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This study investigated the writings of Alain Mabanckou, the giant Congolese literary writer for mystification and demystification as a trope he employs in his writings. It was guided by two theoretical underpinnings which are Roland Barthes’ perspectives on myth: myth as a type of speech and myth as a semiological system. It was also guided by the post-colonial theory with leanings on Homi Bhabha’s Hybridity, Mimicry and Ambivalence.
Three specific objectives guided this study. First, to highlight the manifestations of myth in Mabanckou’s writings, two, to explore how Mabanckou’s writings employ mystification and demystification in his writings and three, to determine why Mabanckou employs mystification and demystification in his writings.
Data were largely collected through library research in the universities of Dodoma, Dar-es-Salaam, Nairobi and Makerere supplemented by interviews conducted to the academic staff of the University of Dar-es-Salaam, the University of Nairobi and Makerere University.
The findings of this study revealed that there is evident manifestation of mythical elements in Mabanckou’s writings such as portrayal of characters with extraordinary characteristics such as having two mouths, faces and two male genitalia. Others are such cannibalism of the pygmies, Africa as the heart of darkness, the myth of Paris, and the instances where the characters are shown to be ugly more than they are.
The study also revealed that characters, places and objects are mystified and demystified in these writings by being assigned with extra limbs, unusual appearance, dangerous sexual organs, unusual ability to do things or inflict harm to others or make people win elections, get employed or make them rich. It was revealed that when such characters, places and objects are demystified, they are shown to be normal, small, liars, stupid, not real or genuine, helpless and sometimes comic.
It was established that employment of mystification and demystification in Mabanckou’s writings is done for a number of reasons, some of them being to: show reality, negate and justify, put in place social control mechanisms, show cultural values, create suspense, juxtapose, push and sustain the narrative, motivate and encourage, entertain, satirise and show permanence of ideas or ideology.
This study recommends that other studies be done on Mabanckou’s use of myths in his fictional writings as a point of departure from other giant African literary writers such as Achebe, Ngugi, and Soyinka who more or less use traditional myth unlike Mabanckou who uses both culturally appropriated and improvised myths. |
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