Your Madness, Not Mine: Stories of Cameroon (Volume 70)

by Juliana Makuchi Nfah-Abbenyi

Women’s writing in Cameroon has so far been dominated by Francophone writers. The short stories in this collection represent the yearnings and vision of an Anglophone woman, who writes both as a Cameroonian and as a woman whose life has been shaped by the minority status her people occupy within the nation-state. The stories in Your Madness, Not Mine are about postcolonial Cameroon, but especially about Cameroonian women, who probe their day-to-day experiences of survival and empowerment as they deal with gender from patriarchal expectations to the malaise of maldevelopment, unemployment, and the attraction of the West for young Cameroonians. Makuchi has given us powerful portraits of the people of postcolonial Africa in the so-called global village who too often go unseen and unheard.

Genres: Short Stories, Africa, Cameroon, Fiction, African Literature

158 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Juliana Makuchi Nfah-Abbenyi is Professor of English and Comparative Literature. She holds doctorates from the University of Yaounde, Cameroon, and from McGill University, Montreal, Canada. Her research is in Postcolonial and World Literatures, Literary Theory, Gender and Women’s Studies. She has lectured nationally and internationally in these fields. Her extensive publications include three books: Gender in African Women’s Writing: Identity, Sexuality, and Difference (Indiana University Press), Your Madness, Not Mine: Stories of Cameroon (Ohio University Press) and The Sacred Door and Other Stories: Cameroon Folktales of the Beba (Ohio University Press). She writes fiction under the pen name, Makuchi.

(from http://bookshybooks.blogspot.com/2014...)

Reviews

[Wim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful collection of short stories on the anglophone part of Cameroon, in the postcolonial context of the 1990s when socioeconomic conditions were harsh (SAPs, economic stagnation and devaluation of the CFA). In Makuchi's stories, strong women take a lead and defy the odds. Several stories depict the continuous discrimination of the English-speaking minority by the French-speaking majority, a condition that remains very important today.

Every single story is well-written and creative. I enjoyed all of them. If I have to pick a favorite I'd choose the hilarious story Election Fever.

[Charmayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Living in a tiny village in rural francophone Cameroon, I'll admit that I sometimes forget the extent of the social and political tension between what my region represents and the nearby anglophone parts of the country. This book helps give a voice to the areas that are often thought of as the minority - while showing how they fit into the nation as a whole. Though often exploited and neglected, these stories show a people willing to fight back - even in minor ways. The writing switches between English, "grammar" English, Pidgin, French, and various dialects in a way that feels smooth and seamless to those of us used to hearing these transitions in casual conversation.

[Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection was really powerful, and I loved how the dialogue was a mix of English, pidgin, tribal languages, and French--just like what you actually hear on the streets here. While the stories as a whole are not exactly uplifting, the protagonists (most of whom are women) find ways to fight the system, or at the very least, to maintain their dignity.

I had to do some quick research on IMF/World Bank structural adjustment programs from the '90s to understand the plight of some of the characters, and what I read was pretty damning. (Also more proof that my brain struggles to process abstract topics like economics until suddenly I have a story to attach to them.)

[Carolien · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of stories opens a window on daily life in the minority English-speaking part of Cameroon. There are a number of interesting personalities and I enjoyed the tone and writing style. Definitely worth a read.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a powerfully evocative collection of short stories portraying the everyday lives of, mostly women, in anglophone Cameroon – set against the background of economic crises, HIV/Aids, migration, and tensions between anglophones and francophones in Cameroon. I really enjoyed Makuchi’s more conversational style of writing and how her stories relate all the small ways in which people deal with the adversities of life and fight for their little corner in a context of systemic inequalities.

[Glenn Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely amazing collection of captivating and powerful vignettes regarding the struggles and victories of postcolonial Cameroonian women. Now, granted, on the surface my initial comment and the description of the book itself would seem to create this sense of a very nuanced book, one perhaps directed to a very intentional and limited target audience. However, in reality, this is an excellent read that will captivate readers regardless of their own personal background or passion. That is to say, this is much, much more than a simple book on a singular culture within the larger continent of Africa. The various stories speak to shared issues that we all face regardless of our nationality, gender, cultural background, socioeconomic status, etc. Life, death, loss, hopes, dreams, disappointment, family... all these themes resonate throughout this incredible book. If I were to pick one constant theme that weaves its way throughout the book it would be that the people herein were "about the daily business of survival." In many instances, even though faced with seemingly impossible and insurmountable odds, they found ways to keep moving forward and to continue living. To that end, though each chapter is a stand-alone story, the themes of struggle, hope, and survival work together to inspire and catalyze the reader. Highly recommend it to anyone and everyone!!!

[Grady · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of grim, social realist stories take place in a variety of settings across Cameroon. Many feature a middle-aged or older woman whose frustrations with the world - especially with aspects or representatives of the global economy - reach a breaking point. By and large, the stories don’t have a happy ending, and often don’t reach a resolution at all. Makuchi isn’t really interested in what happens after the women rebel, but in how they get to that point, and in the immediate force of their rage. ‘The Forest Will Claim You Too’ is a revenge-fantasy after a mother loses her son to an international logging consortium. ‘American Lottery’ is a twist-of-fate story about a young man’s opportunity to go emigrate to America. My favorites were the last two stories, ‘Bayam-Sellam’, about an aging entrepreneur turned political organizer; and ‘Slow Poison’, about the mother of a son who is dying of AIDS, and lamenting the way the disease has broken traditions of communal support and respect.

[Elise · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my 2nd read for Cameroon in my Read the World challenge and I liked this one the best. This is a collection of short stories all that deal with a little madness but all stories can be read in any order and do not connect except in theme.

The first story is a little triggering for SA, but this was the better of the collections of stories that I have read for this reading challenge. The translator has an introduction and made the choice not to translate the French or the Pidgeon within the story. You don't have to know how to read these but it is helpful, I wish she would have added a translation either as a footnote or an appendix. i read very basic French and it did change my view on what was being said.

Makuchi talks a lot about the economic system failing in a couple of stories and we also see some tension with the French versus English speaking populations which gave some insight into Cameroon. I enjoyed this one much better than Houseboy and would recommend reading this one if you too are reading around the world.

[gretafasurf ☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nonostante non sia una grande fan delle raccolte di racconti, questa l'ho apprezzata moltissimo. Tratta con crudezza e dolcezza le problematiche e talloni d'Achille principali del Camerun postcoloniale: l'identità nazionale e linguistica, l'emigrazione, le malattie, la povertà, la condizione femminile, la corruzione. Ho apprezzato la mescolanza di dialetti e lingue nella narrazione, che traduce appieno lo zibaldone di culture che è il Camerun postcoloniale. Mi ha aperto gli occhi e fatto cambiare idea su alcune questioni, in particolare modo quella linguistica.
In definitiva lo consiglio a tuttə!

[Gareth Barton · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book that made me reminisce about my time in Cameroon, but not really for me beyond that. The author's dialog writing isn't amazing and, naturally, the stories are pretty confronting and depressing. Certainly not bad and a good critique of colonialism/post-colonialism

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Tinea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this because I desperately wanted to understand, but Makuchi doesn't analyze or lay it out plainly. Instead, she gives smoky, winding tales that bring sharp focus to raw pain or rage or indignity while obscuring the whats and whys. I would read this differently with a teacher, but without, I'm left with the same feeling I have reading the news from Anglophone Cameroon: shock, sadness, outrage, dismay, but an inability to articulate just how the events that drive the feelings came and come to be.