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Aya #2
Aya de Yopougon 2
Premio al Mejor Primer Álbum en Angoulême 2006.
Marguerite Abouet, nacida en Abiyán, nos describe la vida en un África sin conflictos bélicos ni pobreza extrema con la ayuda del magnífico ilustrador Clément Oubrierie. En un apacible barrio de Abiyán, en Costa de Marfil, todo el mundo vive tranquilo. Pero pequeños problemas y conflictos como la paternidad de un niño, la crisis de la cerveza o un concurso de miss pondrán a prueba la paciencia de los vecinos.
Marguerite Abouet, nacida en Abiyán, nos describe la vida en un África sin conflictos bélicos ni pobreza extrema con la ayuda del magnífico ilustrador Clément Oubrierie. En un apacible barrio de Abiyán, en Costa de Marfil, todo el mundo vive tranquilo. Pero pequeños problemas y conflictos como la paternidad de un niño, la crisis de la cerveza o un concurso de miss pondrán a prueba la paciencia de los vecinos.
128 pages, Hardcover
First published September 28, 2006
About the author
Marguerite Abouet
44 books297 followersMarguerite 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 240 reviews
March 11, 2020
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!
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!
December 6, 2018
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.
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.
February 6, 2017
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!
That ending !! I'm already reading the 3rd book it was so freaking good!
December 31, 2011
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.
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.
September 15, 2014
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....
February 20, 2013
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.
July 11, 2021
#BlackHistoryJuly
Si bien el final del primer tomo se veía venir, el de éste me ha cogido por sorpresa.
Si bien el final del primer tomo se veía venir, el de éste me ha cogido por sorpresa.
November 9, 2023
I enjoyed it but i think that jumping into the second book of the series made it a bit jarring
November 13, 2023
starting this series with the second book was confusing but boy was that a cliffhanger
March 17, 2024
2,5
Nesten stillestående plott, mye gjentagelser etc. Elsker fremdeles tegnestilen, og tror jeg kommer til å lese et nummer til
Nesten stillestående plott, mye gjentagelser etc. Elsker fremdeles tegnestilen, og tror jeg kommer til å lese et nummer til
February 27, 2020
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.
READ IT. READ IT.
May 7, 2020
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.
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.
July 24, 2023
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.
July 11, 2018
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...
January 22, 2026
Côte d'Ivoire 🇨🇮
November 14, 2023
TEH END!??
July 7, 2025
Trop addictif 😍😍
February 22, 2026
This was the second book in the Aya series, and I liked it even better than the first.
Adjoua has given birth to Bobby whose paternity is being questioned. Bintou is taking an interest in an arrival from France, and Moussa is put to work by his fearsome dad.
Once again, this is a warm and upbeat portrait of 1970s Ivory Coast with lovely artwork and gorgeous colouring. What a great series!
Adjoua has given birth to Bobby whose paternity is being questioned. Bintou is taking an interest in an arrival from France, and Moussa is put to work by his fearsome dad.
Once again, this is a warm and upbeat portrait of 1970s Ivory Coast with lovely artwork and gorgeous colouring. What a great series!
April 8, 2020
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.
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.
June 20, 2015
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.
March 31, 2019
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!
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!
October 2, 2008
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.
January 21, 2009
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).
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).
March 6, 2017
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.
September 16, 2017
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.
February 21, 2015
Really good. Great cast of characters, great setting.
April 25, 2015
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.
January 10, 2016
Mucho más dinámica que la primera parte. :)
September 26, 2019
rep: Ivorian cast
3.5 ☆
3.5 ☆
April 19, 2019
Really good. Colors and art style fit the flowy-ness of the dialogue and interactions. Good stuff!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 240 reviews