Even though this is fiction, it provides a thoughtful insight into the colonisation and post-colonisation of African countries. Influences of culture upon post-colonial governments, bribery, corruption, nepotism, despots. It doesn't matter which country were the colonial force, they impacted the future of millions of African in similar ways - especially teaching that greed is OK. ( )

> Babelio : https://www.babelio.com/livres/Kourouma-En-attendant-le-vote-des-betes-sauvages/...
> Hervé (Littérature Africaine) : http://litteratureafricaine.unblog.fr/2008/08/07/ahmadou-kourouma-en-attendant-l...
> Esprit, No. 262 (3/4) (Mars-avril 2000), p. 303 : https://esprit.presse.fr/article/jean-claude-monod/ahmadou-kourouma-en-attendant...
> BAnQ (Le devoir, 17 oct. 1998) : https://collections.banq.qc.ca/ark:/52327/2806341

> En un quart de siècle, il n'a publié que trois romans. Pourtant, depuis Les Soleils des indépendances, son premier livre paru en 1975, Ahmadou Kourouma, né en 1927 en Côte d'Ivoire, est considéré comme un classique de la littérature africaine. En Attendant le vote des bêtes sauvages fait le portrait d'un certain président Koyaga en qui il est facile de reconnaître bon nombre de dictateurs africains. Au cours de six veillées, il écoute ravi ses louanges chantées par son griot. Koyaga est trop imbu de lui-même pour s'apercevoir que ces éloges sont ambigus et dissimulent à peine des critiques féroces.
Mais le livre de Kourouma n'est pas un pamphlet politique. Il démonte avec subtilité les contradictions entre un discours technocratique souvent creux et le profond attachement aux croyances d'une Afrique plusieurs fois millénaire. Contradictions sensibles dans la langue étonnante du romancier qui s'emploie, non sans humour, à exprimer en français la logique et les structures de la culture malinké dont il est originaire. En Attendant le vote des bêtes sauvages a obtenu le prix de Livre Inter 1999.
--Gérard Meudal, Amazon.fr

Les commentateurs sont unanimes, et je n'en rajouterai pas. L'aspect qui m'a le plus intéressé, est l'omniprésence de la superstition et de l'animisme, au point que ces deux croyances deviennent les personnages centraux, et qu'elles conduisent souvent l'action. On ne peut pas contester la véracité de ce texte, et son mérite est donc de nous donner des clés pour comprendre ces horreurs, et la mentalité africaine. D'autant plus que les personnages sont des élites...!
Un livre passionnant, bourré d'enseignements, trés dérangeant, écrit dans un style de conteur qui vous fait ressentir totalement l'action. On en finirait par trouver normal de se transformer en lion ou en serpent en fonction des circonstances ( )

This is a satirical novel about a fictitious African dictator, which interweaves myth with colonial and postcolonial history and a brutal sense of humor. I thought it was about 200 pages too long and overly repetitive, particularly in its weaker second half. A much better satirical novel about dictatorship in Africa is "Wizard of the Crow" by Ngugi wa Thiong'o. ( )

This is the story of "...Koyaga, hunter and President-dictator of the République du Golfe", narrated by sora Bingo, the bard-storyteller, assisted by Tiécorura, his koroduwa, the responder, apprentice, fool (as in jester or joker, not stupid) in form of donsomana, an epic traditionally told by a sora.

Koyaga is present---he is often directly addressed by the narrator, and he answers and comments once in a while, which gives the book a nice flavor of intimacy---with seven others, the greatest of the Hunters and His Ministers.

This is how it begins: "President Koyaga, General, Dictator, here we will sing and dance your donsomana over the feast of six vigils. We will tell the truth, about your dictatorship, your parents and your collaborators. The whole truth about your dirty tricks, your bullshit, your lies, your many crimes and assassinations..."

The purpose of the feast of six vigils is purification. To prepare the Dictator, the Father of the Nation, the Supreme Guide, The Master Hunter, for the biggest challenge of his life: democratic election.

The book has six sections, the vigils, and each of has a theme, which makes the book structurally very clear and easy to follow despite the otherwise quite anecdotal kind of narrative.

It starts with Koyaga's background and pre-history, his parents' stories. The second vigil is about his life from childhood to the start of the days of his power, to the day of the coup d'état.

The third vigil detours a bit, it is about Macledio, his closest minister, but it is stated it is important to know Macledio's travels and life to understand that of Koyaga's, for Macledio "can obliterate the distinction between truth and lies and carry out the master's every whim for thirty years."

The fourth one is about Koyaga's dictatorial initiation. He visits a few of the many African dictators -- Africa "is as rich in them as it is in vultures" --, "the other saviours of the world", for educational purposes. They give him most cynical advice, and he is an avid learner. After this he (and we) knows, for example, that true African chieftain must be the wealthiest man of his country, and to achieve that he must not make any distinction between his property and the treasury of the state; that prison is the most important institution in an African one-party state; etc etc ... this is the weakest part of the book in my opinion, chilling in the content, but a little repetitive.

The fifth vigil is about staying in power and about betrayal, which come hand in hand to an African Leader (Supreme Guide, Father of the Nation, you know). "Your enemies will not betray you, so keep an eye on your friends." Attempts of assassination come two or three a year, and each time Koyaga survives, he stands up bigger and stronger, his myth grows more mythical.

But all things come to an end some time. The cold war ended, and neither the West nor the Communist Camp did need Koyaga or his colleagues in Africa any more. No more money, no more weapons, no more honorary doctorates or visits from the heads of states of the West.

Koyaga does not give up, though: the world may change, the words may change---for democracy is nice word---but he will not. May the election come, and if the people will not vote (him), the wild beasts will for he is The Master Hunter. This is what this book is about, the feast of six vigils.

The first half of the book is excellent and the rest of it good. Bingo, the sora, puts it just right in one his many proverbs: "Once you have said that the anus of the hyena smells bad, you have said it all." Kourouma tries to say a lot more, though, and at some point it becomes too much, it overflows. Yet this is an important and interesting book (or Important and Interesting :) ... cruel, brutal, sad ... magical and probably too true. ( )