African Writing Online · 2008 · written interview

In this in-depth interview with scholar Janis Mayes, Franco-Ivorian author Véronique Tadjo discusses the English translation of her seminal work, The Blind Kingdom. Originally published in French as Le Royaume Aveugle, the novel serves as a powerful allegory for the post-colonial ‘catastrophe’ and the rise of dictatorship in Africa. Tadjo explores how nature imagery and mythological frameworks illustrate political stifling and social collapse within the continent. The conversation also delves into her transnational identity, the intersection of autobiography and fiction, and the writer’s profound responsibility to chronicle both the miracles and mirages of the human experience in the face of systemic turmoil.

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