In The Tears of the Black Man , award-winning author Alain Mabanckou explores what it means to be black in the world today. Mabanckou confronts the long and entangled history of Africa, France, and the United States as it has been shaped by slavery, colonialism, and their legacy today. Without ignoring the injustices and prejudice still facing blacks, he distances himself from resentment and victimhood, arguing that focusing too intensely on the crimes of the past is limiting. Instead, it is time to ask: Now what? Embracing the challenges faced by ethnic minority communities today, The Tears of the Black Man looks to the future, choosing to believe that the history of Africa has yet to be written and seeking a path toward affirmation and reconciliation. "Africans, Mr. Mabanckou is asking us to wake up from such dreams and do something that matters in the present rather than live in the past. It is not helping us in the least. Also, he is asking us, for God's sake, to stop blaming everything on the white man and acknowledge our share of responsibilities."―Ndeye Sene Mbaye, author of 'Under the Neem Tree' "In this slender but intellectually dense collection of 12 essays, Franco-Congolese novelist Mabanckou ( Black Moses ) reveals and reshapes notions of black identity, arguing that in today's global community, 'identity goes far beyond notions of territory or blood.' . . . Mabanckou's challenging perspective on African identity today is as enlightening as it is provocative."― Publishers Weekly "Africa's Samuel Beckett ... one of the continent's greatest living writers"― Guardian "Mabanckou's challenging perspective on African identity today is as enlightening as it is provocative."― Publishers Weekly Alain Mabanckou is a Franco-Congolese author and Professor of French and Francophone Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles. His novels include Blue White Red , African Psycho , Broken Glass, Memoirs of a Porcupine , Black Bazaar , Tomorrow I'll Be Twenty , The Lights of Pointe-Noire , and Black Moses . He is the recipient of numerous literary prizes, such as the Grand Prix Littéraire de l'Afrique noire, Prix Renaudot, Prix Georges Brassens, and the Grand Prix de Littérature Henri Gal from the Académie Française for his life's work. Dominic Thomas is Madeleine L. Letessier Professor of French and Francophone Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles. His books include Nation-Building, Propaganda, and Literature in Francophone Africa ; Black France: Colonialism, Immigration, and Transnationalism ; and Africa and France: Postcolonial Cultures, Migration, and Racism . The Tears of the Black Man By Alain Mabanckou, Dominic Thomas Indiana University Press Copyright © 2018 Indiana University Press All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-0-253-03583-7 Contents 1. The Black Man's Tears (Pascal Bruckner), 1, 2. A Negro in Paris (Bernard Dadié), 6, 3. The Spirit of the Laws (Montesquieu), 14, 4. Murderous Identities (Amin Maalouf), 18, 5. Road to Europe (Ferdinand Oyono), 27, 6. How Can One Be Persian? (Montesquieu), 32, 7. The Foreign Student (Philippe Labro), 36, 8. Bound to Violence (Yambo Ouologuem), 44, 9. The Identity Card (Jean-Marc Adiaffi), 51, 10. Literature of the Stomach (Julien Gracq), 53, 11. Phantom Africa (Michel Leiris), 58, 12. The Suns of Independence (Ahmadou Kourouma), 63, Appendix, 69, Notes, 71, CHAPTER 1 The Black Man's Tears Dear Boris, Relations between France and Africa are difficult to explain. Your school textbooks will no doubt have taught you more on this subject than I will ever be able to, but it is safe to say that this long history has been marked by dramatic ups and downs. There are those who will try and convince you to bear a grudge against France, to blame her for all the suffering. As for me, I'm with those who believe that Africa's history has yet to be written. This will require patience and serenity, and one should avoid tipping the scales in favor of a particular version of history. Others call for a more vigorous response from Africa itself, and since the dark continent is still considered the cradle of humanity, these same people will try and convince you in their zeal that Europe should just give in and agree to reparations as a remedy for all the damage they inflicted on us during the centuries of slavery, the decades of colonization, and God knows what else. In The Tears of the White Man, French philosopher Pascal Bruckner talked about the "self-loathing" felt by Europeans, the feeling of culpability that comes from the self-hatred and contempt they experience when they look back on their history, especially colonialism and capitalism. Their bad conscience distorts their perception of the Third World, redirecting them toward leftist, naive, Manichean views. This is their way of repenting and seeking salvation. Rather than being continually filled with a futile sense of repentance, Bruckne