Read more
Cyprian Ekwensi's novel "Burning Grass", published in 1962, is a major work of Nigerian literature. Its translation into French by Françoise Balogun as "La Brousse ardente" in 1965 brought this poignant tale to a wider French-speaking audience. However, the translation of the title raises important questions about the translator's choices and their impact on the perception of the novel.The title "Burning Grass" is richly symbolic on several levels. Firstly, it literally evokes the burning of savannahs, a common practice in West Africa to renew pastures. The image also symbolizes the social and cultural upheavals that shook Nigeria at the time of independence. Moreover, the burning grass can be interpreted as a metaphor for the passion and desire that drive the novel's characters.
About the author
ZAKI, Muhammad Zayyanu comes from Tambuwal, Sokoto state, Nigeria, West Africa. He was born on September 9, 1980. He is a lecturer in French language, translator, translation technologist and professor of translatology at the French Department of the Faculty of Arts, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto.
