Passé colonial et objectification moderne dans Mathématiques congolaises d’In Koli Jean Bofane

Abstract

In this article, we focus on the first novel written by Congolese author In Koli Jean Bofane, entitled Mathématiques congolaises (2008). The work will deal mainly with three types of objects represented in this work: colonial, colonised and decolonised. Our main aim will be to show how colonisation has influenced the material objects present in this fictional story. Above all, it will be a question of the residue of colonial objects, the image of the prestige of the West, which continue to exert a certain influence. In our contribution, we will problematize the presence of all the material objects reflected in the chosen novel. So-called local objects represent nothing more than useless waste as a result of cultural alienation, and colonial objects cannot be fully embraced by colonised and post-colonial societies, because they are inevitably deterritorialized and still have an influence on the societal hierarchy – in this case – of Kinshasa.