Carmen Fifonsi Aboki is a collection of 12 short stories which almost all revolve around the experience of a main female character. Written by Carmen Toudonou, this book is a mixture of feminism, affirmation of a religious identity and denunciation of the evils of a modern Beninese and African society.
It is important to specify that the word feminism is not used here as being a blind extremism which would like everything for “the woman” and nothing for the man as is widespread in the popular conception. Feminism is used here in the literal sense, that is to say a fight for women to have the same economic, social and political power as men. This conviction of the author is clearly read through several short stories such as the death of Joncquet, the white bird, seven days and seven nights, Only, the big blue, CFA and Sheraton Abattoir.
In each of her short stories, the author does not only paint portraits of women who are victims of society. She presents the story of each of her female characters by exposing the choices that led to each of the situations of loneliness, oppression and unhappiness they experience. Reading through this news, it is easy to understand that Carmen Toudonou describes to what extent beauty, appearances, success with men and luxury can constitute a trap for young women.
In most stories, at the beginning the young woman was beautiful, she was spoiled for choice among her suitors, she ended up choosing the richest with an illusion of a perfect life before the descent into hell. The picture thus painted shows the woman as a person fully involved in the dramas she experiences, but who deserves to be supported. If most of the short stories whose titles have been quoted above correspond perfectly to this scheme, there is one whose tone is totally different but which goes in the same direction as the others. The eponymous short story of the book writes in an ironic and particularly sarcastic tone. The way the author describes the winner of the beauty contest in the Owodé district and the contest itself attest to her deep distaste for this type of competition. When she specifies that the host of the competition is no one other than the local radio repairman, we can easily imagine the content of such a competition which, moreover, was won by a candidate who was not very beautiful and who was unable to give the name of the President of the Republic. But all this contributes to the same objective as the previously mentioned news.
But beyond this feminism, there is a strong presence of the religious realities of Benin in several texts such as the big blue, the white bird and our father of the couffo. There is also a third category of short stories consisting of the stories of men who have become slaves to their own vices. Most of these men are retired politicians whose lifestyles have completely plummeted after their political careers.
This third category of news provides insight into the lives of people who become wealthy overnight through politics and especially what happens to them after the glory days of politics. In short, this collection of short stories makes it possible to revisit the realities of society and it exposes the personal convictions of the author which can be read clearly through the turn she gives to each story. And under his convictions, one wonders if the new News of the book is just one story among many others or if it is a disguised way of Carmen Toudonou expressing his desire to one day become a Nobel Prize for Literature.
Technical sheet
Author: Carmen Toudonou
Title: Carmen fifonsi aboki cfa
Publisher: Books on Demand
Date of publication: 16/07/2018
Collection: Collection of short stories
ISBN: 978-2-322-14547-8
Number of pages: 252
By Carolle Tonoukouen
