When a Guinean woman goes to war: representations of the feminine in Memórias SOMânticas, by Abdulai Sila

Abstract

Bearing in mind that historical, political, and social issues have occupied the pages of contemporary Guinean literary production, in this article, we direct our attention towards an analysis of the different layers of oppression suffered by Guinean women, based on the reading of the book Memórias SOMânticas (2016), by the Guinean writer Abdulai Sila. By observing the dynamics that circulate in contemporary Guinean society, we find that situations of violence against women follow two directions, it happens either due to colonial articulations and western crossings, or by cultural traditions and their internal rules. As such, there is the need for an approach that, first, recognizes elements that present a more detailed knowledge of the political situation of a given historical moment, exploring their directions experiences and points of view, and, second, deals with more particular and subjective issues.With this in mind, we will look at the narrator’s memorial discourse, which, by following certain affective paths, incorporates new contributions and questions to the narratives told by the so-called Official History.