L’OCCULTE COMME EXPRESSION DE LA SPIRITUALITE AFRICAINE : LA SORCELLERIE DANS JUSQU’AU SEUIL DE L’IRREEL D’AMADOU KONE

• Christopher David

  University of Arizona

  Author

This article examines the representation of witchcraft in Jusqu’au seuil de l’irréel by Amadou Koné in order to demonstrate how occultism constitutes a fundamental component of African spirituality and culture. In Francophone African literature, witchcraft is not merely portrayed as a popular belief, but as a structuring social fact through which communities interpret misfortune, conflict, and power relations. The central research question of this study is: how is witchcraft depicted in the novel as a legitimate cultural practice and a symbolic system for understanding reality? The objective is to show that witchcraft, far from being a marginal superstition, plays a crucial role in the social, moral, and spiritual organization of the societies represented in the text. The analysis is based on a sociocritical approach, complemented by an anthropological reading of culture, which makes it possible to explore the social, narrative, and symbolic functions of witchcraft. The findings reveal that Koné offers an ambivalent portrayal of occult practices. On the one hand, witchcraft appears as a destructive force associated with jealousy, revenge, and social violence; on the other hand, it is represented as a protective and therapeutic power embodied by healers and wise elders. The study also highlights the importance of generational transmission, through which witchcraft becomes a form of cultural and spiritual heritage. In conclusion, the article advocates a critical re-evaluation of spirituality in the analysis of African literature, a dimension that is often overshadowed by purely sociopolitical interpretations.