Kama Sywor Kamanda
Encyclopedia
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
.
Biography
Kama Sywor Kamanda was born on November 11, 1952, in LueboLuebo
Luebo is a town and seat of Kasai District of southern-central Democratic Republic of the Congo. As of 2009 it had an estimated population of 40,115....
, Democratic Republic of Congo, to a family of Bantu-Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian origin, father Malaba Kamenga and mother Kony Ngalula.
After publishing a first collection of stories at the age of 15, Kamanda studied literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
, journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
, political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
, philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
and law, and worked in journalism. In 1970, he participated in the creation of the Union of Congolese Writers (Union des écrivains congolais). Forced to leave the Congo in 1977 due to his political activities, Kamanda lived in various European countries before settling in Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
.
In 1985, Kamanda was the founding president of the African Association of Writers, of which
L. S. Senghor was the honorary president. As a poet, story teller and novelist, Kamanda subsequently produced a considerable body of literary work, including a dozen anthologies of poetry, several hundred stories, as well as several novels.
Living in perpetual exile, this universal writer has gained worldwide notoriety that has seen him travelling constantly for conferences, poetry readings and festivals.
Kamanda's works have been translated into many languages, including English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
, Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, and Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
. This writer has earned several major prizes and distinctions, including the Paul Verlaine Prize from the Académie française
Académie française
L'Académie française , also called the French Academy, is the pre-eminent French learned body on matters pertaining to the French language. The Académie was officially established in 1635 by Cardinal Richelieu, the chief minister to King Louis XIII. Suppressed in 1793 during the French Revolution,...
(1987), the Louise Labbé Prize (1990), the Black Africa Grand Prize for Literature (1991), and the Théophile Gautier
Théophile Gautier
Pierre Jules Théophile Gautier was a French poet, dramatist, novelist, journalist, art critic and literary critic....
prize (1993) from the Académie française. In 2005, the International Council for Francophone Studies (Conseil international d’études francophones) conferred upon him the prestigious Maurice-Cagnon Certificate of Honour, for his unique contribution to world francophone literature.
Kamanda finds his inspiration in ancient Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, the country of his ancestors, and in its rich Bantu traditions, the memory of which is honoured in his writings. His stories draw their imagery from African traditions, but constitute a universe at the boundary between the fantastic and the author’s own reality. His numerous books of poetry focus on the themes of celebrating Africa and of the pain of exile and solitude, all against a backdrop of fervent celebration of love.
Stories
- Les Contes des veillées africaines, 1967, 1985
- Les Contes du griot, t. I, Préface de Léopold Sedar Senghor, 1988
- Les Contes du griot, t. II (La Nuit des griots), 1991, 1996
- Les contes du griot, t.III (Les Contes des veillées africaines, édition augmentée), 1998
- Les Contes du crépuscule, 2000
- Contes (édition illustrée) 2003
- Contes (Les œuvres complètes) 2004
- Contes africains (Grund) 2006
Poetry
- Chants de brumes. Preface by Jacques Iozard, 1986, 1997, 2002
- Les Résignations. Preface by Mateja Matevski, 1986, 1997
- Éclipse d’étoiles. Preface by Claude Michel Cluny, 1987, 1997
- La Somme du néant. Preface by Pierrette Micheloud, 1989, 1999
- L’Exil des songes. Preface by Marc Alyn, 1992
- Les Myriades des temps vécus. Preface by Mario Luzi, 1992, 1999
- Les Vents de l’épreuve. Preface by Salah Stétié, 1993, 1997
- Quand dans l’âme les mers s’agitent. Preface by Jean-Baptiste Tati Loutard, 1994, 1998
- L’Étreinte des mots. Preface by Maria Luisa Spaziani, 1995
- Le Sang des solitudes, 2002
- Œuvre poétique, 1999
- Oeuvre poétique (édition intégrale), 2008
Novels
- Lointaines sont les rives du destin, 1994, 2000, 2007
- La Traversée des mirages, 2006
- La Joueuse de Kora, 2006
Translated works
- English : Wind Whispering Soul, 2001 ; Tales, 2001
- Italian : Le miriadi di tempi vissuti, 2004 ; La stretta delle parole, 2004
- Japanese : Les Contes du griot, t. I, 2000 ; t. II, 2005
- Chinese : Les Contes du griot, t. I, 2003 ; t. II, 2004
Prizes and distinctions
- French Academy Paul Verlaine award, 1987
- Louise Labé award, 1990
- Black Africa Association of French-Speaking Writers, 1991
- Special Poetry Award, Academic Institute of Paris, 1992
- Silver Jasmin for Poetical Originality, Agen, 1992
- French Academy Théophile Gautier award, 1993
- Melina Mercouri award, Greek Poets and Writers Association, 1999
- Poet of the Millennium 2000 award, International Poets Academy, India, 2000
- Honorary Citizen Joal-Fadiouth, Senegal, 2000
- Poetry award, International Society of Greek Writers, 2002
- Exceptional Contribution Honor Certificate Maurice-Cagnon, International Council for French Studies, 2005
- Master Diploma for Specialty Honors in Writing, World Academy of Letters, United States of America, 2006
Studies
- Marie-Claire De Coninck, Kama Kamanda : Au pays du Conte, Paris, Ed. L'Harmattan, 1993.
- Pierrette Sartin, Kama Kamanda, Poète de l'exil, Paris, Ed. L'Harmattan, 1994.
- Marc Alyn (préf.), Kama Kamanda, Hommage, 1997.
- Isabelle Cata et Franck Nyalendo, Kama Sywor Kamanda, Luxembourg, Ed. Paul Bauler, 2003.
- Marie-Madeleine Van Ruymbeke Stey (dir.), Regards critiques, Ed. L'Harmattan, 2007.