Scientific Director & Chief Editor
Komla M. Avono (Ph.D.)
ISSN 2710-4699 Online
3 issues per year
The Fascinating Monsters of New African Dramaturgies
Abstract: Monsters are among us, monsters are attacking: this is monstrous! The evocation of the figure of the monster is spontaneously associated with a reaction of repulsion and distancing from oneself or from the collective in which the individual recognizes themselves. This means that it is based on a difference that both provokes the gaze and upsets the norm. By exposing themselves in this way, the texts of the corpus: Bintou, La mélancolie des barbares, Nema, l’exilé, Les Travaux d’Ariane et Le Corps liquide, draw the attention of the reader whose comfort they heckle and this could be qualified as “monstrous”. Therefore, this situation begs the question why African writers are fascinated by beings that generate fear? To this major question are added the following: what are those monsters of society painted by African authors? What do they tell us about the society? And how? Based on the principles of character semiotics, this research aims to show that fascinating monsters give rise to a subversive aesthetic, in search of creative freedom. This writing of transgression makes it possible to describe the excesses of contemporary society.
Keywords: Freak, Fear, Semiotic, Subversion, Derivate, Contemporaneity
Intertextual Analysis of the Plays of Caya Makhele: The Case of La fable du cloître des cimetières, Picpus ou la danse des amulettes, Les travaux d’Ariane, Sortilèges
Abstract: This article is part of studies carried out on the practice of intertextuality in literary works. It consists of analyzing a set of theatrical works by the same author in order to identify within them, different textual forms in terms of writing and dramatic discourse. Indeed, in the plays of certain contemporary African playwrights like Caya Makhele, the theatrical writing is imbued with various quotations and references in the dramatic discourse, which does not always facilitate the understanding of the reader-spectator. He discovers hybrid works which contain fragments of several speeches or texts in theatrical writing. A heterogeneous writing called “intertextuality” and defined by Gérard Genette as “a relationship of co-presence between two or more texts, that’s to say eidetically and most often, by the effective presences of one text in another” (7). This definition therefore invites us to find in these contemporary dramatic writings, different textual relationships such as quotations, references or allusions, for a homogeneous understanding of these works. Drawing on the poetic analysis method of theorist Gérard Genette, we will analyze some plays by the Congolese playwright Caya Makhele in order to highlight different textual forms through internal and external intertextuality.
Keywords: Theatre, Contemporary Writing, Quotation-Reference, Allusion, Intertextuality, and L’étrangère
Human Cloning and the Myth of Superpower in Houellebecq’s Imaginative World
Abstract: The novelistic work of Michel Houellebecq has dominated the French literary space for several years because of the themes he develops, and which raise lively controversy. Indeed, loved by some and hated by others, the novelist promotes from work to work the decadence of the contemporary world. Moreover, the image of human cloning raises an ethical problem and remains a reason that immediately inclines a reflection around the human superpower. The Possibility of an Island by Michel Houellebecq is the novel that brings to the pinnacle the notion of neo-humanism based on the representation of human reproductive cloning. Our article proposes to analyze the novel of the French writer and demonstrate that it stages a kind of transition to pass from the stage of the human who is a being pushed towards the death and the cloned human who aspires to remain for eternity using the hermeneutics of Martin Heidegger and the mythocriticism of Gilbert Durand
Keywords: Human Cloning, Superpower, Myth, Old Age, Houellebecq
Enunciative Poetics of Pascalian Pedagogy in Les Provinciales
Abstract: The aim of this study is to analyse the literary pretext Blaise Pascal uses in Les Provinciales to develop his pedagogical project. Starting with enunciative procedures, the literary nature of this work leads us to understand that its author adopts a new way of defending Jansenism without freeing himself from the field of polemic. The originality of his work lies in the fact that he creates his own imaginary narrative while stepping back and delegating his ideology to the character Louis Montalte to better reach his target. Then, in this same enunciative dynamic, Blaise Pascal combines the theatrical genre with the epistolary genre to allow the characters to express themselves through dialogue and an exchange of letters. Through this mechanism of dialogue and exchange of characters, the author succeeds in showing the contradictions of those who accuse M. Arnauld and Jansenism. And finally, these objectives are achieved thanks to the novelty of his style, which makes this narrator and character act through the rhetoric of naivety and ignorance. This rhetorical technique, based on irony, is a successful pedagogical pretext.
Keywords: Enunciation, Rhetoric, Pedagogy, Irony, Aesthetic, Apology, Arbitrator.
Nominal Determination in Niaboua
Abstract: Nouns can function as the subject or object of a verbal statement. In languages, nouns can be grouped into two main categories: proper nouns and common nouns. Proper nouns do not take determiners. On the other hand, common nouns are associated with certain morphemes, including possessives, demonstratives, and numerals. This study is an attempt to reflect on the morphology of demonstrative and possessive determiners in the Niaboua language, and to define their conditions of appearance. The results of this study show that demonstrative determiners in Niaboua have the structure CV. Demonstratives are always postposed to the noun. Possessive determiners, on the other hand, have the structures V, CV, and VCV. Possessives are proposed to the noun they determine. In order to achieve our objectives, it is necessary to analyze the forms that nominal determination takes in Niaboua and to deduce their appearance in phrasal contexts.
Keywords : Demonstrative, Possessive, Determination, Niaboua, Kru, Côte d’Ivoire
Assessment of Aggressive Tendencies Using the Buss and Perry Scale: Case of Youth in Conflict with the Law in Abidjan
Abstract: Juvenile delinquency has become a societal phenomenon. Indeed, many youngsters and teenagers take the path of delinquency by forming gangs and perpetrating acts of violence. These acts of violence can be explained by several biopsychosocial factors, which interact to account for their aggressive state. The phenomenon of young people in conflict with the law, commonly referred to as “microbes,” whose acts of violence are causing a stir among the population, is a case in point. Faced with this unprecedented violence, we felt the need to undertake a research project with the general aim of studying aggressiveness in these individuals, describing the different tendencies. The study is a cross-sectional, descriptive and analytical study, based on direct observation and interviews. The results show that they are aged between 16 and 25, with precarious jobs and conflictual relationships within their families. All our interviewees came from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds, with a track record of using and selling psychoactive substances. The Buss and Perry scale identified four patterns of aggression: physical aggression, verbal aggression, hostility and anger. In terms of scale scores, physical aggression predominated, with an average of 34.8. Thus, although physical aggression is the most prominent, multivariate analysis using the chi-square test indicated that there is a significant link between the different components of aggression. Other aggressive tendencies are therefore often associated with the expression of violence displayed by our respondents. The results of this study therefore argue in favor of a management strategy incorporating cognitive-behavioral therapy focused on reducing aggressive tendencies in these young people.
Keywords: Aggressive Tendencies, Buss-Perry Scale, Youth in Conflict with the Law
Survival of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Niger
Abstract: A retrospective of the current economic situation in Niger shows that the establishment of large companies in Niger has hardly seen a significant increase and that the Nigerian state remains the only source of employment. The few companies that are created hardly have a long lifespan due to multiple and multiform constraints; hence the problem of sustainable management of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Niger. However, the rate of firms setting up and continuing their activities over the long term remains a major concern for the State and public authorities. It should be noted that the concept of entrepreneurship is the subject of a rather marked revival of interest on the part of researchers from different disciplines. It also appears that various economic, social, ideological, political, industrial and historical factors contribute to the existence of public, para-public and private companies. The aim of this contribution will be to highlight the factors that hinder the unsustainability of these small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Niger and to find strategies that allow them to be properly managed based on field data analyses.
Keywords : SME, Sustainability, Niger, Contribution, Management
Self-Affirmation as a Break with Gender Stereotypes in the Choice of Science Tracks by Girls in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso)
Abstract: The choice of the second year of secondary school is a decisive step for the school career. However, this period of choice is marked by social representations in the form of stereotyped social constructs that influence and even condition pupils’ choices. For example, boys are seen as being made for the scientific streams and girls for the literary streams, which makes some girls reluctant to take up the scientific streams. As a result, studies repeatedly show that girls tend to opt for literary subjects rather than science subjects. However, in a social context marked by sexist stereotypes that help to dissuade most girls from choosing science subjects, they are increasingly opting for these subjects. To this end, without endorsing sexist stereotypes, this research used a quantitative method involving 135 girls to question the personal factors that encouraged them to choose the second scientific option. The results indicate that the girls’ previous image of the 2nde C, their self-image, their identification with a scientist as a role model and their career aspirations were the main factors motivating their choice of the 2nde C. In addition, this choice appears to be both a break with the established sexist social order and a self-affirmation, or even a self-fulfillment, of the girls’ career aspirations in the field of science. Moreover, this choice appears to be both a break with the established sexist social order and a self-affirmation, or even self-fulfillment, of the girls through their professional aspirations in the sciences. Although the issue is not new, it is still topical and is rarely addressed in the way that this article does. In a context where education policies are encouraging girls in particular to go into scientific fields, the results of this research provide a basis on which these policies can be built.
Keywords: Science Series; Self-Assertion; Sexist Stereotypes; Personal Factors; Choice of Studies
Investigating EFL teachers’ vocabulary teaching practices through reading comprehension
Abstract: The present study elaborates on how EFL teachers deal with unknown/unfamiliar words in reading comprehension. It involves sixty-nine (69) EFL teachers selected through the snowballing sampling technique. As a result, the study endeavours to answer the research question ‘How familiar are EFL teachers with contextual clues used in reading comprehension for word meaning inferencing?’ A questionnaire is used to collect the data. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected to enable qualitative, quantitative and mixed-methods analysis. Statistical Package in Social Services (SPSS), version 17.0 (2008) was deployed to process the data. The results have indicated that the majority of the teachers do not resort to contextual clues to teach vocabulary through reading. The results also showed that the majority of EFL teachers are not familiar with contextual clues used to infer word meanings through reading, and that many of them have not received any training on contextual clues used for the teaching of vocabulary through reading comprehension.
Keywords: EFL teachers, Vocabulary teaching/learning, Reading comprehension, Contextual clues, English as a Foreign Language (EFL)
Development of Cash Crop Farming in Toumodi (Côte d’Ivoire) from 1910 to 1950
Abstract: In 1893, Côte d’Ivoire became a French colony. After a period of pacification, the territory was developed. This colonial initiative was marked by the introduction of a number of crops. These not only benefited the colonists but also laid the foundations for the future development of the colony. What later led to the Ivorian miracle had been tried out in certain towns in the N’Zi-Comoe région, such as Toumodi. The aim of this study is to understand how the colonial authorities managed to establish cash crops in this locality. By drawing on published research on the subject, written and oral testimonies and archival sources, we have succeeded in reconstructing the main stages in the establishment of cash crops in Toumodi between 1910 and 1950.
Keywords: Côte d’Ivoire, Colonial Period, Toumodi, Commercial Farming, Implantation
Development of an Evaluation Grid for the Quality of Reception and Integration of Nursing Interns into the Healthcare Team
Abstract: For various reasons, trainee nurses in a clinical setting may face moments of worry or even isolation that are potentially detrimental to their learning. However, they could be more resilient in the face of these critical situations by benefiting from good integration into the care team. Research work has certainly shown a poor integration of students into healthcare teams. However, there is a lack of tools to objectively assess the quality of reception and integration of trainees. In reference to the elements of definition of the reception of Walter and Bonnet (18) and the three dimensions of the reception described by Ringele (19), an evaluation grid of the quality of reception and integration of the nursing trainee in a clinical setting was built. This instrument, intended for internship supervisors, includes 44 evaluation criteria divided into six sections. Its content Validity Index is rated at 0.90; therefore, greater than 0.80, the norm of Waltz and Coll (…). The grid will be used to confirm the presence or absence of indicators for each evaluation criterion. In the presence of evidence or indicators, a rating of 1 is assigned to the criterion concerned. On the other hand, when there is no evidence or indicators for a criterion, it is assigned a score of 0. Finally, the evaluation of the degree of reception and integration of the nursing trainee into a care team could be made at five different levels or quality modalities according to the total score obtained within an amplitude of eight points per level ([0-8 ]; [9-17]; [18-26]; [27-35]; [36-44]).
Keywords: Evaluation Grid, Quality, Reception and Integration, Clinical Nursing Internship, Nursing Training
The Poetics of Silence in Les Ravagés and Jours de silence by Henri Michaux
Abstract: The representation of silence through literary works is a major concern among writers. Indeed, the language has few elements to manifest silence. In Les Ravagés and Jours de silence by Henri Michaux an aesthetic of silence dominates. Silence is aroused by the muteness of the insane in Les Ravagés. Painting and drawing practiced, in order to break this psychological inability to speak, give unsatisfactory results. The images obtained represent either desolate landscapes that evoke calm and silence (seascapes), or shapeless images (of men and animals) that are difficult to decipher. Painting and drawing deliver part of the mystery contained in the silence of the insane through images that are not explicit. Michaux expresses silence in poems through aposiopesis, ellipsis and a lexical field of silence and calm. It also creates a kind of punctuation inspired by the three dotted ellipsis that occupies an entire line or several in the text, in order to replace elements passed over in silence such as shortened enumerations, pauses in the narration, non -said and the unspeakable emanating from the mystery of life, where the word cannot make the content accessible.
Keywords: Silence, Expression, Speech, Unspeakable, Mystery
Novarina’s Theatre: The Revolution of the Word or the Decline of the Body
Abstract: The 1950s marked a decisive turning point in contemporary French dramaturgy. Indeed Samuel, Beckett, Ionesco, Jean Genet, to name but a few, incorporate new theatrical writing techniques centered on the body and speech. The rules of traditional theater are put in the drawer to make way for a theater that wants to be revolutionary with the inert body, the disarticulated dialogical discourse, the drama disappears, the characters without psychology. Clearly certain theaters that disavow classical theatre. It is in this vein of Valère Novarina to revolutionize this theatrical technique while adding his personal touch. His theater but highlights the decline of the body in the face of the power of the verb. Thus, this article proposes to analyze the image of the body and language in the theater of Valère Novarina. In a theatrical universe influenced by classicism, the question here is the notion of the power of the verb on the body arises with acrimony. In an analysis chapoter by the method of Michel Vinaver we will examine these different aspects in this theater of Novarina.
Keywords: Body, Language, Verb, Speech, Characters
Importance of Revisiting the Translation of Biblical Temporospatial Exotic Concepts Found in the Eʋe Bible
Abstract: Though a great number of efforts has been made by translators in the rendering of the Bible from the original Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek texts into Eυe, a Kwa language of Togo, it has been realized that the occurrence of some temporospatial borrowings in the current Eυe Bible poses misunderstanding and misinterpretation problems to the Eυe native speakers. This article aims at revisiting the translation technique of these exotic concepts from the biblical language in order to suggest some workable solutions to these issues. It contributes to the semantic depiction of borrowings connected especially to time and space. On the basis of the qualitative research method principle, it accounts for or analyses and interprets the data collected from the current Eυe Bible from cognitive semantics perspective of Talmy (2000) and sociolinguistic theory of translation of Nida (1976). The results of this study have revealed that a deep understanding of the semantic motivation behind the use of each one of these loanwords provides some useful guides to the translators in the choice of adequate translation strategies in link with the cultural realities of the Eυe language. Therefore, this exploratory study has found out that translation techniques such as transliteration associated with footnotes, use of brackets, neologism, direct translation of the loanwords etc. can be resorted to in the management of borrowings for the improvement of the coming version of the Eυe Bible.
Keywords: Borrowing, Translation Strategy, Eυe, Bible