Monnew

This powerful, lushly textured novel by Ivory Coast writer Kourouma ( The Suns of Independence ) graphically shows how France systematically plundered underdeveloped Africa through decades of colonial rule and postcolonial meddling. Tyrannical chief Djigui Keita, king of the fictional land of Soba, presides over a closed, hierarchical society devoted to elaborate rituals, clan solidarity, witchcraft and bloody sacrifices. This traditional culture is damaged when French invaders compel the natives to endure monnew (insults and humiliations): public whippings, rapes, torture, executions, internment in forced-labor camps and bondage on plantations. Proud king Djigui initially resists by supplicating Allah and African spirits (his religion mixes Islam with Malinke fetishism) and by ``donating'' women to the French troops. But these efforts prove futile, and able-bodied Soban men are forced to fight for the French in both world wars. The deposed king is replaced by his son Bema, but independence and one-party rule only exacerbate the nation's corruption, tribalism and brutality. Kouroume's vigorous prose, in this beautiful translation from the French, is an exotic mix tinged with the inflections of his native Malinke language. (Feb.)