dajna's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
I didn't get it at first. Beti introduces us to a very annoying (to say the least) European missionary in Africa, who's full of believes and rules and punishments and scary stories, to prevent his black parishioners to go to heaven. Moreover, the story is narrated by a 13 years old boy, very keen on catholicism, who follows the Father around the Tala Country during his last pilgrimage from village to village. Through his eyes, the Father is a saint. Through my eyes, the Father is a colonialist with no respect whatsoever for the local culture (and no willing to get to know it).
But as you go on reading the characters start to change. Slowly, at first. The Father himself has doubts about his mission. And they travel in a circle, from Bomba to Bomba, visiting villages and living christianity in a peculiar way. But the scandal is awaiting in Bomba, the heart of such christian life, and erases 20 years of the Father's life.
You know who really pays the price of such scandal? Women, of course. The father puts them into the hands of a person of trust and this person sells them, trades them, blackmails them. He doesn't feed them, nor clean them, nor shelter them, as he's supposed to. And when the scandal occurs, the women are also caned because they didn't report the abuses (or, if they reported it, no one believed them).
It's unfair. It's an unfair tale of unfair colonization.
I didn't get it at first. Beti introduces us to a very annoying (to say the least) European missionary in Africa, who's full of believes and rules and punishments and scary stories, to prevent his black parishioners to go to heaven. Moreover, the story is narrated by a 13 years old boy, very keen on catholicism, who follows the Father around the Tala Country during his last pilgrimage from village to village. Through his eyes, the Father is a saint. Through my eyes, the Father is a colonialist with no respect whatsoever for the local culture (and no willing to get to know it).
But as you go on reading the characters start to change. Slowly, at first. The Father himself has doubts about his mission. And they travel in a circle, from Bomba to Bomba, visiting villages and living christianity in a peculiar way. But the scandal is awaiting in Bomba, the heart of such christian life, and erases 20 years of the Father's life.
You know who really pays the price of such scandal? Women, of course. The father puts them into the hands of a person of trust and this person sells them, trades them, blackmails them. He doesn't feed them, nor clean them, nor shelter them, as he's supposed to. And when the scandal occurs, the women are also caned because they didn't report the abuses (or, if they reported it, no one believed them).
It's unfair. It's an unfair tale of unfair colonization.
missnicolerose's review against another edition
4.0
A powerful portrayal of colonial influence in Cameroon and throughout Africa by Christian missionaries.
Told from the perspective of a young altar boy, Denis, who blindly follows the teachings of his white Catholic priest, the reader assumes it will be Denis facing an internal conflict and coming-of-age throughout the novel. However, it is more of a journey for Father Drumont as he begins questioning his teachings in Africa, and the very nature of colonization itself.
Father Drumont realizes that the Africans coming to his church and welcoming the teachings of God are only those who have been facing hardship, and as the hardships subside, so does their "faith" in his Christian ministry. The Father begins to stray from his previous hard-lined approach and realize that the people of Africa can successfully worship in their own way.
Told from the perspective of a young altar boy, Denis, who blindly follows the teachings of his white Catholic priest, the reader assumes it will be Denis facing an internal conflict and coming-of-age throughout the novel. However, it is more of a journey for Father Drumont as he begins questioning his teachings in Africa, and the very nature of colonization itself.
Father Drumont realizes that the Africans coming to his church and welcoming the teachings of God are only those who have been facing hardship, and as the hardships subside, so does their "faith" in his Christian ministry. The Father begins to stray from his previous hard-lined approach and realize that the people of Africa can successfully worship in their own way.
purplehulk713's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
It was very interesting to see the different manifestations of African colonialism through Catholicism, especially the hypocrisy that is always present in Catholic communities. Denis is an excellent and insightful narrator, but his deification of Father Drumont can become tiresome because he sees absolutely no fault in him. The novel also had a very interesting perspective on sexual abuse and consent: the woman at the sixa are compelled by nature of their obedience to the Church in preparation for marriage to do whatever the catechists order, which hardly leads to anything good (like incredibly abhorrent living conditions, and that's only the least of their problems). Being raised Catholic and seeing the utter betrayal of so many of these characters who call themselves Christians but then conduct themselves in a manner entirely contrary to Christ's Gospel of love and empathy is infuriating (not to say that I don't make mistakes of course). It was also interesting to see a Catholic priest's perspective that God is still worshiped even where Christ is not Himself known. Read this to understand your own hypocrisy and denial and that confession and repentance are worth nothing without complete honesty and humility.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Trafficking, Violence, and Sexual harassment
quetzalquill's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault and Rape
helen88's review against another edition
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
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