L’Aventure ambiguë: La folie spirituelle, la réalité philosophique et l’interprétation erronée

Abstract

Hamidou Kane’s first novel, The Ambiguous Adventure, has been subjected to a plethora of criticism since its publication in 1960 thanks to the historical-political situation during the creation of this masterpiece. The judgements of some critics such as Albert Gérard are erroneous because they believe, wrongly, that the novelist’s sympathy lies on the side of the western system. It is worth denouncing the excess of snobbery of a critic who claims to dictate to the novelist how he should have written his novel. It should be noted that Kane’s work is not a celebration of the benefits of colonialism. Rather, it is a profound analysis of the anguish caused by the harmful effects of a foreign system on the traditional life of Africa. More than sixty years after the publication of this masterpiece, the feelings evoked and the themes addressed are still very relevant. This article criticizes Gerald’s point of view while proposing another in relation to the author’s intention. To achieve this goal, the analysis will be based not only on our own conviction, but also on the views of other critics.