Ville cruelle (1954)

Ville cruelle, Mongo Beti’s first novel published under the pseudonym Eza Boto, is a ferocious satire of the mechanisms of colonization in Cameroon. The narrative follows Banda, a young hero torn between the traditional African world and the Western civilization imposed by the colonizers.

The novel denounces the economic and psychological exploitation of Africans by colonial officials, and questions individual responsibility in the face of collective oppression.

Sources

1. « Mongo Beti », Encyclopédie Universalis, https://www.universalis.fr/encyclopedie/mongo-beti/
2. African Studies Centre Leiden, « Mongo Beti dossier », https://www.ascleiden.nl/content/webdossiers/mongo-beti
3. Open Library, https://openlibrary.org/works/OL740324W