Abobo Marley

By: Diomandé, Yaya

Moussa is "balanceur" on a gbaka in Abidjan, a van that runs every day between the community of Abobo and the shopping mall of Adjam . Attached to the car door, he criss-crosses the city. But he sees almost nothing of the surrounding area. His dreams are elsewhere. He carries them with himself since his childhood in the Marley district. Moussa wants to go to Bengue, Europe. No matter how much it costs, he wants to leave and that his success overseas benefits his loves ones here. He will be shoeshine boy, apprentice mechanic, taxi driver, soldier of the rebellion, band leader, until he has collected enough money and gives it a go. For what kind of life?

Moussa describes his world with the candor of a child, the rebelliousness of youth and the assurance and persistence of a man who never gives up. A vital contagious energy, an astounding modern odyssey, the discovery of a magnificent voice embodies that of African youth of today.

African Voices is a literary award, launched this year by JC Latt s in collaboration with RFI, whose goal is to discover exciting new voices of French expression in African literature. This competition was open to any adult under age 30 who had never been published and who lived in any country in Africa. A jury made up of publishers, journalists, writers and booksellers, under the presidency of Abdourahman Waberi, has chosen the winner out of close to 6000 subscriptions and over 450 manuscripts.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 2709667843
• ISBN13: 9782709667845
• Release Date: May 2024
• Publisher: Editions J.C. Lattes
• Length: 218 Pages
• Weight: 0.56 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.3" x 8.0"