Aya de Yopougon, Tome 2

Aya #2

by Marguerite Abouet, Clément Oubrerie (Dessin)

« De nouveaux problèmes animent le quartier de Yopougon, à Abidjan. Les Sissoko refusent de croire que leur fils Moussa est le père du bébé d'Adjoua. Cette dernière se retrouve toute seule pour s'occuper de son fils et profite – un peu trop – des talents de nounou d'Aya. Bintou, elle, est tombée amoureuse d'un Parisien en vacances et n'a plus de temps à consacrer à ses amies. Comme les Ivoiriens boivent de moins en moins de bière, la Solibra va mal et le père d'Aya doit abandonner son second bureau à Yamoussoukro. Mais bientôt les filles n'ont plus qu'une idée en tête: se préparer pour le grand concours de Miss Yopougon... »
--Marguerite Abouet

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Bande Dessinée, Africa, Fiction, France, Graphic Novels Comics

119 pages, Hardcover

First published September 28, 2006

About the author

Marguerite Abouet was born in 1971 in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, in Western Africa. She grew up during a time of great prosperity in the Ivory Coast. At the age of twelve, she and her old brother went to stay with a great-uncle in Paris, where they further pursued their education. Years later, after becoming a novelist for young adults, Abouet was drawn to telling the story of the world she remembered from her youth. The result was the graphic novel Aya de Yopougon, published in North America as Aya, illustrated by Clemént Oubrerie, that recalls Abouet's Ivory Coast childhood in the 1970s, and tells the humorous, engaging stories of her friends and family as they navigate a happy and prosperous time in that country's history.

Reviews

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this the 2nd installment of a series of graphic novels written by Marguerite Abouet and illustrated by Clement Ouberie, the plot from the 1st book thickens and this one ends with a great soap-operatic cliff-hanger! The Aya stories take place in Africa’s Ivory Coast during the 1970s. The illustrations are expressive, and I love the “Ivorian Bonus” at the end of the book---in this case not only is there (1) a glossary of terms; (2) a recipe for “Chicken Kedjenou”; (3) illustrated instructions for how to wrap and carry a baby on your back; and (4) an explanation of how a traditional Ivorian proverb is practiced in every day life; but this book also includes (5) a reprint of an interview by Angela Ajayi with Marguerite Abouet.

In the interview Abouet talks about having been raised in Abidjan until the age of 12, when she and her brother were sent to study in France. She wanted to commemorate the happy, prosperous times she experienced as a child, as well as counter “the way in which the media systematically showed the bad side of the African continent, habitual litanies of wars, famine, the ‘sida’ (AIDS), and other disasters, that I wished to show the other side, to tell about daily modern life that also exists in Africa.” I’m grateful to Didi, my goodreads friend for turning me on to these books---I’m not sure I would have found them on my own!

[leynes · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the residents of Yopougon, everyday life is good. It is the early 1970s, a golden time - work is plentiful, hospitals are clean and well equipped, and school is obligatory. The Ivory Coast is as an island of relative wealth and stability in West Africa. For the teenagers of the town, though, worries are plentiful, and life in Yop City is far from simple.

Aya tells the story of its nineteen-year-old heroine, the clear-sighted and bookish Aya, and her carefree and fun-loving friends Adjoua and Bintou. Navigating meddling relatives and neighbours, the girls spend a last summer of their childhood on the sun-warmed streets of Yop City - sneaking out for dancing at open-air bars, strong solibra beer, chicken in peanut sauce and avoiding at all costs the scandal pages of the Calamity Morning.

The second instalment in the Aya series is just as fun and whimsical as the first one. Clément Oubrerie's illustrations beg to be adapted for TV. I could very well envision this story as a soap opera or sitcom. Marguerite Abouet doesn't raise the claim to write a serious or sharp story, instead, Abouet gives Western readers insight into the Ivory Coast of her childhood. This is an Ivory Coast which stands in stark opposition to the images of civil wars and AIDS dominating the African continent.

“The vision of Africa in the American mind is shaped by films, music, art, entertainment and the news media… (but) only the news media have the mission to inform. With regard to Africa, the media fail in this mission.” Abouet’s book attempts to rectify this failure. It is a glimpse into an adolescent girl’s life in Abdijan circa 1978 under Ivorian president Félix Houphouët-Boigny, an Abdijan known as the “Paris of West Africa.”

I highly appreciate what Abouet tried to do with her Aya series. First-hand accounts are always much more valuable when it comes to the atmosphere and way of living in a country, than warped perceptions by the Western media. Nonetheless, I sometimes wish that Abouet would've gone more in-depth about life in the Ivory Coast. A lot of the plot devices in Aya keep repeating themselves (husbands cheating on their wives, husbands not wanting to take responsibility for their children, young girls trying to break out and have first relationships), I crave for something new.

[Bookishrealm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Update! Here's my full review: http://www.bookishrealmreviews.com/20...

That ending !! I'm already reading the 3rd book it was so freaking good!

[Sam Quixote · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read the first Aya book after several years of avoiding comics and really enjoyed it. The artwork was fresh, the story (though somewhat soap opera-ish) was enjoyable, and the world seemed familiar to Westerners yet distinctively African. I picked this sequel up after a few years of reading hundreds and hundreds of comic books and found it to be not at all what I was expecting it to be.

The artwork is ok but the story is just too slight to make up an entire book. Aya is an independent woman who isn't throwing her life away too early by becoming a single mother and then abandoning hope of a career or a life outside of Yop City. Commendable but then she doesn't really do much else but observe her friends and family doing the opposite. Her friend is pregnant - but who's the father? Her dad's having an affair! And that's about it. Some romantic misunderstandings and it feels very much like a comic book version of your average soap - slight, brainless, and ultimately a waste of time.

I wanted to like this series but having discovered a wealth of comic books available that offer far more substantial content, I've found that "Aya of Yop City" isn't one of them.

Better comic books: "Habibi" by Craig Thompson, "War Stories" by Garth Ennis, "Transmetropolitan" by Warren Ellis, "It's a Good Life If You Don't Weaken" by Seth, "Fun Home" by Alison Bechdel, "Hark a Vagrant!" by Kate Beaton, "Paying for It" by Chester Brown.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ivory Coast, slice of life stories, and you get the feel of the place in the seventies... the pull to Europe and the US, the pull to maintain some cultural integrity, but this is not a big ambitious political book. It is an attractively drawn and entertaining view of this country in transition, with a focus on Aya and her mostly girl friends....

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't think I would have appreciated this book as much as I did had I not been to West Africa. It is wonderfully evocative of the spirit, sense of humour, environment, culture, and people of this region. That being said, I would have all the same enjoyed this graphic novel even if I hadn't. For anyone who may be curious about contemporary Africa, I would recommend this to them without reservation.

[Nieves Batista · Rating 4 out of 5]

#BlackHistoryJuly
Si bien el final del primer tomo se veía venir, el de éste me ha cogido por sorpresa.

[marisa :) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed it but i think that jumping into the second book of the series made it a bit jarring

[ellie ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ · Rating 3 out of 5]

starting this series with the second book was confusing but boy was that a cliffhanger

[Superstine · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5

Nesten stillestående plott, mye gjentagelser etc. Elsker fremdeles tegnestilen, og tror jeg kommer til å lese et nummer til

[2TReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

The proverbs, the drama: familial, romantic and platonic; the social imagery and ills; the expectations; the misuse of power to abuse and manipulate, made me feel as if I was reading a literary novel, not a graphic novel.

READ IT. READ IT.

[Kayt O'Bibliophile · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is just a soap opera, or maybe a sitcom: ordinary people going about life, dealing with other people, secrets, parenthood, and general life. And despite the Aya of the title, we spend a lot of time with others: her friends and their lovers, her father's boss, the boss's son, people in the neighborhood.

And like soap opera/sitcom characters, they're not particularly likable, but that's not the point. They have a realistic feel to them, like I could read a friend on Facebook ranting about how they're getting ghosted, or discovered this secret, or how the local ladies' man is annoying.

And of course, the setting is unique, at least in America: I've never read anything set in Côte d'Ivoire/Ivory Coast, much less the Ivory Coast of the 1970s. It's a setting (both the country and western Africa as a whole) that doesn't get featured much in American leisure media, especially following citizens through daily life.

[Lucia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Très heureuse de retourner à cette série après mon cours — j’adooooore les couleurs, les points de vue divers, et les personnages principaux (elles sont si indépendantes/convaincantes/merveilleuses). En même temps, j’ai lu quelques commentaires parlant de leur envie de quelque chose de plus…oui…peut-être que l’intrigue est répétitif/prévisible maintenant…Mais! Quelle joie! Quel cliff-hanger! J’ai hâte de lire la troisième.

[Bine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Auch der zweite Teil war extrem lustig und hat gleichzeitig so wichtige Themen angesprochen, ob jetzt für das Leben an der Elfenbeinküste oder ganz generell. Eine super Serie, bei der man einfach mitfiebern muss. Ich bin total gespannt auf den dritten Teil, auch wenn ich nicht weiß, wie ich daran komme, weil ich mir nur die ersten beiden Teile ausleihen konnte...

[Willa Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

TEH END!??

[Charlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trop addictif 😍😍

[Zizeloni · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great inspiration into everyday life of Ivory Coast. I wish I had read the first one too, I didn't know it is a series...

I will read the rest for sure, it is so good to learn about countries you don't usually see in books or movies.

It is very well written, has many characters with different stories, different situations. It also includes a recipe and other cool stuff at the end.

[Emma Deplores Goodreads Censorship · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this second volume in the series: the story is engaging, the artwork vibrant, and the characters distinct. I still think the marketing of this series overstates its supposed lightheartedness and positivity in a major way; yes, it's set in Africa without including war, abject poverty, sickness, etc., but it's still by and large a story of working-class folks dealing with the fallout of their egregious sexual behavior (the girls' fathers are particularly shameless). Acting like the events of this series comprise the brightest and most hopeful story ever told about Africa misstates the contents of the books and isn't a very positive statement about Africa either. Rounding down to three stars for the abrupt ending; fortunately, you're most likely to read this volume as part of an omnibus, as I did, so you can move right along to the third in the series.

[Amy Layton · Rating 5 out of 5]

So incredible!  I read this the same night as I read Aya--it has the perfect pace, and the illustrations and narrative go together so incredibly well.  Each page has you guessing what will happen next, especially as you are privy to much more information than the characters.  

As Aya and her friends discover new challenges along the way, they struggle to understand them and overcome them.  What to do about declining beer sales?  Or their children's fathers?  Or even their own fathers?  This tome is sure to keep you on your toes and eager to learn even more about Aya's world.  I absolutely cannot wait to read the rest of this series, and it's my hope that I get to do so soon!

Review cross-listed here!

[Elie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The artwork in this graphic novel set in Cote d'Ivoire makes this book worth reading. The plot started mid-way in the usual comic book cycle and there wasn't enough character differentiation to hold a rather jarred storyline peppered with the usual African stereotypes: the young single mother, the authoritarian father, the bad boy whose come back from overseas. I would look through the pictures in the other installments, but otherwise not bother.

[Alisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Both Aya books were good, but the 2nd one was much more complex, running several story lines simultaneously, based on character knowledge acquired during the more conventional and slower-paced first book.

It was really fun to learn about the Ivory Coast in the 1970s, and I especially enjoyed the notes at the end of the story about customs (like the print of your pagne literally advertises how you're feeling about life and love).

[Blair · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started here without having read the first book, but it didn't matter. This is charming slice of life set in the Ivory Coast in the 1970s. The characters are well drawn, both figuratively and literally, and there is a nice sense of humour on display. Visually it's a little reminiscent of Joann Sfar's work, but it also brought to mind Gilbert Hernandez's Palomar stories.

[Zaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

J'ai trouvé l'histoire (enfin les histoires), bien plus captivantes et intéressantes que dans le 1er volume, probablement car moins orientées histoires d'ados. On y retrouve les mêmes personnages, mais mis face à de nouveaux défis ou responsabilités, agréables à découvrir et à suivre. Le tout bien mis en valeur par les graphismes.

[Annina Luck Wildermuth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good. Great cast of characters, great setting.

[Danika at The Lesbrary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of fun! Gives the feel of a casual glimpse into people's everyday lives. Funny and relatable. I'll definitely be picking up more in the series.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mucho más dinámica que la primera parte. :)

[anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

rep: Ivorian cast

3.5 ☆

[Loz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good. Colors and art style fit the flowy-ness of the dialogue and interactions. Good stuff!

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Aya of Yop City”, is a graphic novel that follows the lives many Ivorian Coast people. In the beginning of the novel, there was conflict about who was Bobby’s (Adjoua’s son) real father was because he did not look like his mother nor did he look like Moussa (the boy that Adjoua claimed to be his father). And Bonaventure Sissoko a rich man who was Moussa’s father; did not believe that Moussa was Bobby’s and was angry at the fact that Moussa had to claim Bobby as his son because Adjoua’s family was poor. So, he gave Adjoua and her family one week to figure out who is real father was or else he would take matters into his own hands. Luckily, Hyacinte (Adjoua’s dad) went on a scavenger hunt looking for men in their village that looked like Bobby, because he eventually found a man named Mamadou who turned out to be Bobby’s real dad. Adjoua had two close friends in her village that helped her take care of Bobby- Aya and Bintou. Aya took care of Bobby like she was her his mother while Bintou took care of him once in a while. When Bintou was not taking care of Bobby she was with her so called “French Parisian” who toke gave her everything that she desired. But after she left his hotel room she never received calls from him again. So she went searching for him eventually finding him on the side of the street homeless. In Aya’s house, her father (Ignace) was never at home because he claimed that he was working in Yamoussoukro which was miles away from their house. Ignace had a secretary that worked for him in Yamoussoukro and eventually got fired. When she got fired she called Ignace every night before he went to sleep (at his actually house). On the phone Ignace talked about how he was trying to get her job back to her because he missed the stuff that they use to do. One day she showed up to Ignace’s house with two children holding her hands and was yelling Ignace’s name, because she could no longer continue to provide for Ignace and her children by herself. This novel is engaging because in every panel characters express themselves in unique ways.
In the novel the characters express their emotions oral and physically. For example: Mamadou tells the reader that he does not want to have anything to do with Bobby (his son), because on page twenty seven in the first two panels he looked very calm about his father and Hyacinte talking Adjodua and Bobby. But in the third panel he squints he’s eyes like he’s in pain when Hyacinte says, “She didn’t make this baby on her own. Your son may be irresponsible, but he’s got to recognize the child as his.” Hyacinte shows the reader what a thoughtful father he is to Adjodua by setting rules on the table for Mamadou to follow. “….Your son has to give her [Adjodua] money every month. And I’ll be the one to make sure he does (pg. 27)!” Because he most African houses if a child does something regretful, their parents will force them to find a solution to their own problem. When Aya asked her father if she could go to Yamoussoukro with him to see his office and spend time with him, he says, “I rather she takes care of Akissi and Fofana (Aya’s siblings)” and “doesn’t she see me every day (pg. 62),” so his family members will not find out that he has affairs with other woman at work and with prostitutes. Because when he was driving pass a woman on the street she said, “hey... you’ve got a new girl and now you don’t know me?” This shows that he had some type of inappropriate relationship with the woman in the past.
The way charterers interacted with one another was based on their African culture. For example: when Hyacinte took pictures of the people with Bobby he said “please no smiling (pg. 8)” to the people because in African culture it is peculiar to smile when taking pictures even if someone is excited. Bonsventure Sissoko was against the fact that Moussa and Adjoua were going to get married because, “rich [Sissoko’s family] and poor [Hyacinte’s family] don’t marry (pg. 15). If Moussa and Adjoua did end up getting married then their marriage would have lowered the way that society viewed Sissoko and his family, because one’s ranking in a hierarchy was very important back then. In the novel, Adjoua sold “hot fritters” (pg. 30) on the side of a market to make enough money to provide for herself and Bobby. For instance, when my mom lived in Nigeria she used to sell plantain chips and meat pie on the side of the road, to help my grandma with money.
The characters in the novel used literary devices to emphasize the importance of a particular situation. When Korotoumou (Adjoua’s mother) and Hyacinte were looking through pictures to figure out which man looked closely related to Bobby, Korotoumou said, “even a blind an could see that” (pg. 12), to tell Hyacinte that one of the men he thought looked like Bobby looked nothing like him at all. Adjoua uses a cliché, “Bintou, you’re not in my shoes” (pg. 13), to prove to Bintou that telling her father who Bobby’s real dad is, is not as easy as it may seem. Because she’ll have to go through her father’s screaming on top of Bobby’s crying, but Bintou does not understand because she did not get pregnant like Adjoua did. Hyacinte uses a euphemism, “which is why your son Moussa doesn’t look like your charming wife “(pg. 2), to cover up the fact that Sissoko’s wife is unattractive. Because charming is a word that is commonly used by people to complement a guy.
I highly recommend this book to people from the ages of fifteen and over that like to learn about how people from different continents may live their lives.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I just realized this is a sequel and might explain why a lot of the story felt under developed... because I missed reading the first one. It was still enjoyable, but nothing truly noteworthy.

I liked that this was set in Africa; it was very different for me to read a graphic novel there. But that alone wasn't enough to make up for the rather plain story.

Aya is the title character, but she is barely relevant to the story. I wonder if this is explained by the first book...

Unsure if my library has the first book in English (this is originally a French publication), this might be why I accidentally checked out the sequel since it was available in translation.