Cheikh Hamidou Kane

In this brief but powerful book, Samba Diallo, the son of an important leader of the Diallobé in Senegal, goes first to a local Islamic school, where he studies with a man known as the Teacher of the Diallobé, then to the school set up by the French colonial administration, and finally on to college in Paris. While the novella focuses on Samba (whose schooling, apparently, was a lot like that of the author), it is really a philosophical novel, consisting of multiple conversations about show more Islamic beliefs versus those of the west. Through these conversations, the Islamic beliefs are presented as a beautiful way of living in the world, of interacting with other people, and of approaching death, while western philosophies and actions are divorced from meaning and from faith, materialistic, and atheistic. Although this could appear didactic or oversimplified, in the context of the novel the conversations appear completely realistic and thoughtful. In essence, the novella confronts the European conquest of Africa with ideas as well as bullets, leading Africans to become estranged from their own history and cultures.

Although this is fundamentally a philosophical novel (how French, one might say), the author has created memorable characters and situations, both in Africa and in France, and a portrait of a time when African leaders had a real choice to make about how to deal with the west. Of course, that choice still continues, and not only in Africa. show less

The content is extremely interesting. The message is very important. It's one of the rare books where the author has something to say. A great shame that the novel is badly-written. I haven't read the novel in its original language, so I can't really say to what extent the bad translation contributed to this mess. But I don't think I'd have liked the writing much better in French. The lack of maturity made me cringe very often and put me off, it made me insensitive to the many virtues of the show more work. I couldn't get past the contrast between the immense gravity of the subject matter and the undercooked writing... show less

Ambiguous Adventure is initially gripping with its description of a Koranic school and the life of the protagonist, Samba Diallo. Samba is sent to the local French school, and from there goes to France, which leads to conflict between the values and beliefs he was brought up with and the emptiness he feels in the Western culture. The novel successfully depicts the sense of a divided self and the conflict between "progress" and traditional values and beliefs. However at times it becomes show more bogged down in philosophical discussion. Because this seems to overshadow the setting and characters, at times the people in the book feel very removed and distant. However, the novel is certainly a valuable representation of Sengalese literature especially in terms of the impact of colonization. show less

> KANE Cheikh Hamidou, Les gardiens du temple, Paris, Stock, 1995, 338 pages, 120 F
Se reporter au compte rendu de Jacques CHEVRIER
In: Chevrier, J. (1996). Compte rendu de [KANE Cheikh Hamidou, Les gardiens du temple, Paris, Stock, 1995, 338 pages, 120 F]. Études littéraires africaines, (1), 42–43 … ; (en ligne),
URL : https://www.erudit.org/fr/revues/ela/1996-n1-ela02277/1042691ar/