54/THE NEW AFRICAN/APRIL 1966/DAKAR FESTIVAL SUPPLEMENT

Most of the people who came to the confer-

ence were oddly dressed. Chini had taken the
trouble to be superbly groomed. Her hair was
~athered in a little pig-tail at the back and she
floated the extra yards of delicate print over her
A few nights
arm. For some reason her scrupulousness seemed
to bea burden now. She felt out of place until and days This pre-publication
glancing across the table she caught sight of a
dazzling young woman who also appeared to be - Chapter one extract from an
taking notes. She wore a pale blue transparent important Camerounian
nylon material, lighter than the wind and thrice
as clinging. Her face was made up in a manner first novel sets a scene
Max Factor would have approved, even for an MBELLA which reverses the roles
African woman. Chini learnt later that this of the French and African
woman was a reporter from Radio Nigeria. SONNE lovers in Cyprian Ekwensi's
"I am a Secretary-Typist", Chini said,
answering Fran~ois's question. She smiled. DIPOKO story (p 51)
"One of eighteen Secretaries."
"You have always spoken English?"
" Yes."
"You write?" "DOUMBE, why don't you want to meet my H Sur?
JJ

"No. But I read what they write. I was parents? " Therese asked. We were in bed. "Umm."
sent here to report. No I don't write. I read: She was nineteen. She liked to carry her hair a Sur, sur? JJ

mainly love stories." long over her shoulders and back. She was a " Yes."
His face flushed. She felt she had said geography student. She was slender, but broad- Her feelings for me were a mixture of love
something out of place, and tried to rectify it. hipped. She didn't like her hips. She would and gratefulness; mine were tinged with a pro-
"The first love story I ever really enjoyed have liked them to be narrow; and she was big found sense of responsibility. I was the first
was When Love Whispers." at her backside-heavy there really; and that man to touch her and talk to her of desire.
"I see! ... I've never heard of it." too she didn't like at all. From the start I was When I had said she was pretty she said I was
"A long time ago. I was in the convent very fond of her. She had such an attractive lying. If she were pretty why didn't the boys
then." She remembered the story clearly, and face; simple eyes and rounded lips. talk to her? I told her that there was no hurry
promptly began to tell him about it. But some- " Your parents?" I asked. in those things. She replied that some girls got
where in the middle she realised that the tone " Yes. Why don't you want to meet them? " married at fifteen. Many girls began going out
of this conference was set too high for glib talk, Her father had a finn in Africa, in the Ivory with boys at sixteen, even earlier. But she had
and she kept quiet so suddenly that an emptiness Coast. been alone. Alone. She hadn't even girl friends.
descended on them in the large hall, though " One of these days." until nine months ago when her mother took on
everyone seemed to be babbling away. " But when?' " Bibi, a Swedish girl who did house-keeping for
At this point the bell rang and they resumed "I don't know . . . 'Give me a bit .. them in exchange for board and lodging and a
their seats. H Non! " she protested. few francs.
H Allons! " Therese liked Bibi very much. It was througb
CHINI S TILL WORKS in Lagos. They will tell "When will you meet them? At least my Bibi that I met Therese. I had gone to a dance
you about her-those who know, and sigh and mother? " and had asked a girl to dance with me. As we
shake their heads. You do not need to look too " I've told you, one of these days." danced she said her name was Bibi; and I told.
closely to see why she was the flash-point of "But when? " her my name. I had then dropped a hint to the
that international controversy. But she is very " I'll tell you after ... " effect that I wanted to become acquainted. But
cool now, very calm, very collected. She is so " You always say that." she said she had a French boy friend so she
efficient that sometimes her boss calls her to his " Yes." couldn't be more than ordinary friends with
inner office and says, "Look, Chi ... you are "Yes what? " me. I said that was all right with me.
working too hard. Take some rest." I breathed deeply - in, then out. Then one day I saw her on the Boulevard.
And she smiles, that mysterious smile of hers " Listen ... " Saint Michel with another girl - Therese. I'
and says: "Am I? ... I like to work hard for " Why are you in such a hurry? It won't run talked to Bibi and she introduced Therese to
my country. " away." me. We went into a cafe and talked and joked
When she talks in this manner her boss "You too are in a hurry. Your parents and laughed. Bibi went to the telephone box.
hastily stubs his cigarette and frowns in silence. won't run av/ay." That was when I told Therese that she shouldn't
I t seems she has touched something very deep. "But Doumbe, I can't understand you." be surprised; but I thought I liked her. I meant
" May I go now?" " Come on. You'll understand me after." it. I would love to see her, alone, I said, some-
A slow smile grows on her employer's face " Yes! I'm no longer naive." time. How about her meeting me in that same
and he talks without paying any attention to "But Therese! " cafe the following day? At three in the after-
her. " When will you meet 1naman? " noon?
"We have all had misfortunes, you know. I didn't reply. After a minute or two of She said she didn't know whether or not she
You must not live with your own all your life. silence, I sighed: would be able to make it.
Francois is dead, through no fault of yours. " Umm." Bibi returned from the telephone box.
It's true you loved him... But that was "Umm what?" she asked. "You won't I told her that I thought her friend was
unfortunatee " reply? ., charming. I really meant it.
Already she is crying. She is unable to stand " Next week, all right? " Bibi put her hand maternally on Therese's
up any more and she looks round and slumps shoulder, and tilted her head sideways to look
into a seat. Her employer is talking to her now MBE L L A SON N E DIP 0 K 0, author of into Therese's face.
as a friend; as a man who knows her worth this first novel, A Few Nights and Days, to Therese was shy.
and realises that her efficiency is bound up with be published by Longrnans in 1uly 1966, is The next day she turned up for the date in
her personal happiness. a Ca1'nerounian writer and poet now living in that same cafe. That was how it began.
"Can't you find some other young man? Paris who has the distinction of writing in Now it wasn't only meeting Therese. I had
Look, Chi. You do not go out nearly enough. both French and English. His poems have to meet her parents as well, at least her mother,
You-oh, what's the use?" been published in The New African, Transi- as she herself had just said.
He was exasperated. This man who could tion, and Montparnasse Review. A Few I knew' what that meant. I wasn't really
sway multitudes with his soft persuasive voice Nights and Days is the story of an African against it; but I didn't want to be rushed into
was exasperated before her, before Chi-his own student in Paris whose casual affair with a anything, or rather rushed into it, since I knew
typist. French girl leads him into deeper emotional what meeting her parents would mean; what it
When he had talked and talked she knew that involvement with her which is blocked only could lead to. I liked Therese very much and
he was talking from the other side of the wall. by her father. Failure to get parental approv- her profound sense of solitude made me feel
Her feminine stubborness was standing between al leads to tragedy when the girl finally very much attached to her. I thought she had
her and him and she could not see him-or even commits suicide. I ronically the African even more need for me than she seemed to
h~rh~. • student gets off the hook that way. realize. I had taught her to hope, taught her to
 THE NEW AFRICAN/APRIL 1966/DAKAR FESTIVAL SUPPLEMENT/55
esteem herself a little more and she didn~t hide But later when we were once more calm and sisted. So I told her. I said her advice had
the fact that she was grateful to me for It. reasonable I tried to withdraw the promise I come too late. Alors la! It was total panic. Her
I had also taught her to dance and now she had made only a few minutes ago. face red, she asked me if by that I meant you
simply adored it. I also talked to her of my "Therese," I said, "don't you think this had known me. I said it was done."
ancestors, the little I knew about them~ and quest10n of meeting your mother is rather deli- " What did she say? "
Therese listened. She was very broad-mInded, cate? " " She wept."
Therese very broad-minded indeed. I talked to "Ca y est! n she said. " You have begun " You shouldn't have told her."
her of' the Africa of my childhood and she stalling. How is it delicate? " "But she wanted to know. I wasn't going to
simply liked it. I told her the story of Mboke "Well-" go into the details. It was she who asked for
and Ewudu. She loved it; she said it was like " You're not going to tell me you're afraid." them."
a novel. She liked to hear me talk of Africa. " Shut up. Me? Afraid? What of? " " And she said she wanted to see me? "
We also talked about Greece and Rome. But "Alors, why don't you want to meet her? "Not immediately. She went to her room to
we weren't history students, so we only talked You said a while ago that you'd meet her next weep. Luckily papa wasn't at home. When she
about generalities. I had a critical attitude. week. Now you want to change." later left her room she came and knocked on
Sometimes I would taunt her about the mili- "Does she know about us? " the door of mine. I let her in determined to tell
tarism of Sparta; would talk about the endless " Yes." her off should it be necessary. She sat on my
wars which were fought in the European past, "Yes? " bed. Then she asked me if I was expecting a
wars which were the ancestors of the more " Y·es. I had to tell her." child. I couldn't help laughing. I don't know
recent wars of our time. But not once did she "You didn't have to." why. She wanted to know why I was laughing,
hit back and say African tribes also fought each "Well I have done so. She knows." if by that too I meant her anxiety had come a
other, that Africans fought wars against each " I thought you said she was very Catholic? " bit late. I said no. I wasn't laughing because
other. " Yes and so? " of that. But was I pregnant? I said no. She
I don't know why she wasn't critical of In the past she wouldn't have been so snappy. thanked ,God . . . It's after all normal, all that,
Africa. Perhaps she had come to see Mrica as "I was wondering how someone as Catholic I understand her, but I have my life. It's mine,
something virginal, something perfect and she as you say t:he is would take the news. Did you my life. I think she has understood that now."
didn't want to tamper with that image. Or per- tell her that we do this?" I pointed at her "So it wasn't she who asked you to intro-
haps she didn't want to offend me. She was thighs ... " She knows? " duce me? "
very polite with me. " Of course! " "No. It's me. Does it really bother you very
I talked to her about African art and we "That is something. How did you begin? I much? I thought it would be nice for you to
read quite a bit on it. She even began to say wouldn't know how to talk about it to my meet them."
perhaps she should have done ethnography or mother if I were a girl. Come on, tell me. How " Does your father know? "
ethnology instead of geography. She said she did you present it? " " My father! "
would have loved to study a region of Africa. "I told her I knew a boy. She wanted to " Yes."
I once mentioned it to an African friend of know if he was nice." "But no! "
mine, a science student. He was a funny chap. " But I am nice, my dear! " I climbed down from the bed and went into
He said of course; didn't I know? Love was " It's not true, wicked you." the bathroom, splashed some water on me,
the best of ambassadors. I was really putting " Is that what you told her? " wiped myself with a towel and returned to the
Africa across. I didn't like that very much be- " No. I said the boy was nice. Then she said room in a dressing gown.
cause it seemed to me he said it with a touch I should be careful. She said I shouldn't go to It was a large room. A double bed. A table
of irony, and I am rather sensitive. your place. I laughed. You can't imagine how at which I worked and a chair. One large
Therese would have told me many things; I it made me laugh. She wanted to know why I leather chair. A sideboard. A bookshelf and an
would have learnt a lot from her if only she was laughing. But I wouldn't tell her. She in- enormous wardrobe with a misty mirror fitted
had a little more self-confidence. And when that
self-confidence began to come, we were so in-
volved with each other that the world didn't
just seem interesting enough to talk about. We
discussed ourselves, our problems. But while the
old relationship las~ed I talked to her of Africa
Frontier
and she listened with much interest. Being a 24 pages of African analysis, crItICIsm, creative writing monthly carrying the voice
geography student she would have talked to me of freedom into South Africa. Now fill in:
about the regions of Europe; about the rivers,
for example. But I didn't even encourage her.
I didn't care for any river but the Mungo River, Please send FRONTIER for one year to :
in Cameroon, and about that I talked. The M . M . M .
seasons - the dry season and the rainy season.
The canoe-men and their women. My child-
hood by that river. River of desire. River of
love - songs sung by the canoe-men and their
women. Welcoming river.
But nineteen years was rather too young. I
was twenty-three, hard in my own way, some- Make a tick in the applicable box and fill in the necessary blanks:
times reckless and often I thought of life as a
tough adventure which called for as little senti-
mentality as possible. I didn't subscribe to ordin..
o Please send FRONTIER to those whose names and addresses I have filled in.
ary morals and I didn't care. I Jived. I had D Please send it on my behalf to South Africans who are banned or
crossed oceans and deserts, burst through hori- house-arrested, sending me their names and addresses.
zons. And all that needed audacity. Life wasn't
a simple thing, nor was love: complications
o Please let the recipients know my name and address as the sender.
always developed. But to Therese life was hope, D I am a student at the school, college or university specified here .
a refuge. . . ... . .. . . ... . . .. .. . . . . .. . . .. .. ... . .. .. . . .. . ... . . . .. .. .. . . ... . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. ... .. arzd therefor,
Now I was looking into her eyes and she entitled to a 25% discount.
gazed at my excitement, at first smiling, then
with something like a helpless sadness. I saw D I enclose a remittance for the number of subscriptions I have ordered (at Rl/
love in her eyes with all the old fears and de- £1/$2.80 per year, double for airmail).
mands of reassurance. But her face showed the
familiar willingness, the aroused desire and I
o Please bill me for the number of subscriptions I h(lfJe ordered.
lowered my face to hers, forgetting all that life Now mail to:
held of distances, conscious only of nearness,
warmth, desire. Her body seemed to weaken; THE BUSINESS MANAGER, GRANSIGHT HOLDINGS LTD., 12A GOODWINS COURT, OFF ST.
then it became taut, throbbing with the force MARTINS LANE, LONDON, w.c.2, ENGLAND.
of hel receptive tenderness. Nearness warmth
and desire with no thoughts of distan~e.!
 56/THE NEW AFRICAN/APRIL 1966/DAKAR FESTIVAL SUPPLEMENT
against its door. can turn only to things like horoscopes for and went and sat down on the edge of the bed.
The dressing gown I was wearing was slightly amusement! Therese took my hand :in hers. Then she held
over-size. It was a birthday present from When I talked to Therese about the two my fingers to her lips and bit them, lightly
Therese. I hadn't a dressing gown and she said women, she said she wouldn't want to live to It didn't hurt at all. It tickled, and it was
I had to have one. Her father had dressing that age. Forty would be enough for her, she faintly pleasurable. Her teeth were on my fin..
gowns. A man must always have a dressing said. Co" Grand maximum." That was the way gers, or rather on my finger-nails, but I fe!
gown, she said. I told her that I wasn't her she put it. That was over a month ago. I knew the effect right down in me, a tickling whicli
father, that in Africa people used loincloths. She she hadn't changed her mind. It was strange was rough enough to make me laugh but which
said it didn't m·atter. So when my birthday came, how morose she could be and then how elated also had a vague intensity that went deeper
in February, she bought the dressing gown for she could suddenly become the following day. than the depth of laughter.
me. I kissed her, sincerely, twice, on the cheek Theresel I knew love was a burden to her. Then I felt the sad - no, the melancholy
even . though kissing wasn't a habit of mine. I But it was an agreeable burden. She was very feeling of love. That was why I was feelini
told her it wasn't done back home. She said delicate. Sometimes I wondered whether she alone. But it was only a mood. If I had waited,
that was curious. She ,,'as happy that I liked realised to what extent love was an adventure. it would have passed as it was bound to pass,
the present. A good girl with a good heart, that To her it seemed to be a refuge against the and I wouldn't have committed myself as I now
Therese. She wasn't mean, and I liked it that bitterness of the world; to me it wasn't a desti- did.
she wasn't. nation but a stop exposed to winds, to thunders, Therese suddenly let go my fingers. Sh
Personally, I spent money without thinking a stop exposed to storms, a stop among other tucked the bedclothes farther under her armpitS
of the next day. I expected others to be like stops between the first day and the last day in as if in preparation to go to sleep. She had
me. Someone once said it was because there the life of every man and woman. I wished believed, profoundly, she had convinced herself
was something of an artist in me. Another per- Therese could realize that we were only friends. of the oneness of the world.
son said it was because I was born in February, " Are you getting up or not? " I asked. "I'll meet your mother next week," I said.
towards the end. I don't know much about She passed her fingers through her hair and "Wednesday? Will that suit you? "
horoscopes. But people said it was fun. pouted. "I think so," she said and took my hand in
One night, at the drug store in The Champs "I am tired," she said, as if moaning. "I'll hers and pulled me to her. My feeling of
Elysees I saw two women looking through a stay fOT a while." loneliness :increased. I bent over her. She pulled'
bundle of pamphlets on the sub;eet. They She drew the bed-clothes to her chest and me closer and raising her lips from the pillo~
laughed, reading through the pamphlets. They tucked their edges under her armpits. Her she kissed me on the lips, quickly, then her head-
weren't middle-aged women. They were older hands weren't under the bed-clothes; so, with fell back on the pillow.
than that; those high society women who wanted one of them, she tapped the edge of the bed, We went into the details. The time; five in
to remain young forever because of the next meaning I should sit down, there! the afternoon. The place: a cafe in an area in
fashion shows. They were lightly perfumed and "Come and sit down, here, here," she said, which I had once lived before moving into my
their faces were carefully made-up. The effect now only caressing the edge of the bed with her present room.
wasn't bad at all. Perhaps they had spent up to fingers, tapping away, lightly, with one finger, Before Therese left my place that afternoon
forty· years learning how to put their faces in then with another. she reminded me that Laurent, Bibi's boy friend;
order. They held their heads together, reading "I'm coming," I said and went to the win- and I, had promised to take them to a dance
one of the books which purported to talk about dow. that evening. It was a Wednesday.
the present and the future in prophetic terms. I drew the curtains apart. I said I had forgotten. She said I forgot
I was looking through the paperbacks which Daylight rushed into the room with the everything. I laughed, having recovered from myY1
lined the shelves, mostly novels. I liked to freshness of mid-May. The sun was on the wall feeling of loneliness. She smiled. Then she re-'
touch books. As I raised my head and looked of the building opposite my window . . . No. minded me - or thought she was reminding me-
in the direction of the women, they laughed and The sun was only on the upper storey of the - that the rendezvous was at Laurent's place~
nudged each other. One of them selected a building. To my right, where a little street at nine that evening. She and Bibi would join
second horoscope pamphlet, since they already cut at right angles with the street under my us there. h
had one which made them laugh. It was in the window, the red-brick wall of a tall building was I hadn't forgotten. Only I liked to pull her
hands of the taller woman. fully sun-lit. leg. Therese was nineteen and very nice. SHe
It Ca nous amusera/' the other woman Behind the building the sky was a blotchy had a pretty face, but her broad hips and large
laughed, and winked at her friend ... But life blue. The sky leaned over Paris. Looking at it, buttocks embarrassed her. They made her miser-
is a tragic thing. To attain the age when one I felt alone, profoundly alone. I turned round able. • '
(

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