Tram 83
About the book
Two friends meet in a nightclub where commercial frenzy mixes with literature and violence.
Africa · A READING GUIDE
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Fiston Mwanza Mujila connects music and nocturnal city rhythms with survival in late Mobutu-era Zaire. His poetry turns to the Congo River and colonial imagination. In Koli Jean Bofane uses satire to portray globalisation from Kinshasa. V. Y. Mudimbe’s philosophical study offers a separate route: criticism of how knowledge about Africa is made.
WHERE TO START
- Tram 83Fiston Mwanza Mujila
- Congo Inc.: Bismarck’s TestamentIn Koli Jean Bofane
- The Invention of AfricaV. Y. Mudimbe
Books to begin with
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The Villain’s Dance
About the book
Street children and diamond seekers connect late Mobutu-era Zaire with Angola.
Original title: La Danse du vilain
The River in the Belly
About the book
This poetry collection explores the Congo River, colonial violence and imaginings of the country.
Original title: Le Fleuve dans le ventre
Congo Inc.: Bismarck’s Testament
About the book
Isookanga leaves his forest village to enter the world of global business in Kinshasa.
Original title: Congo Inc.: Le Testament de Bismarck
The Invention of Africa
About the book
This philosophical study examines how colonial institutions and discourses shaped Western knowledge of Africa.
Original title: The Invention of Africa: Gnosis, Philosophy, and the Order of Knowledge
Between Tides
About the book
An African priest leaves the Church for revolution but cannot escape his inner divisions.
Before the Birth of the Moon
About the book
A novel of intimate relationships entangled in political power and mistrust.
Context and sources
Sources on authors and their connections to this country. Specific edition details appear beside each book. Polish and English originals are not labelled as translations.
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