est capable 
d'attraper les enfants qui foncent directement au Ciel sans passer 
par la Terre? Est-ce qu'un féticheur est plus fort que Dieu? 
(Demain, j'aurai vingt ans, 2010:157), “Can a fetisher be able to 
catch children who go directly to heaven without stopping off on 
earth? Is a fetisher more powerful than God? (Tomorrow I'll be 
twenty, 2012:76). For the narrator, superstitious beliefs can only 
lead to disappointment, hopelessness and failure as no nation 
develops through magical means.

In petit Piment (2015), superstition was also shown in the 
narrator's belief that the sharks in the Atlantic Ocean were evil 
spirits whose wickedness was stirred up by the sorcerers of Pointe-
Noire. The narrator affirms that the sorcerers hide under the 
superstitious belief that the water goddess (Mami Water) usually 
kills children who go to swim at the Côte Sauvage to perpetrate 
evil against the people. The sorcerers kill minors and put the blame 
on the water goddess who they claim turns to a shark to complete 
her task.

Demain, J'aurai Vingt ans (2010) demonstrates the 
population's belief that every human being has an animaldouble. 
The character of Little Pepper affirms that the lone cockerel in his 
grandfather's house is the grandfather's animal double. 
Mabanckou personified the cockerel by attributing human 
characteristics to it to show that humans have animal double. The 

Chiemela Imelda Ibeku, PhD - The Representation of the Congolese and
their Traditions in Alain Mabanckou’s Novels

130

character of Little Pepper in Petit Piment confirms that the 
grandfather warned him never to play with the lone cockerel if he 
truly loves him the day, he tried to throw a piece of wood at the 
cockerel. The narrator also affirms that the moment he gave up his 
war against the cockerel and started feeding it, the cockerel started 
following him round the compound which also brought him 
breakthroughs:

Chaque fois que je traitais avec 
respect ce coq, la chance me souriait 
tellement que lorsque j'allais à la 
pêche je ramenais plus de poissons 
que mes camarades. À l'école du 
village mes résultats étaient les plus 
brillants, j'étais le meilleur élève de la 
région, premier au certificat d'études 
primaires. Il me suffisait de penser à 
ce coq pour que tout ce qui paraissait 
compliqué aux autres élèves devienne 
pour moi aussi clair que l'eau de roche 
( D e m a i n , j ' a u r a i  v i n g t  a n s , 
2010:197).
Whenever I showed the cockerel 
respect, fortune shone upon me, so 
that if I went fishing I would bring 
back more fish than all my friends. At 
the village school I came top in every 
subject; I was the best pupil in the 
whole district, with the highest marks 
in the Primary School Certificate. All 
I had to do was think about the 
cockerel, and everything that the 
other pupils found complicated 
became as clear as spring water to me. 
(Tomorrow I'll be twenty, 2012:196)

COOU JOFOCUS: COOU Journal of Folklore and Cultural Studies, Vol. 5, No. 1, 2025

131



 The population's traditional belief in the idea of humans 
having an animal double is a clear critique of the Congolese 
incorrigible faith in superstition. If showing respect to an animal 
double of a grandfather could bring all the breakthroughs as the 
character of little Pepper affirms, there will be no need for 
struggles and hard work. Mabanckou in this analysis reveals that 
one of the reasons why the Congo region is still struggling 
economically is because of their faith in traditional superstitions.

Conclusion
 Mabanckou explores folktales and tradit ional 
superstitions as they relate to the various stages of life and the 
necessary challenges all human beings encounter. Rather than 
following the familiar format of real-life situations, which gives 
direct interpretation of the state of affairs in the society, he used 
folktale around fundamental human experiences, beginning with 
family relationships and ending with death as the final mythic 
journey. The novels touched every area of life and the 
characteristic conflicts and joys we all encounter. The novels 
under study deploy myths to illustrate positive and negative issues 
relevant to every sphere of life. They passed through tales and 
traditional superstitions to expose internal conflicts.

 The Congo region has been a resource-rich area but 
internal conflicts, greed, power tussle and other societal ills have 
changed the story and reality of the region. Mabanckou's 
engagement and commitment in the novels under study give 
insights on the fact that beauty, talent, wealth and power bring 
their own forms of suffering; and that in the darkness of loneliness, 
failure and loss, we have always discovered light and new hope. 
Myths do not give easy solutions to family difficulties but they 
portray family dynamics just as they are, with all their joys, 
sorrows and complexities, yet there is a mysterious and 
transformative power which lies embedded in these stories. 
Mabanckou uses folklore to denounce the cycle of wickedness in 
the Congo region and the failure of development.

Chiemela Imelda Ibeku, PhD - The Representation of the Congolese and
their Traditions in Alain Mabanckou’s Novels

132

Work Cited

Asika, Ikechukwu and Akabuike, Ifeoma. “Cooking with One's 
Firewood: Myth as a Conflict Generator and Conflict 
Resolver in Flora Nwapa's Efuru and Idu.” Published in 
AFRREV IJAH. An International Journal of Arts and 
Humanities. Vol 1 (1), February, 2012. pp 164-178. 

Dundes, A. (1980) Who are the folk? In interpreting folklore. 1 – 
19, Bloomington: Indiana University Press. 

--- .   (1965) The study of folklore. Upper Saddle River. Nj: 
Prentice Hall.

— .   (2002) Bloody Mary in the mirror: Essays in psychoanalytic   
folkloristics. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi.

---.   2010. Demain j'aurai vingt ans. Paris: Gallimard.

---.   2015. Petit Piment. Paris: Le Seuil.

Greene, L. and Burke, J. (2017) The Mythic Journey Use Myths, 
Fairly tale and Folklore to explain life's Mysteries.  
London: Weiser books.  .www.redwheelweiser.com

Ibeku, C. (2024) Representations of Neocolonial Woes in Selected 
Novels of Alain Mabanckou. Department of European 
Studies, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo State Nigeria.

Mabanckou, A.2006. Mémoires de porc-épic (Prix Renaudot). 
Paris: Éditions du Seuil / Paperback.

Nath, S. (2023) Two theoretical Frameworks of folklore studies 
and two selected tales from the collection of the Assamese 
folktales entitled BurhirAair Sadhu: A Discursive 
Analysis. Department of Assamese, Dibrugarh University, 
Asam: India. DOI: . h�ps://doi.org/10.47836/pjssh.31.1.02

COOU JOFOCUS: COOU Journal of Folklore and Cultural Studies, Vol. 5, No. 1, 2025

133

http://www.redwheelweiser.com
https://doi.org/10.47836/pjssh.31.1.02


Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities 25 – 40.

Sims, M. and Stephens, M. (2005) Living Folklore: An 
introduction to the study of people and their Tradition. 
Utah: Utah State University Press. 

World Literature ll. (2024) Folk Narrative Theory. FiveableInc.

World Literature ll. (2024) Folk Narrative Theory. FiveableInc.

Zou, P.H. and Priscilla, B.E. (2023). Folklore: An identity born of 
shared grief. Cogent Arts and Humanities10(1). doi: 
10.1080/23311983.2023.2249279.

Chiemela Imelda Ibeku, PhD - The Representation of the Congolese and
their Traditions in Alain Mabanckou’s Novels

134


	Page 1
	Page 2
	Page 3
	Page 4
	Page 5
	Page 6
	Page 7
	Page 8
	Page 9
	Page 10

