Nihilism and Negritude

237 Pages·2016·5.49 MB·English

by  Célestin Monga

NIHILISM AND NEGRITUDE

NIHILISM AND NEGRITUDE
WAYS OF LIVING IN AFRICA
Célestin Monga
TRANSLATED BY
Madeleine Velguth

Cambridge, Massachusetts
London, England
2016
Copyright © 2016 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of Amer i ca
First printing
Originally published in French as Nihilisme et négritude: les arts de vivre en
Afrique. Copyright © Presses Universitaires de France, 2009.
Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
Names: Monga, Célestin, author.
Title: Nihilism and negritude : ways of living in Africa / Célestin Monga ;
translated by Madeleine Velguth.
Other titles: Nihilisme et négritude. En glish
Description: Cambridge, Mas sa chu setts : Harvard University Press,
2016. | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifi ers: LCCN 2016006917 | ISBN 9780674970724 (alk. paper)
Subjects: LCSH: Africa, Sub- Saharan— Civilization. | Africa,
Sub- Saharan— Social life and customs. | Blacks— Race
identity. | Nihilism (Philosophy) | Social ethics— Africa,
Sub- Saharan.
Classifi cation: LCC DT14 .M6513 2016 | DDC 967.03/3— dc23
LC rec ord available at http:// lccn . loc . gov / 2016006917
To the great masters:
Fabien Eboussi Boulaga, Eugène Ekoumou,
Jean- Marc Ela, and Ambroise Kom
For Maélys and Kephren,
compasses and guardian angels

CONTENTS
Introduction. Nihilism: African Variations . . . . 1
1. Desire’s Ruses: Po liti cal Economy
of Marriage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
2. I Eat Therefore I Am: Philosophy of
the Table. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
3. Poetics of Movement: Visions of Dance
and M usic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
4. The Savor of Sin: Dialogue around
God’s Funeral . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
5. Ethic of the Uses of the Body: A Theory
of Self- Esteem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
6. Vio lence as Ethic of Evil. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Conclusion. Nihilism to Tame Death . . . . . . . 187
Notes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Acknowl edgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .215
Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .217

NIHILISM AND NEGRITUDE