The widowhood and the levilate: Fight of resistance and collaboration in Concilie Niyongoma’s "L’Autre front"

Abstract

Our article attempts to analyze, in Concilie Niyongoma's novel, the condition of the widow and her offspring in traditional Burundian society. In the Burundian tradition, the man is the pillar of the family which he often manages without consulting his partner, even when making major decisions which involve the whole family. When he dies, the family loses its protection and the widow becomes prey to the deceased's family. It is in this sense that one of her brothers-in-law would marry her and inherit her property which he benefits from without sharing with the widow. This situation marginalizes the widow and her female descendants, whose social stability depends on the presence of a man at their side. Beyond the condition of the widow and the orphan, the question arises of the condition of women in traditional African society, in general, and in particular, that of women in traditional Burundian society. Our objective is to study how Niyongoma inscribes certain elements of Burundian tradition, which marginalizes the widow, in the process of literary creation and its vision of the world by resorting to these cultural practices.