The Fire of Origins

by Emmanuel Dongala

The whole of African history unfolds in this brilliant novel from one of the continent’s major writers. The story is unified by the actions of one man, Mankunku, a “destroyer,” who is born in mysterious circumstances in a banana plantation and whose identity is as variable as that of his land. This novel traces his development along with that of his unnamed country, from the precolonial era, through the horrors of European subjugation, to independence and the complexities of the postcolonial nation. Along the way, charlatans and saints, workers and bureaucrats, warriors and peacemakers are introduced in a moving mélange of laughter and terror. First published in France in 1987, The Fire of Origins received the 1988 Prix de la Fondation de France and the Grand Prix Litteraire d’Afrique Noire, and has been translated into Spanish, Danish, Norwegian, and Japanese. Mythical, lyrical, powerful, and surreal, it is one of the most ambitious works of fiction to come out of sub-Saharan Africa. This replaces 155652420X.

Genres: Africa, Fiction, African Literature, Historical Fiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Emmanuel Dongala born July 14, 1941 is a Congolese Chemist ,short story writer, novelist and playwright, schooled in Brazzaville , and studied in the United States where he earned a BA in Chemistry from Oberlin College and an MA from Rutgers University . He then left the United States for France , where he was awarded a PhD in Organic Chemistry. Upon his return to the Congo he worked as a teacher and dean until 1998, when he was forced to leave because of the civil war. Helped by his friend, the writer Philip Roth, Dongala now lives in the United States , where he teaches at Bard College and holds the Richard B. Fisher Chair in Natural Sciences.

Dongala, who writes in French and whose books have been translated into a dozen languages, has published four novels, a collection of short stories and a play. His collection of short stories, Jazz et Vin de Palme ( Jazz and Palm Wine) , published while the Congo was a Marxist-Leninist state, was banned because it satirised those in power. The ban was only lifted in 1990 after the collapse of the Soviet Union and subsequent collapse of the Congolese one-party state.

Dongala is the founder and former president of the National Association of Congolese Writers and the Congolese chapter of PEN. He also founded and led the theatre company, Le Théâtre de l'Eclair. His essays and articles have appeared in numerous major newspapers and magazines, including Le Monde, The New York Times, and Transition.

Dongala's novel Le Feu des Origines ( The Fires of Origins) , received the Grand Prix d'Afrique Noire and the Grand Prix de la Fondation de France. La Marseillaise described it as "a stunning novel…the art of Emmanuel Dongala is extreme…this novel, which plunges into the heart of reality, becomes legend." His novel, Johnny Mad Dog, was selected by the Los Angeles Times as one of its books of the year - a film adaptation was released in 2008. Questioned on his reasons for writing, Dongala answers “Why do people make love?”

A great African novel: inspired yet sober, wide-ranging yet written concisely, purely, without a superfluous word. . .a human history of an entire continent." - La Suisse on The Fire of Origins

In 1999 Emmanuel Dongala was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship and in 2003, he was the winner of the prestigious Fonlon-Nichols Prize 2003 for literary excellence. His works have been translated into a dozen different languages.

Reviews

[Carla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding book set in Africa. Mankunku is born in a banana grove, and from the onset is seen as being "different". He pushes the boundaries of his tribe. His story is told through Africa's first encounter with European invaders and the whole changing of his country and Continent. Excellent historical fiction depicting early colonization. This book was written in 1987 and I chose it based on it's cover! Of course I read a lot of African writer's works, and books, but I was fascinated by the picture on the cover. This book did not disappoint!

The author, Emmanuel Dongala is a Congolese writer and chemist. He has written other works, that I will now seek out. So glad that the book cover lured me!

[Luna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Le pongo 4 estrellas porque la traducción al español es pésima. A veces cuesta leerlo un poco. Aún así lo recomiendo 100% si quieres abrir un poco tu perspectiva y conocer desde el interior las consecuencias de la colonización.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

If the history of Africa could be summarized into a plot and contained in less than 250 pages, Emmanuel Dongala did just that. Although he uses fiction to describe the history of, specifically, the Congo the allegorical representation is nigh on perfect for many of the tumultuous situations that occurred and still occur in many portions of the continent of Africa.

Mankunku is our main protagonist that is born just before the time of WWII. His name, his personality, and the way he stands out with his bright green eyes in his tribe sets him in opposition. At a very young age he defies authority, but has an insatiable thirst for knowledge and understanding of the world around him. At first, he feels very progressive in that he understands that the "ancestors" do not dictate cures or ailments or plagues, but rather that nature and a preliminary science-based attitude dictates these circumstances. He is acutely aware of his tribal leader, his maternal Uncle, monopolizing on donations given from his tribe for the ancestors. He, therefore, sees how his Uncle makes deals with the colonizers that appear, a completely new type of person with their pale skin and light eyes. Colonization occurs, war and tribal warfare become aggressive and never-ending, and the outside world invades their relatively quiet lifestyle. Mankunku leaves the tribe and travels to the city where he meets his future wife (who will be shunned by the backward thinking of the tribe), and there becomes an engineer for the railroad he built as a slave to the colonizers. He takes pride in being able to do such miraculous things such as move the large engine across the continent, but this feeling soon fails him as forced conscription occurs and his people are ushered to the fronts of WWII on the railroad, only to return maimed and broken on the same railroad. Mankunku rebels against the authority of the white superiors and starts to fail more and more in being able to rebel properly. He no longer feels like he has a voice, or a say, and his power to stand up against those around him falters. He is trapped between two worlds, understanding the singular manipulation that the Whites imply, but also savoring the tradition of his people. His sense of identity and culture is in constant upheaval throughout the story and represents more than one tribe during this tumultuous time.

Dongala is an expert storyteller as he also incorporates the United States, but focuses purely on what occurred within Africa (or, as I said before, more specifically the Congo) instead of out of it. He touches on social, cultural, political, and identity crises's that made it almost impossible to resist change, and yet the tribes are also hindered by their inability to let go of the past and move into the future. The pain and suffering and loss of culture within a few short years is so appalling the story itself seems to border more on the edge of horror than anything else. The Fire of Origins is a story that comes full circle, and yet never really closes on itself since the perpetual issues within Africa persist. First published in 1987 and translated into English in 2001, the book is timeless.

[Monica **can't read fast enough** · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Fire of Origins is the second novel that I have read towards my Experiencing Ancestry through Fiction project. It is set in an unnamed country, but is written by an author from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, so that is where I imagine the story takes place. The story follows the life of Mandala Mankuku, who witnesses the fall of his people and country to colonialism, and the struggle of it's people to break free and reestablish itself as a sovereign nation.

Mankuku arrives in the world under questionable circumstances because his birth wasn't witnessed by members of his parents' village. The place of his birth had to be tracked down and accepted before he could be deemed fully human, and not some spirit delivered to his mother. To top things off, Mankuku is also born with green eyes, which causes much debate among the villagers. They have to decide if this highly unusual occurrence is a good or bad omen. As things progress, Mankuku's birth heralds in many changes.

Mankuku eventually follows the tradition of his father's family and becomes a blacksmith and nganga (healer), but colonization, western influences on religion, culture, and social standards leads Mankuku onto a completely different path than what he imagined for himself. Through Mankuku's experiences, Dongala reflects on the cost of colonization to the soul and cultural value of an entire nation. Not only are the people suffering from being subjugated by a foreign power that has no respect for them, but they also have to deal with their fellow citizens trying to profit off of other people's suffering and need for comfort.

Although I enjoyed this story for the most part, it was not an easy book to read. The sentence structure is a bit choppy which made reading flow difficult. This is a translated work, so that may be part of the problem. The plot was good, Mankuku was an interesting and relatable character, but the secondary characters that represented all of the changes and problems were a bit one dimensional and predictable.

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[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mankunku è il nome del protagonista di questo romanzo.

E’ nato in un villaggio nel cuore del Continente Nero in un periodo nel quale la cosiddetta civiltà non è ancora arrivata.

Grazie ad alcune doti personali e alla famiglia che lo cresce, il protagonista del romanzo diventa un protagonista anche all’interno della propria comunità.

Testardo, efficiente, innovativo, il temperamento del giovane lo porta ad una duplice condizione.

Da un lato riesce in tutto ciò in cui si cimenta: ottimo cacciatore, ottimo fabbro e uomo di medicina; dall’altro le sue capacità personali e la sua fiducia nell’uomo in senso generale lo portano a scontrarsi con le tradizioni antiche e con gli uomini che con furbizia le sostengono per convenienze personali.

Inizia così un percorso difficile e pieno di episodi drammatici che si inaspriscono quando arriva l’uomo bianco a colonizzare il Paese.

E’ una vera e propria riduzione in schiavitù che viene avallata dai capi villaggio che vendono la propria gente allo straniero per convenienza e gloria personale.

Da qui prende il via il vero romanzo storico che attraverso il racconto della vicenda personale di Mankunku riesce a fornire un bel quadro di tutti gli avvenimenti che incideranno secondo modalità diverse sulla vita degli abitanti.

La colonizzazione, la civilizzazione, la guerra, la nascita delle città, il lavoro che cambia, la crudeltà dei nuovi padroni.

Tutto quanto influisce sulla vita di Mankunku che prende forma e si modifica mano a mano che le condizioni esterne mutano, dando così un’idea di come l’uomo sia un essere adattabile quasi ad ogni situazione.

Alla fine il cerchio si chiude e quello che rimane al lettore è la conoscenza di avvenimenti mai approfonditi.

A tal proposito il fatto che il protagonista sia uno dei pochi a non lasciare mai il Paese contribuisce allo scopo perchè il punto di vista rimane sempre quello interno, mai condizionato da visioni esterne come emigrazione o altri fenomeni sociali.

Un gran bel romanzo storico consigliato non solamente agli amanti del genere romanzo storico, ma a tutti i lettori pieni di curiosità.

Tempo di lettura: 6h 24m

[Moushine Zahr · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first novel I've read from Congolese author Emmanuel Dongala. Using his unique poetic writing style, he described well life in Africa before, during, and after colonialism through the narration and biograhpy of a fiction character.

The author used general terms and expression to describe the changes in the lives of Africans because what happened to one African tribe happened to so many other tribes, and what colonialists from one country did to Africans were also done by other colonialists from other countries. The author used specific individual names only a handful of times because these people played an important role in the eyes of the leading character and the author. What the author wrote about is already known to all, but it is his writing style and narrative make it as if readers discover African History for the first time.

From the beginning, I was intrigued and interested by following the life of the leading character and narrator, Mandala Mankunku, whom readers witness his birth and see him grow up in changing times. However, I was disappointed by the rest of the story of Mandala Mankunku as he appears to be mostly a passive witness to African History while in the beginning of the book the author presented him as being "predestined" for greatness.

The writing style is great. The African story is as known. The leading character's story weakens with history. Thus, the book is more of a 4 star than a 5.

[Evan Hockridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

An awesome tale from the prospective of a man from a small village in the late colonial era Central Africa The book avoids putting an exact name to the country in which it takes place, drawing from imagery of various Central African countries, but there are multiple points within the book that clearly draw from real historic events in French colonial Africa, particularly modern day Republic of the Congo, which would make sense, as the author is from Brazzaville. I found this book to be a remarkable piece of writing that crafts a narrative that remains true to the perspectives of colonized people, drawing on a particular world view that is brilliantly put together and so rarely explored in the way that it is done here. I couldn’t put the book down, completed in one sitting.

[Ratko · Rating 3 out of 5]

Књига којом аутор кроз алегоријски приказ живота главног јунака Мандале Манкункуа жели да прикаже историју развоја самог Конга (у питању је НР Конго), али и целокупног афричког континента. Од самих почетака и времена сеоских шамана и владара, до колонијалног доба и потом периода непосредно по стицању независности.
Има овде доста фолклорних мотива, прича и легенди из овог дела Африке, што јесте квалитет али сама књига, као већина афричких књига из 50-тих и 60-тих година ХХ века које сам до сада читао, пати од једнодимензионалности и црно-белих ликова.
Занимљиво за оне који желе да знају више тј. који би да се мало одмакну од европоцентричне књижевности.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars rounded up. This follows the life of Mandala Mankunku, who witnesses the fall of his people to European colonization and subjugation, to their struggle for freedom and sovereignty. I found it really interesting and an impressive feat to fit so much history within 250 pgs. I also liked Mankunku’s struggle with finding balance between his more traditional beliefs in ancestors and nature, with the technological and scientific advances of the modern age. The writing was sometimes difficult for me, so there were times where I needed to re-read sections to fully grasp what was going on. And there were some parts I felt were disjointed. Overall, I enjoyed the story and think it’s a good intro into learning about the colonization of Africa from a non-American standpoint. Also wanted to mention that I loved the ending and thought it was so fitting.

[Bikie Sana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ce livre est beau … non seulement la plume de l’auteur y est magnifique mais l’histoire comme il l’a construit … les questionnements l’évolution du Congo … Mandala Mankuku quel personnage haut en couleur

[Mon the reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

pourquoi les souvenirs sont-ils à la fois si doux et si tristes

[Lula · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Existía una dignidad cultural que ninguna civilización extranjera, por poderosa que fuese, podía destruir"

¿Cómo transmitir el dolor de un país entero? ¿Cómo representar mediante la simpleza de la palabra las contradicciones de la colonización? Emmanuel Dongala, nacido en el Congo y graduado en Estados Unidos, escribió esta novela que es ficción histórica pero es, también, de una realidad y humanidad inmensas. Disfruté tanto esta lectura que se fue directamente a mis favoritos.

El libro sigue la vida completa de Mandala Mankunku, nacido en una tribu en el Congo, con un escepticismo y necesidad innatos de desafiar a sus autoridades, de descubrir los secretos del mundo. A partir de la aparición de los colonos europeos, Mankunku será testigo de los cambios turbulentos en su país, de la industrialización, la guerra, la educación de sus jóvenes, la revolución independentista y el surgimiento de partidos políticos. ¿Cómo encontrar el sentido en un mundo cambiante y desarraigado? ¿Cuál es el lugar, en la sociedad moderna, para los analfabetos, para los ancianos, para las culturas ancestrales?

"Tomaron posesión de las tierras, de los cuerpos y las almas (...) y llegaron a caminar sobre las tumbas de los antepasados..."

Se trata de un texto bellísimo, ya que no solo logró que me sumergiera completamente en la vida del protagonista, sino que esconde un existencialismo antropológico muy interesante, cuestionando tanto a la colonización y la "modernidad" como también a la tradición tribal jerárquica de los poblados. ¿Es deseable la combinación de los saberes holísticos ancestrales con el conocimiento científico y académico? ¿Cómo recuperar las raíces simples, la pureza de las cosas naturales, en un mundo moderno que requiere definir y categorizar todo? ¿Dónde queda la dignidad humana en el mundo acelerado del progreso?

"Ni siquiera se atrevía ya a posar su mirada sobre esas cosas conmovedoras (...) Temía deformarlas, transformarlas, y aún temía más por miedo a mancharlas con las palabras, a darles nombres a esas cosas desnudas"

Una obra para sentir y preguntarse mucho, para comprender un poquito más al continente complejo y bello que es África.

[Rainb0warri0r · Rating 4 out of 5]

L'uomo di vento è la storia di un uomo e di un paese che si intrecciano in un racconto epico, a tratti fantastico, a tratti inaspettatamente crudo e duro. Centro indiscusso del romanzo è il protagonista Mankunku il nganga, il saggio, distruttore di potenti, una sorta di incrocio tra un rivisitato trickster e un Prometheus dalla pelle scura: il diverso per eccellenza, venuto al mondo per sovvertire l'ordine delle cose e portarne uno nuovo. La storia è narrata interamente dal suo esclusivo punto di vista, un percorso di formazione che intreccia alla sua crescita i mutamenti di un mondo sempre più in divenire e affronta temi come il confronto con il diverso e/o lo straniero, il contrasto tra tradizione e modernità, restituendo così un romanzo stratificato, dai diversi livelli di lettura.
Significativa è la varietà stilistica del romanzo: il racconto quasi fiabesco della prima parte, incentrata sull'infanzia e la giovinezza del protagonista, tra spiriti degli antenati, riti magici e personificazioni degli elementi naturali, lascia il posto, con una brusca virata, al racconto ferocemente realistico della guerra e dell'occupazione militare, che risveglia il lettore dall'incanto e lo ancora a delle precise coordinate spazio-temporali. Personalmente, ho apprezzato di più la prima parte, più mitologica, con una caratterizzazione prometeica del protagonista, mentre mi ha lasciato interdetto il brusco cambiamento. A lasciarmi non del tutto convinto, soprattutto, il disegno a episodi in cui si suddivide il romanzo, con storie, temi e stili diversi, quasi fossero romanzi diversi mal raccordati tra loro, che solo il bellissimo finale, dal sapore ciclico, riesce a salvare. E' soprattutto la parte centrale, quella relativa alla guerra in Congo, a presentare qualche debolezza, perché si fa storia di un paese, dimenticandosi però del protagonista, ben poco "distruttore", a ben vedere, e per lo più testimone passivo degli eventi.
Un modo diverso, comunque, di raccontare storie che possono talvolta sembrare trite e ritrite: se è vero che le guerre sembrano tutte uguali, le storie e gli uomini sono sempre diversi.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm going to review because I've noticed there aren't any reviews listed.

This novel is historical fiction. A man named Mandala Mankuku is born into his village, in belief system superceded by the ancestors. He lives to see the arrivals of Whites, the horrors of colonialism, racism, and the 'divide and conquer' strategy that Europeans oh so adore to use. HE lives through revolutions. The importance he once held in his village as a blacksmith and healer transitions his ability to bring people together to overthrow the colonists government (in which he becomes a national hero), to being of no importance at all, excommunicated from his home in the city back to his village. Through the dwindling belief of the ancestors as he tries to discover his place/fit into to this new world of academics and science.

[Pirkka · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing example of a personal history becoming history of the whole continent. The main character goes through all the stages of Afro-European relations and feels them deeply... being an intrinsic part of it. It is beautifully written but also it tells the story from the other point of view... the point of view which is very often lacking! A must read for everyone curious to know about what Europeans did to the African cultures, lives and resources ...

[Rock Angel]

The cast of caricatures turned me off. I wouldn't have gotten past p.3 were it not a choice of my bookclub.

Forsaken around p.107

[Albertine]

C'est l'Histoire avec un grand H qui s'offre à nous sous la forme de ce conte africain.

[Anne Kedi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book. You can read my review here http://labiblioafronebrulepas.com/201...

[Mathias Paitre · Rating 4 out of 5]

C'était un livre agréable à lire, il fait voyager, réfléchir, penser, on traverse l'histoire de la colonisation sous un autre anle de vue. C'était intéressant.