Racial Chauvinism and French Assimilation Policy in Ferdinand Oyono’s Houseboy
- Ubaji Isiaka Abubakar Eazy The French were forerunners in defining the concept of universal modern human liberty. With thinkers like Rousseau, Voltaire, and Montesquieu, the French stood far ahead of others in advocating human rights and freedom, but one wonders exactly what they were doing trying to make French men of Africans in their colonies. It is easier to talk about universal justice and human freedom and put them down in black and white, but the practical aspect is always a huge challenge. The American Declaration of Independence written as far back as 1776, for instance, foregrounds the equality of all men: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these rights are Life, Liberty, and pursuit of Happiness.’ (Declaration of Inde...