Kama Sywor Kamanda(11 November 1952, Congo) is a Congolese French-speaking writer, poet, novelist, playwright, speaker, essayist and storyteller from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He is also a committed intellectual who contributes to the evolution of ideas and the history of Africa. He was born in Luebo in the province of Kasaï Occidental in Congo-Kinshasa on 11 November 1952. His first publication, Les Contes des veillées africaines was an immediate success. From the beginning of his career, his literary work has stood out due to its originality, its unique style and its themes. As per literary critics: Kamanda owes much of his world renown as a writer to his "Kamanda Tales", as they should be called for their evocative power and literary quality, which rank this African writer among the greatest classic authors such as Andersen, Grimm, Perrault and Maupassant. Kama Sywor Kamanda is considered as the Africa's greatest storyteller.
Biography Kamanda Kama Sywor, a writer, poet, novelist, essayist, playwright and storyteller, was born on November 11, 1952, in Luebo, Democratic Republic of Congo, to father Malaba Kamenga and mother Kony Ngalula.The Life and Work of Kama Sywor Kamanda: Interviews. Paperback https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0874L1599 His political view of this country forced him to leave Africa and live in exile in Europe. Nevertheless, he always remains a great leader of opinion in the world and his works are impregnated with his fight for liberty and justice and real democracy in his country. He has written many poetry books, drama, novels, essays and fairy tales. Kamanda is a classical writer in Europe, Asia, Africa and America. Many students in the world study his literature. He has earned many literature prizes, including the Heredia prize from the Académie Française. He is spoken of as a potential Nobel Prize laureate in Literature.
After publishing the first collection of stories at the age of 15, Kamanda studied literature, journalism, political science, philosophy and law, and worked in journalism. In 1970, he participated in the creation of the Union of Congolese Writers (Union des écrivains congolais). Forced to leave the Congo in 1977 due to his political activities, Kamanda lived in various European countries and currently living in Belgium.
In 1985, Kamanda was the founding president of the African Association of Writers, of which L. S. Senghor was the honorary president. As a poet, story teller and novelist, Kamanda subsequently produced a considerable body of literary work, including a dozen anthologies of poetry, several hundred stories, as well as several novels.
Kamanda's works have been translated into many languages, including English, Japanese, Italian, and Greek. This writer has earned several major prizes and distinctions, including the Paul Verlaine Prize from the Académie française (1987), the Louise Labé Prize (1990), the Black Africa Grand Prize for Literature (1991), and the Théophile Gautier prize (1993) from the Académie française.In 2005, the International Council for Francophone Studies (Conseil international d'études francophones) conferred upon him the prestigious Maurice-Cagnon Certificate of Honour, for his unique contribution to world francophone literature.
His stories draw their imagery from African traditions, but constitute a universe at the boundary between the fantastic and the author's own reality. His numerous books of poetry focus on the themes of celebrating Africa and of the pain of exile and solitude, all against a backdrop of fervent celebration of love.
Effects Literary career Through his writing, Kamanda combines personal memories, tradition, and creative elements. It is not just a collection of stories, but a specific literary work influenced by folk themes and local legends. As a playwright, storyteller, poet, and novelist, Kamanda has produced an extensive body of published work. Since the publication of his first book, Les Contes des veillées africaines, in 1967, he has written twelve books including a thousand poems, twelve plays, two essays, and several collections of stories. His literary work also includes several novels.
Storyteller He is known for his literary tales which are inspired by his personal experiences, his imagination, and the traditions and realities of the African continent. Kamanda’s tales are stories imbued with the culture and civilization of all African lands. His literary talent has been universally recognized in his lifetime. Critics and some of the greatest poets of his time, including Mario Luzi and Léopold Sédar Senghor, have emphasised the power of his verses and the richness of his imagery. According to the Bulletin Critique du Livre Français (BCLF, No. 529, entry 150655, Jan. 1990): "The poetic cry of Kamanda touches us and overwhelms us all the more because it is truly poetic. The suffering of uprooted lives and dualisms, the quest for love and hope. Elegiac poetry where the plaint takes speech as a fertile source, to speak of the dry land, the indifference of the other, the dead end. But the most heartbreaking cries right through this African tradition take on the warm bright colors of childhood, of a past the exiled poet finds within himself. The jasmine, the wisteria, these "sweet children like the blackness of the ebony", explode with a savour for which we were unable to be guardians or lovers. The poet's struggle is so fundamental, the choice of his words so evident that they rank him among the greatest chanters of misery and compassion. Violent like Hugo, able to use litanies like Peguy, as lyrical as Eluard. His work takes on all forms of the universal clamor which, from the beginning to the end of time, talks continuously to the attentive ear.” Kamanda has received many awards, including, in 2009, the French Academy’s Prix Heredia for Œuvre poétique: édition intégrale i.e., the complete edition of his poetic works.
Novelist Kamanda constantly embodies Africa and its dreams. His writings reveal him to be a genuine résistant against totalitarian powers, but he also comes to the aid of men and women fighting in silence for their rights or their survival, and that of their children. A committed writer, he has always considered himself a "lost soul between the dreams and the illusions, the joys and the sorrows of the African world." His novels depict the life of African peoples at the time of dictators and under the influence of racist and neo-colonialist sects, and the social and economic consequences of the black populations deprived of any financial clout to influence their own destiny. He highlights the contradictions of the black people of all continents who both serve exclusively the interests of their tormenters, over those in their own community that struggle for their rights and resist predation, and are victims of racist, ideological and religious issues that overwhelm them. L'Insondable destin des Hommes expresses a deep and original reflection on bad governance, political violence and economic predation as the main reasons for the migration of African youth condemned to death in the desert and at sea. In La Joueuse de Kora, he evokes his ideal of justice and truth and his quest for peace and collective happiness without racism or apartheid, while his characters and intrigues in La Traversée des mirages are inspired by the actors and realities of political life.
Playwright Kamanda is inspired by Africa past and present, with playwriting that pays tribute African rulers like the Pharaohs and Queens of Ancient Egypt. Ramsès II, Candace 1ère, and Toutankhamon are Kama Sywor Kamanda plays that highlight Africa's contribution to world civilization. Kamanda travels the world, carrying his audience with him through his imagination, poetry and love of peoples and cultures of the world. Kamanda’s theatrical work is characterized by its originality, erudition, and exploration of African and global cultures.
Characteristics of His Theatre
African historical subjects: He draws inspiration from African history, giving new literary life to figures such as the pharaohs and queens of ancient Egypt.
Originality and erudition: His theatre is recognized for its thematic originality and the depth and richness of his knowledge of Africa, both past and present.
Universal dimension: Although rooted in African memory, his theatre, like the rest of his work, opens itself to the world and to other cultures, as demonstrated by his play set in Japan.
Quality of writing: He is also recognized for his mastery of metaphor and his poetic language, which permeate his plays as well as the rest of his work.
Literary works
Tales
1967: Les Contes des veillées africaines, Éditions J.M. Bouchain, 1985, Editions l'Harmattan, 1986; Éditions Présence Africaine, 1998. 1988: Les Contes du griot, Vol. 1, Préface de Léopold Sedar Senghor, 220 pages, Éditions Présence Africaine () second edition 1988. 1991: Les Contes du Griot, Vol. 2 (La Nuit des Griots), 302 pages, Éditions Présence africaine, 1996; new edition 1997. ()."Grand Prix Littéraire de l'Afrique Noire" in 1991. Republished () La Nuit des Griots, first edition in 1991, 288 pages - Antoine Degive, publisher and l'Harmattan, joint publisher (). 1998: Les Contes du Griot, Vol. 3 (Les Contes des veillées africaines, expanded edition), 199 pages, Éditions Présence Africaine () 2000: Les Contes du crépuscule, 240 pages, Editions Présence Africaine, 2000 (). 2003: Contes, illustrations de Louise Fritsch, 800 pages, () joint-publication: (). 2004: Contes (complete works), 1,648 pages, (). 2005: Les Contes du Griot: Les Contes des veillées africaines, pocket edition, 259 pages. Éditions Magnard, Collection: Classiques & Contemporains (). 2006: Contes Africains, un choix de contes merveilleux 544 pages, Éditions Grund, (). 2018: Les Contes de KAMANDA (Choix des contes merveilleux)
Poetry
1986 : Chants de brumes, 148 pages, Preface by Jacques Izoard, 1986 (republished, Paris, in 1997, 2002 and 2019) () 1986: Les Résignations, 176 pages, Preface by Mateja Matevski, Paris (1997), republished 2019 () 1987: Éclipse d’étoiles,208 pages, Preface by Claude Michel Cluny, Paris (1997 and republished 2019 ()) 1989: La Somme du néant, Preface by Pierrette Micheloud, 132 pages, Paris, 1989 (), and 1999, and the definitive edition (2019) (), Prix Louise Labé. 1992 : L’Exil des songes, 272 pages, Preface by Marc Alyn, Paris, and republished 2019 (), Prix de poésie de l'Académie Française. 1992: Les Myriades des temps vécus, definitive edition, preface by Mario Luzi, 234 pages, Paris, 1992 (republished 1999), Prix Théophile Gautier de l'Académie Française in 1993, (), and republished 2019, 180 pages () 1993: Les Vents de l’épreuve,84 pages, Preface by Salah Stétié, Paris 1997 and republished 2019,() 1994: Quand dans l’âme les mers s’agitent, 192 pages, Preface by Jean-Baptiste Tati Loutard, Paris, 1998, republished 2019,() 1995: L'Étreinte des mots, 128 pages, Preface by Maria Luisa Spaziani, Paris, 1995 and republished 2019 () 1999: Œuvre poétique, 2016 pages, Éditions Présence Africaine (). 1999 2002: Le Sang des solitudes, republished 2019 (). 2008 : Œuvre poétique complète, édition intégrale, 977 pages, Éditions L'Âge d'Homme, 2008 (); Prix Heredia de l'Académie Française 2018: La transparence des ombres, 236 pages () 2019: L'Éternité des jours, 112 pages ()
Novels
1994: Lointaines sont les rives du destin, 168 pages, 2019;republished, Eue, 2019 () 2006: La Traversée des mirages, 310 pages, 2019, republished, Éditions EUE () . 2006: La Joueuse de Kora, 131 pages, 2019, republished, Éditions EUE (). 2013: L'Insondable destin des hommes, 368 pages, 2018, republished, Éditions EUE ()
Dramas
2013: L'Homme torturé, monologue in one act, 52 pages, 2013, republished EUE, 2019 () 2015: Toutankhamon, tragedy, 300 pages, Paris, republished EUE, 2019,()