Art and healing: Ethical imperatives in Julien Kilanga Musinde's Jardin secret

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DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4314/tvl.v52i1.34

Keywords:

African intellectual, altruism, ethical imperatives, liberation war, non-violence, renaissance

Abstract

This article sets out to analyse a trend in literary (re)positioning in the context of socio-political confrontation. In keeping with the literary approach adopted by Julien Kilanga Musinde in the novel Jardin secret (2010), the article will focus on defining the ultimate objective (s) of literary writing in a context where the novel genre is perceived as a depiction of the author’s worldview. Given the socio-political contradictions and widespread dehumanisation that characterise present-day Africa, it is important to note that Musinde’s novel is one of the answers to the political contradictions that impel postcolonial Africa into a situation of endless crisis. In this philosophical novel, the author endeavours to address the misuse of political power. He is equally at pains to decry the unethical use of scientific knowledge. Much as politics is at the core of the narrative, it is important to note that the political vein is nothing more than a pretext used by the author to broach deeper philosophical issues, which are expressed through ethical imperatives.

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Author Biography

Patrick Kabeya Mwepu, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa

Patrick Kabeya Mwepu is the Head of the School of Languages at Rhodes University and deputy editor of French Studies in Southern Africa. He has authored a book and several articles on Francophone African literature.

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Published

2015-04-01

How to Cite

Mwepu, P. K. (2015). Art and healing: Ethical imperatives in Julien Kilanga Musinde’s Jardin secret. Tydskrif Vir Letterkunde, 52(1), 201–214. https://doi.org/10.4314/tvl.v52i1.34

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Section

Research articles