In My father or my destiny, his first novel, Marzouka Oummou Hani has created a double of paper. Like her, her heroine is 17 years old. And like her, she grew up in Adamaoua, a region in northern Cameroon. This is where the story of the young author and the controversy that accompanied its publication in May are anchored.
While most of her friends got married or dropped out of school after primary school, Astawabi, the novel’s main character, doesn’t budge: she will be a writer. But for her father, a cattle seller, the future of the young baccalaureate has been drawn up for a long time. She will have to marry Sadou, a friend of the family, already married and father of several children. Astawabi’s mother intervenes: “I beg you, my dear husband, think about his future. This man will make her his sex slave, his servant…”, she implores. In vain.
Marzouka Oummou Hani paints the portrait of a society plagued by forced marriage, under-education of girls, witchcraft, adultery, domestic violence… So many themes already addressed by the Cameroonian author Djaïli Amadou Amal, Prix Goncourt high school students in 2020 for his novel Les Impatientes, but which earned his young colleague the charge of defamation.
Mohaman Ahman, the village chief of Idool, wrote on May 18 to the Minister of Arts and Culture complaining that the town where the story takes place and “Sidi”, its founder, are portrayed “in an unhealthy way and blasphemous”. The sale of the offending book, published by MD editions, has since been suspended. Marzouka Oummou Hani may repeat that his book is a work of fiction, the village chief does not believe it. “She took Idool’s exact name and the same description. My father founded this village. His name was Yaya Oumara. We nicknamed him “Sidi”, the guide, he was a beloved man, explains Mohaman Ahman. Idool is known nationally and internationally and attracts tourists thanks to it. »
Libel lawsuit
“In the book, she describes sharia, rape… Why take the name Idool? Why name people who have lived in the village? Even if it’s fiction, people will assimilate it to reality, adds Mohaman Bello, a village notable, aide-de-camp to the chief. We approached her to remove the unwanted parts. She categorically refused. »
According to a family member of the young writer who witnessed attempts at mediation initiated by elites and local authorities, including the governor of the Adamaoua region, the village “politicized the facts” and “demanded the withdrawal of the book and its rewriting”. “What we refused,” said this man, who requested anonymity. Marzouka is a writer. When she is not going to school, she locks herself in her room to write novels, poems and plays. You cannot say that it is guided by people lurking in the shadows. »
Faced with this refusal, the village chief and part of the population took the matter to court. They demand 150 million CFA francs (nearly 229,000 euros) for the damage suffered, according to the direct quote consulted by Le Monde. The trial for defamation opened on July 20 at the court of first instance in Ngaoundéré, capital of Adamaoua. He was sent back to August 17.
For Raphaël Deugoué, of the collective of lawyers formed to defend Marzouka Oummou Hani, My father or my destiny is “a novel that we fight unnecessarily”. “He is accused of having denounced what is practiced”, he assures. In addition, Me Deugoué recalls that in the case of an offense involving a minor, judicial information is mandatory before any trial, according to article 700 of the code of criminal procedure. However, Marzouka Oummou Hani was summoned to appear without any prior investigation. For the lawyer, the young woman “is a genius destined for a great career as a writer”. Like her heroine.
