Corpus of French-speaking literature from black Africa

THE COMPLETE CORPUS OF FRANCOPHONE LITERATURE FROM BLACK AFRICA

A production by Classiques Garnier Numérique with the support of the National Centre for Distance Teaching (CNED), the French Ministry of Education , the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Intergovernmental Agency for Francophonie

This large-scale scholarly enterprise gathers together all the French-speaking literature from sub-Saharan Africa it was possible to collect: oral and written literature from the origins (end of the 18th century) to Independence (1960, as date of authors’ death).
The written literature gathered comes either from works benefiting from a wide distribution or from publications with a local or temporary distribution and kept on short-lived media (press, periodicals, parish bulletins, pamphlets, etc.).
The oral literature was collected by monks, civil servants, soldiers, French, foreign or local academics. It was edited on various media as different as a report from a commanding office or a collective work assembled by a Parisian publisher. We also often find this oral literature in dictionaries, grammars, or in early 19th century teaching methods of African languages. Educational works are treasure-stores for the keeping of the most ancient cultural heritage, both popular and scholarly. They also have the extreme advantage of being bilingual. That is why a bilingual version is given for every French text that has a counterpart in an African language.
In all, this exhaustive corpus of more than 11 000 texts covers the whole of sub-Saharan francophone Africa, that is some twenty countries and more than a hundred ethnic groups and brings together the most diverse genres of this literature which has yet to be discovered and studied (novels, tales, short stories, narrative accounts, theatre, poetry, myths, legends, fables, proverbs, riddles, songs).
Built up from a vast bibliographical research, followed by the collection and edition of the texts, the Corpus is both a scholarly database and a precious collection of Africa's cultural heritage.

CONTENTS

• Countries
Benin (ex-Dahomey); Burkina Faso (ex-Haute-Volta); Burundi; Cameroon; Congo (Brazzaville); Ivory Coast ; Djibouti; Gabon; Guinea; Mali (ex-French Soudan); Mauritania; Niger; Central Africa ; Democratic Republic of Congo (ex-Zaïre); Rwanda; Senegal; Tchad; Togo
• Ethnic groups
Achanti; Achingini; Achira; Adima; Agaou; Agni; Anghal; Apono; Atiefe; Avikam; Azandé; Babemba; Bachilangé; Baguirmi; Bahaya; Bahutu; Bakerewe; Bakoko; Bakongo; Baluba; Balunda; Bamana; Bambara; Bamiléké; Bamoun; Banda; Bantou; Banyarwanda; Baoulé; Ba-Ronga; Bari; Barma; Barundi; Bashi; Ba-Soubiya; Bassa; Bassouto; Basumbwa; Batchopi; Batéké; Batutsi; Batwa; Bayansi; Ba-yéyé; Bayo; Bena Kanioka; Benga; Beni Amir; Berbère; Berété; Betchouana; Bilin; Bolia; Boloki; Bombwa; Bomitaba; Booli; Bornouan; Boullom; Boundéi; Brignan; Burungi; Bushmen; Bushongo; Bwaka; Cabrais; Chambala; Chillouk; Chuabo; Dafing; Dagbamba; Danakil; Diakité; Dian; Diara; Dinka; Diola; Dioula; Djinn; Dogon; Douala; Dyan; Dyerma; Dyula; Efik; Egba; Enenga; Ewé; Fang; Fiote; Fon; Foul; Foulah; Foulbé; Gagou; Galla; Gnolebie; Gourmantché; Gourmantié; Gouro; Gourounsi; Grand-Namaqua; Guéré; Hadendoa; Haoussa; Haya; Ibo; Imandwa; Kado; Kama; Kanouri; Kanté; Khassonké; Kikerewe; Kissien; Kongo; Kotoko; Kouargnambié; Koukouroukou; Kouranko; Kouyalé; Kroumen; Kunama; Kundu; Labibi; Landouman; Lanzuba; Laobé; Lapondu; Lari; Lobi; Lounda; Louyi; Luba; Lulua; Madi; Madjamé; Mahi; Malinké; Mandé; Mandégni; Mandingue; Mangbetou; Marka; Massaï; Massassi; Maure; Mbenga; Mendé; Mfan; Mina; Mongo; Mossi; Mpongwé; Muhaya; Nago; Nama; Ndorobbo; Néouolé; Neyo; Ngombe; Nioniossé; Nouba; Nouers; Ntomba; Ntomba e Njale; Otando; Ouahéhé; Ouassoulonké; Oulé Bilforé; Oulé Gané; Pahouin; Paniera; Petit-Namaqua; Peulh; Peulh Ouorbé; Popo; Porto-Novien; Poulho; Punu; Pygmée; Ronga; Rouganda; Saho; Samo; Sénofo; Silmi-Mossi; Soninké; Soussou; Torodo; Toucouleur; Tyapi; Wagongo; Wolof; Yarsé; Yorouba
• Writers
Afevork (G. J.); Aliou de Fougoumba (Tyerno); Alogo (Jean-Marc); Bâ de Fougoumba (Karamoko); Badibanga (Thadée); Beya (Boniface); Boilat (Abbé P.-David); Bou El Moghdad; Boy (Rawane); Carrère (Frédéric); Coyssi (Anatole); Darfour (Félix); Delobson (Dim); Diop (Alioune); Diouf (Abbé Léopold); Doumbia (Paul-Émile-Namoussa); Duguay-Clédor (Amadou); Dyâo (Yoro); Guillaume de Suède (Prince); Holle (Paul); Houénou (Kojo Tovalou); Ibrahim le Mandingue; Iwandja (Médard); Kamakoro Kala (Tyerno); Kaoze (Abbé Stephano); Kikoko (Simon); Lokose (Patrice); Mademba (Abd el Kader); Mamadi (Aïssa); Mayemba (Benoît); Moumé Etia (Isaac); Niamankessy (F.); Panet (Léopold); Sadji (Abdoulaye); Salih (Mohamed); Senghor (Lamine); Sîgna; Taty (S.); Télémaque (Hamet Sow); Théodore; Tiello Ham Gour'do
• Authors collecting oral culture
Acapovi (Romuald); Adam (M. G.); Adandé (A.); Ahiagba (Armand); Alapini (Julien); Anonyme; Aponi (Paul); Arensdorff (L.); Arnoux (Père Alex); Assomption; Aupiais (Père Francis); Basset (René); Bazin (Mgr. Hippolyte); Ben Hamouda; Bérenger-Féraud (Laurent); Bergé (A.-R.); Beyries (J.); Boelaert (E.); Bokwango (André); Boubala (Raphaël); Bouche (Père Pierre-Bertrand); Bouveignes (Ol. de); Brun (Père Joseph); Buisson (É.); Capus (Père A.); Casalis (Eugène); Casati (Gaetano); Cendrars (Blaise); Césard (Père E.); Chaikhou (Baldé); Chataignier (Abel); Chéron (Georges); Chéruy (P.); Christallen (J.G.); Classe (Père); Cocquyt (A.); Colin (Dr.); Colle (Père C.); Coly (Demba); Conrad (E.); Cornelissen (Josef); Coutouly (François de); Cozzano; Cransac (Germaine J.); Cuvelier (Mgr. J.); Cyrille (Guillaume); Daigre (Père); Daniel (Fernand); Darré (E.); De Clercq (Père Aug.); De Jonghe (E.); Delafosse (Maurice); Demaison (André); Denis (Léopold); Derendinger (Colonel J.R.); Desplagnes (Louis); Diagne (Ahmadou Mapate); Diakite (Éloi); Diallo (A. Digui); Diallo (Moro); Djime (Diallo); Dodaho (Joseph); Dupuis-Yacouba (Père A.); Eboué (Félix); Engels (A.); Équilbecq (François-Victor); Esser (J.); Fernor (Ciel); Fort; Froger (F.); Gaden (Henri); Gaidoz (H.); Gallin; Geay (J.); Génin; Gilliard (Léon); Girard de Rialle (J.); Gonzalves (Benoît); Grégoire (G.); Guébhard (Paul); Guilmin (Père Maurice); Guiraudon (Capitaine T.-G. de); Hacquard (Mgr.); Harou (Alfred); Heidt (M.); Hervé (H.); Hess (Jean); Hudry (H.); Hulstaert (G.); Hurel (Père Eugène); Hutereau (A.); Jacottet (Édouard); Jeannest (Charles); Joseph (Gaston); Joset (Paul-É.); Jouannin; Joyce (T. A.); Junod (Pasteur Henri-A.); Kanté (Diguy); Kikoko (Simon); Koné (Jean-Marie); Konte (Amadou Théophile); Labouret (Henri); Lagae (C. R.); Landeroin (M.); Langhe (H. de); Largeau (V.); Lazarine (Houssou); Le Bourhis; Le Herissé (A.); Léger (A.); Lemaire (L.); Lifszyc (Déborah); Lindeman (M.); Loupias (Père); Luthala (A. G.); Luyeye (Jacob); Ly (Djibril); M'Ba (Léon); Mamet (M.); Mangin (Père Eugène); Mazières (A.); Mietje; Mojard (M.); Molin (Mgr.); Mongis (R.); Monod (M.); Monod (Th.); Monteil (Ch.); Nicol (Yves); Norman (Paulin); Oliveira (F.); Pagès (A.); Pagès (Père G.); Paulme (Denise); Quénum (Maximilien); Quix (J. P.); Roblin (A.); Roehric (V.); Roger (Baron Jacques-François); Rolland (E.); Rousseau (R.); Sadler (Athanase); Saint'Anna (Bernard); Samain (Al.); Sangaré (Satigui); Sano (Mamba); Saron (G.); Sedolo (Michel); Sidibé (Mamby); Solichon; Soucou (Crabé); Tauby (M.); Tauxier (Louis); Télémaque (Hamet Sow); Thomann (George); Tilho (J.); Torday (E.); Torrend (J.); Toulze (M.); Trautmann (René); Travélé (Moussa); Trilles (Père Henri); Van Den Byvang; Van den Hove (L. J.); Van Den Plas (V. H.); Van Goethem (E.); Van Wing (J.); Van Wing (S. J.); Verleersch (S. J. A.); Vertenten (Père P.); Viard (René); Vidal (J.); Vieillard (Gilbert); Walker (Abbé A.); Wannijn (Robert); Yangha (Henri); Zeltner (Frantz de); Zuure (Père Bernard)

FIELDS OF INTEREST

Literature, French, Francophonie, languages, history, ethnology, sociology

EDITORIAL TEAM

Author of the databases: Claude Blum, Professor at the Sorbonne
Scientific committee: Jean-René Bourrel (CNED-Ministère de l’Éducation nationale); Mwamba Cabakulu (University Gaston Berger, Saint-Louis du Sénégal); Samba Dieng (University Cheick Anta Diop de Dakar, Sénégal); M. Djondo (University of Bénin in Lomé, Togo); Jean-Michel Gliksohn (University of Paris-Sorbonne); Jean-Pierre Makouta-Mboukou (University Marien Ngouabi of Brazzaville, Congo); Ousmane Tandina (University Abdou Moumouni of Niamey, Niger)