Doguicimi: The First Dahomean Novel

Paul Hazoume was pre-independence writer from Benin. He wrote this book while France still controlled Benin and he was on the side of the French government. Also, he's not from Dahomey. He's from a neighboring town, so his disgust at the practice of human sacrifice comes through. It's also a novel from 1937 and has its share of period-typical views on what makes a virtuous woman, aka one who dies for her husband without a thought of living for herself. Despite these facts, I agree with the writer of the introduction that, "Doguicimi is a neglected masterpiece." We hold up many works of the western canon that do not have half the ethnographic detail that Hazoume included after spending decades recording customs and traditions of the Danhomey. The introduction states, "The people of Danhome had become notorious for their human sacrifices, their participation in the slave trade, and their army of Amazons, yet Hazoume forged their history into an epic that reveals their profound humanity while respecting their unique cultural identity." I could not agree more. Plus, just because Hazoume prefers the French government, does not mean he condones colonialism. "It would be a serious mistake to assume... that they [the Danhomenous] are docile and that, as the successors of these kings, you will inherit their rights and can, as a result, threat them like things, make them work without pay, execute them when they complain, close your ears to their charges when they demand justice, and oblige them to respect you by the use of terror: the wrath of the humble will be dreadful." Imagine writing that as a Beninese man under French colonial rule, knowing that your book will be read by a French audience. That takes courage.