Absurdity and Absurd Conceptions as a New Identity in Francophone African Literature

The arrival of European in the African continent induced a process of social change that reshaped the social and intellectual capacity of the black man. Before this time, Africans were heterogeneous, more inclined to the values of African kinship, happy communal and agrarian life of spiritualism and totem. (Agbasiere, 2000, 22). An important aspect of this communal life is dependency and mutual exchange to promote the well-being of all members of the community. However, from the time of slavery and colonization, there is no doubt that the  alien incursion and irruption in the history of the African people constituted a major event in the evolution of African practices, beliefs, habits and all that shape his philosophy of life. Hence, the concept of individualism and independence which was alien to African culture has crept into the black man’s consciousness and got him derailed from his traditional ways. This and other various human conditions affecting and impacting life such as wars, famine, among others constitute the major preoccupations of modern African literature. The question of the existence of the African man in his present reality and personality has remained a major and fascinating issue that many prominent writers of the continent have to contend with. Ahmadou Kourouma, Chinua Achebe, Cheikh Hamidou Kane, Calixthe Beyala and many more have each in their particular way pinpointed the existentialist disposition of the new African man.
This paper draws attention to the paradigm shift of the African who is torn, on one hand between his traditional belief of communal life, peer-group psychological well-being and his new philosophy of life  of independence and individualism and on the other hand the problem of adaptation and/ or inadaptation to his new existential condition. To achieve our set objective, the concept of existentialism and its main features will be adopted. This approach will highlight the notion of the individual as the source of all values and as being obliged to choose for himself what to do, what standard to adopt or reject.