By Alain Mabanckou translated by Helen Stevenson

African literature frequently draws on the experiences of animals to demonstrate inequality and injustice in society by considering the perspectives of the marginalised and overlooked. Those that are ‘animalised’ in society are used in order to demonstrate the violence that is inflicted on the oppressed, and provide a way in which authors can show the interconnectedness of oppression. 

Instead of narrating from a human perspective, African authors frequently adopt the animal perspective to tell stories. By giving a ‘voice’ to animals, the reader can develop empathy with the non-human, and ultimately enable us to reconsider our place in the world.

Memoirs of a Porcupine is a wonderful example of this. Alain tells the tale from the perspective of a porcupine, and the book cautions us to the harm that myths and traditional beliefs can have on our societies and the way in which they can fuel violence. Using humor to critique these harmful social constructs, Alain draws on the African oral tradition and uses the non-human perspective to make valuable observations about society.

“So I’m just an animal, just a dumb, wild animal, men would say, though if you ask me most of them are dumber and wilder then any animal, but to them I’m just a porcupine..”

Title: Memoirs of a Porcupine

Author: Alain Mabanckou

Awards: The Prix Renaudot, France’s equivalent to the National Book Award in the United States.

ISBN: 978-1846687679

Publisher: Serpent’s Tail

Alain Mabanckou is a writer, poet and journalist from the Republic of Congo. He became a French citizen and now works as a Professor at UCLA. 

Helen Stevenson: Translator

Helen Stevenson is from Yorkshire in the United Kingdom and has translated the work of numerous Francophone writers. She has written her own memoir called Love Like Salt which discusses her daughter’s diagnoses with Cystic Fibrosis.

Abdourahamane Ly, guest curator for Veganuary at Global Literature in Libraries Initiative, has been vegan for the past seven years now. He is extremely passionate about animal rights and encouraging more humans, especially Africans, to go vegan. He was born in Guinea in West Africa but spent the last 13 years in China. He is currently in Rwanda spreading the vegan message. You can follow him on Instagram at @fulanivegan and X at @fulanivegan.