Photo credit: Gaëtan Noussouglo

Photo credit: Gaëtan Noussouglo

DESCRIPTION

A stalking object par excellence in the lacustrine, wet, and marshy areas of the Gulf of Benin, the pirogue is used by both stalkers and stalked. It is, therefore, doubly marked as both an object of stalking and an object of freedom. In the lakeside villages of the Gulf of Benin, which are referenced as sites of runaway slaves, the pirogue, therefore, plays the role of surveillance for the survival of those fleeing.

LITERARY EXCERPT: Un Océan, deux mers, trois continents, 2018, by Wilfried N’Sondé

We crossed the river in a pirogue. Once ashore on the opposite bank, I stood for a long time, gazing at the torrents raging a hundred meters downstream. Columns of water crashed against the peaks of massive rocks, rising into a thick, steaming mist that soared so high it blended with the clouds. The force of the impact created a mesmerising, unsettling symphony—a mournful melody that echoed like a farewell song. [p. 36]