Clémentine FAIK NZUJI An author from Congo writing in French [Return to French — Page originale en français]

Clémentine Madiya FAIK-NZUJI comes from the Congo. She was born in Tshofa on the 21st January 1944. She has a Doctorate in the Arts and Human Sciences (African Studies) from the University of Paris III, La Sorbonne Nouvelle (The New Sorbonne). She taught Oral Literatures and African stylistics at the National University of Zaire from 1972 until 1978 and then lectured in the same subjects at the University of Niamey between 1978 and 1980. Since 1981 she has taught linguistics, oral literatures and Africain cultures at the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium. She has headed the International Centre for African Languages, Literatures and Traditions in favour of Development (CILTADE) since 1986 and was also this organisation's founder. Here she is continuing with her own research in the area of general Bantu linguistics, including the anthroponomy and semantics of oral literatures and the study of symbols, tattoos and scarifications.
Her numerous scientific publications are principally in the field of oral literatures, African symbolic systems and links between cultures. In connection with this work, she has actively participated in numerous conferences, as well as running seminars on these subjects.
As a writer she received first prize for her poetry in the President L.S. Senghor Literary Competition (Congo, 1969). She has also received a prize at the African Languages of Central Africa Short Story Competition organised by the Royal Overseas Science Academy (Belgium, 1987) and also won a prize in a competition, organised by Radio France International, for the best short story written in French (Paris, 1990). She is married to Sully Faïk and is the mother of five children.

Publications

Murmures [Whispers]. Kinshasa: Lettres Congolaises, 1968. (15p.). Poetry.
[This collection is considered to be one of the very first to be written and published by an African female writer in French.]

Impressions. Kinshasa, 1968. [Winner of the 1969 Senghor literary prize for poetry].

Kasala. Kinshasa: Editions Mandore, 1969. (45p.). Poetry. [Seven poems in ciluba].

Le temps des amants [The Time of Lovers]. Kinshasa: Editions Mandore, 1969. (54p.). Poetry.

Lianes [The Creepers]. Kinshasa: Editions du Mont noir, 1971. (Series Jeune littérature no. 4) (31p.). Poetry.

Lenga et autres contes d'inspiration traditionnelle [Lenga and other traditional stories. Lubumbashi: Editions Saint-Paul Afrique, 1976. (80p.). Tales.

Gestes interrompus [Broken deeds]. Lubumbashi: Editions Mandore, 1976. (49p.). (n.p.). Poetry.

"Cité de l'abondance" [City of Abundance]. Unpublished. Won the only prize at the 1986 annual Competition of the Overseas Royal Academy, Brussels. Short story.

"Frisson de la mémoire" [A ripple of memory]. In Cluzeau Fiancée à vendre et treize autres nouvelles. Saint-Maur: SEPIA, 1993. (pp.203-229). Short story.

"Le Masque. Variation sur un rêve". In Littérature du Congo Zaïre, Actes du Colloque international de Bayreuth (22-24 juillet 1993), Amsterdam/Atlanta, 1995, (pp.167-180). Short story.

Tu le leur diras. Le récit véridique d'une famille congolaise plongée au cœur de l'histoire de son pays. Congo 1890-2000 [Tell them, the true story of a Congolese family at the heart of their country's history. Congo 1890-2000]. Bruxelles : Alice Editions, 2005. (366p.). ISBN 2-87426-027-4. (Auto)biography. [Foreword by Pierre Yerlès].

Anya. Bierges: Editions Thomas Mols, 2007. (195p.). ISBN: 2 930480 00 9. Roman. [Postface by Pierre Yerlès].

Editor ([email protected])
The University of Western Australia/French
Created: 6 February 2002
Modified: 16 March 2010
Archived: 27 November 2013
https://aflit.arts.uwa.edu.au/NzujiClementineEng.html