Entry 38

When French forces arrived in 1865 and defeated Malagasy armed forces, Madagascar was under new administration and colonial rule. Malagasy literature was restricted and forbidden as many influential writers were sentenced to prison. With this said, Jean-Joseph Rabéarivelo addresses the issues that arose from colonial rule and how it forced many citizens to live in silence. In his poem “Whose Eyes are Prisms of Sleep,” Rabéarivelo incorporates a female character that represents a fantasized, mythical figure that was shadowed by visions of suffering and desolation.
Rabéarivelo includes imagery in his poem to represent the ruin and dispossession that citizens faced under French rule in Madagascar. When addressing the female figure, Rabéarivelo makes two different references to salt: “Full of corals and blocks of shining salt” and “and perhaps some tasteless grains of salt” (160-61). Salt symbolizes misery, despair and commitment, reinforcing the struggles faced under colonial rule. Also, Rabéarivelo makes a reference to tongue, “Whose tongues have been cut out” (160). By cutting out the tongue, arguably the strongest muscle in the body, he illustrates how voice was taken away from Madagascar.
A common theme in Rabéarivelo’s work was exile or journey, which symbolized the loss of independence and what has disappeared. Clearly, the female figure in his poem eventually vanished and, “We shall only see her hair spread by the wind like a bunch of seaweed unraveling” (161). Rabéarivelo’s female symbol represents all that was lost from the Malagasy culture and it becomes clear that the universe for Rabéarivelo was filled with sad beauty.

The process of historical restoration and the importance of understanding values and practices of one’s ancestors is a common theme in African poetry. Leopold Sedar Senghor, in his poem “Night of Sine,” addresses to a woman the significance of educating her children of their ancestors and developing a respect for the past. Night in this poem signifies darkness and freedom to discover and enlighten. Senghor incorporates various elements that relate to the symbol of night to encourage people of Senegal to “light the lamp of clear oil” and utilize the darkness and quietness of nighttime to reflect on past ancestor’s experiences. (314)
Senghor makes multiple references to the silence and calamity of night to illustrate how this is the best time to answer questions and solve curiosity. He notes how “not even cradlesongs, the rhythmic silence rocks us” to demonstrate the complete serenity of the evening. (314) It is at this time of night, when darkness and peace surround the village of Africa, when historical reconstruction can take place. Again, addressing a woman, Senghor demands, “Woman, let the children in bed talk about their ancestors” (314). Exploring and discovering past lineage is vital to African culture in order to not forget their traditions.