Ferdinand Oyono Quotes

When will you grasp that for the whites, you are only alive to do their work and for no other reason. I am the cook. The white man does not see me except with his stomach.

M. Moreau is right, we must have hard head. Ndjangoula brought down his rifle butt the first time, I thought their skulls would shatter. I could not hold myself from shaking as I watched. It was terrible. I thought of all the priests, all the pastors, all the white men, who came to save our souls and preach love of our neighbours. Is the white man's neighbour only other white men? Who can go on believing the stuff we are served up in the churches when things like I saw today. It will be the usual thing. M. Moreau's suspects will be sent to the 'Blackman's Grave' where they will spend a few days painfully dying. Then they will be buried naked in the prisoners' cemetery. On Sunday, the priest will say, 'Dearly beloved brethren, pray for all those prisoners who die without making their peace with God. M. Moreau will present his up-turned topee to the faithful. Everyone will put in a little more than he had intended. All the money goes to the whites. They are always thinking up new ways to get back what little money they pay us. How wretched we are.

Oh, road, daughter of all our labour, lead me to the white man!

Life, he says, is like the chameleon, changing colour all the time.

Truth lies beyond the mountains. You must travel to find it.

O man with the electric torch. God has sent you to me. Come and help me to find the path leading to the location….

I was alleviated by this discovery. It executed something within me … I realized I ought to never be startled of the Commandant again.

The Commandant trod on my fingers as he went out. I did not cry out. He did not turn round.

If you heart begins to beat when you get to the end of your journey, retrace your steps.

Nothing today, except steadily mounting hostility from the Commandant. He is becoming completely wild. Kicks and insults have started again. He thinks this humiliates me and he can't find any other way. He forgets that it is all part of my job as a houseboy, a job which holds no more secrets for me. I wonder why he too refers to me as 'Monsieur Toundi'.

The Commandant trod on my left hand. He was talking to Madame at the time and he went on talking as if he hadn't noticed. He managed to bring his foot down while I was off my guard, giving his boots a final polish before he went out. He has no memory and no imagination. He forgets he has already tried this on me and it did not make me cry out. As the first time he just walked on without looking round but this time he went jauntily like a man who feels pleased with himself.

He had not remembered me. How might he remember me? All Africans appear to be identical to them. ”

But for me, it is more than mourning. I have died my first death….

Fuck off out of here! Go on get out of my hut!

A panther-rat runs along the path. He knows where he is going.