Bernard Binlin Dadié
Encyclopedia
Bernard Binlin Dadié (born 1916 near Abidjan
) is a prolific Ivorian
novelist, playwright, poet, and ex-administrator. Among many other senior positions, starting in 1957, he held the post of Minister of Culture in the government of Côte d'Ivoire
from 1977 to 1986.
He worked for the French
government in Dakar
, Senegal
, but on returning to his homeland in 1947, became part of its movement for independence. Before Côte d'Ivoire's independence in 1960, he was detained for sixteen months for taking part in demonstrations which opposed the French colonial government.
In his writing, influenced by his experiences of colonialism
as a child, Dadié attempts to connect the messages of traditional African folktales with the contemporary world. With Germain Coffi Gadeau and F. J. Amon d'Aby, he founded the Cercle Culturel et Folklorique de la Côte d'Ivoire (CCFCI) in 1953. His humanism
and desire for the equality and independence of Africans and their culture is also prevalent.
Famous for his work
I Thank You, God
"I thank you God for creating me black,
For having made me
the total of all sorrows,
and set upon my head
The World.
I wear the lively of the Centaur
And I carry the world since the first morning.
White is a colour improvised for an occasion
Black, the colour of all days
And I carry the World since the first evening.
I am happy
with the shape of my head
fashioned to carry the World,
satisfied
With the shape of my nose,
which should breathe all the air of the World,
happy
With the form of my legs
prepared to run through all the stages of the World.
I thank you God for creating me black
For making of me
Porter of all sorrows..
Still I am
Glad to carry the World,
Glad of my short arms
Of my long arms
Of the thickness of my lips..
I thank you God for creating me black
White is a colour for special occasions
Black the colour for every day
And i have carried the World since the dawn of time
And my laugh over the World, through the night, creates the Day.
I thank you, God for creating me black
translated by:Ibe Nwoga
Abidjan
Abidjan is the economic and former official capital of Côte d'Ivoire, while the current capital is Yamoussoukro. it was the largest city in the nation and the third-largest French-speaking city in the world, after Paris, and Kinshasa but before Montreal...
) is a prolific Ivorian
Côte d'Ivoire
The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...
novelist, playwright, poet, and ex-administrator. Among many other senior positions, starting in 1957, he held the post of Minister of Culture in the government of Côte d'Ivoire
Côte d'Ivoire
The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...
from 1977 to 1986.
He worked for the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
government in Dakar
Dakar
Dakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...
, Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
, but on returning to his homeland in 1947, became part of its movement for independence. Before Côte d'Ivoire's independence in 1960, he was detained for sixteen months for taking part in demonstrations which opposed the French colonial government.
In his writing, influenced by his experiences of colonialism
Colonialism
Colonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by...
as a child, Dadié attempts to connect the messages of traditional African folktales with the contemporary world. With Germain Coffi Gadeau and F. J. Amon d'Aby, he founded the Cercle Culturel et Folklorique de la Côte d'Ivoire (CCFCI) in 1953. His humanism
Humanism
Humanism is an approach in study, philosophy, world view or practice that focuses on human values and concerns. In philosophy and social science, humanism is a perspective which affirms some notion of human nature, and is contrasted with anti-humanism....
and desire for the equality and independence of Africans and their culture is also prevalent.
Main Works
- Afrique debout (1950)
- Légendes africaines (1954)
- Le pagne noir (1955)
- La ronde des jours (1956)
- Climbié (1956)
- Un Nègre à Paris (1959)
- Patron de New York (1964)
- Hommes de tous les continents (1967)
- La ville où nul ne meurt (1969)
- Monsieur Thôgô-Gnini (1970)
- Les voix dans le vent (1970)
- Béatrice du Congo (1970)
- Îles de tempête (1973)
- Papassidi maître-escroc (1975)
- Mhoi cheul (1979)
- Opinions d'un nègre (1979)
- Les belles histoires de Kacou Ananzè
- Commandant Taureault et ses nègres (1980)
- Les jambes du fils de Dieu (1980)
- Carnets de prison (1981) - details his time in prison
- Les contes de Koutou-as-Samala (1982)
Famous for his work
I Thank You, God
"I thank you God for creating me black,
For having made me
the total of all sorrows,
and set upon my head
The World.
I wear the lively of the Centaur
And I carry the world since the first morning.
White is a colour improvised for an occasion
Black, the colour of all days
And I carry the World since the first evening.
I am happy
with the shape of my head
fashioned to carry the World,
satisfied
With the shape of my nose,
which should breathe all the air of the World,
happy
With the form of my legs
prepared to run through all the stages of the World.
I thank you God for creating me black
For making of me
Porter of all sorrows..
Still I am
Glad to carry the World,
Glad of my short arms
Of my long arms
Of the thickness of my lips..
I thank you God for creating me black
White is a colour for special occasions
Black the colour for every day
And i have carried the World since the dawn of time
And my laugh over the World, through the night, creates the Day.
I thank you, God for creating me black
translated by:Ibe Nwoga