Black is the Journey, Africana the Name. Maboula Soumahoro

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Dedication

I dedicate this book to the late Dr. Colin A. Palmer (1944–2019), master of the diaspora, H.N.I.C. without parallel. In addition to the invaluable knowledge he imparted, he proclaimed me “Miss France” as of 1999. Astonished and perplexed at first, I was incapable of grasping the symbolic importance of this pronouncement until many years later. I have since held onto and taken care of that precious title. For this, I want to offer him my eternal gratitude.

Epigraph

       With Naïma Yahi. Together, at the intersection. Head held high.

Quote

      “If it was up to me …It is up to me.”– Saul Williams, The Wind’s Song, 1998.

Acknowledgments

      My deepest gratitude to Natalia Brizuela, my editor at Polity Books, for her so precious warm, constant, and cheerful support and encouragement.

      I would like to thank the Éditions La Découverte: Thomas Deltombe, Stéphanie Chevrier, and Valentine Dervaux, for their faith in me, their indefatigable support, kindness, and professionalism. The Centre international de recherches sur les esclavages et post-esclavages (CIRESC) at the CNRS (International Centre of Research on Slavery and Post-Slavery), directed by Myriam Cottias, kindly offered me a comfortable space in which to write this book. I am eternally indebted to it.

      This work unfolds over and evokes three geographical spaces, adding a tricontinental dimension to my list of people to thank, necessarily rendered incomplete and necessarily diasporic. I offer my apologies in advance to those people and institutes whose names I may have omitted here, and have aimed to organize my thanks into two categories: “those who helped me to think” and “those who helped me to live (thinking all the while).”

Throughout the years, I have been invited by several universities to lecture on what was then still a project under construction. I would like to thank them warmly, since every such opportunity gave rise to feedback, remarks and suggestions, all of them wise, which contributed to the development of this work: Noëlle Rouxel-Cubberly (Bennington College); Madeleine Dobie, Kaiama L. Glover, Emmanuelle Saada, Shanny Peer (Columbia University); Astride Véronique Charles, Barbara Savage, Lydie Moudileno (University of Pennsylvania); Peter J. Hudson, Jemima Pierre, Robin D. G. Kelley (University of California, Los Angeles); Bernard Moitt (Virginia Commonwealth University); Pauline Guedj (New York University); Crystal M. Fleming (Stony Brook University); Cédric Moreau (University of Strathclyde, UK); Sabine Broeck, Carsten Junker (Universität Bremen, Germany); Nacira Guénif-Souilamas, Nadia Yala Kisukidi, Éric Fassin, Achille Mbembe (Université Paris 8 Vincennes-Saint-Denis); Ary Gordien, Ingrid Château, Ndeye Fatou Kane, Laura Khizar Hayat, Guita Nilavannane (École des hautes études en sciences sociales, EHESS).

I would equally like to note my great respect and gratitude towards all the professors, colleagues, and artists whose teachings, projects, productions, and intellectual exchanges nourished my thought in a lasting way: my mentor Ehiedu E. Iweriebor, Mark W. Payne, Joyce Toney (Hunter College, City University of New York); Judith Ezekiel (University of Toulouse/Wright State University); Édouard Glissant, Francesca Canadé Sautman (Graduate Center, City University of New York); Maryse Condé, Manning Marable, Abosede George, Kim Hall, Tina Campt, Samuel K. Roberts (Summer Teachers and Scholars Institute 2017), David Scott, Souleymane Bachir Diagne, Mamadou Diouf, James H. Cone (Columbia University/Barnard College/Union Theological Seminary); Manthia Diawara, Michael A. Gomez (New York University); the “Interrogating the African diaspora” 2004 seminar; Jean Muteba Rahier (Florida International University); Trica D. Keaton, Shatema Threadcraft (Dartmouth College); Janis A. Mayes (Syracuse University); Mame-Fatou Niang (Carnegie Mellon University); The Association for the Worldwide History of the African Diaspora (ASWAD); The Black Women’s Intellectual History Project; Practicing Refusal: The Sojourner Project; The Berkshire Conference of Women Historians (Martha Jones, Tiya Miles, and Marisa Fuentes); Samir Meghelli (Smithsonian Institution’s Anacostia Community Museum); Arthur Jafa; Zadie Smith; Léonora Miano; Jean-Éric Boulin; Kaoutar Harchi; Laurent Dubois (Duke University); Aaron Kamugisha, Jahlani Niaah (University of the West Indies); Stéphane Robolin (Rutgers University); Christine Chivallon (CNRS); Françoise Vergès; Elsa Dorlin (Université Paris 8 Vincennes-Saint-Denis); Omar Berrada (The Cooper Union); Alice Diop; Josza Anjembe; Nora Philippe; Penda Diouf; Bintou Dembele; Eva Doumbia; Rokhaya Diallo; Fabrice Taraud; Alexis Peskine; Rocé; Jon Soulclap; Cases Rebelles.

      I particularly thank Bennington College and its extraordinary students; the Institute for Research in African American Studies (IRAAS, Columbia University), the Africana Studies department at Barnard College; Madeleine George and the students at Bard College Prison Initiative Program; my students at the University of Tours and at Sciences Po (Paris and Reims campuses), as well as all the prison residents with whom I have had the pleasure of working and from whom I have been able to learn so much.

My blood: my family (Soumahoro and Binaté), vertical, horizontal, extended (Mungani, Cottrell, Monnier, Hall, Moderne, Églantine), continental and diasporic, constitute the bedrock by which I have had the good fortune and happiness of being supported. I thank each member of our three generations engaged in this French experience. You are everything to me: the ground and the source. Massiami, Mahbintou, Monmian, Namisata, and Myriam, there are no more precious sisters than you. Naomi, Ismaël, Iman, Soheïla, Lana, Diane, Rémi, Kayla, Lola, and those to come: over to you!

      Finally, I have been fortunate enough to be able to dive at will into an ocean of friendships that accompany me, soothe me, and support me in every endeavor. A huge thank you to the following people: the Fellowship of KB (Véro; Yoyo; KK, my Grande Caille); la Tana de Soumangourou; Schnavel; Joce et Malia; Ibrahima “Ibou” Traoré; Karima Boussalem, Cynthia Tocny (twelve years too late!); Hadja; Pika; Otuawan; Jimmy; Jennifer “Shakita”; Chida; Samia; Max; Nono and our Boonies: Craig, Louloute, Mamao and even Smootchax!; Patricia and Elie; Magalita, Maï Lan and Naïs; Houaria Righi; Aïcha; Angela and Jahia; Diadia (“the Miami Pact” has been respected!); Mame (so much love …); Negroblaster; Dr. Jovonne Bickerstaff (“the right to write”; right?); Dr Caterina Pierre; the fantastic Dr Gay Wilgus (since 2002 …); Dr Ella Ben Hagaï; Aïda Sarr; Aurélie Hannoun; Sébastien Salbayre; Alain “Al” Mazars, Maryline, and Jaë; Anne-Laure Feron; Raaf Matière Première, Rim, Yasmine, and Nesrine; Rachid Djaïdani; the ever caring Aline Tacite, Zaharia Ahamada; Jean-Christophe Folly and Michaëla Danjé (“the Pedra Alta Pact” will remain in vigor until the new order, literally). To my favorite Idos: Cédric, Jacky, Yacine, Raphaele, as well as to their descendants. To Suzette Tanis-Plant and Emmanuelle Andrès, my “thesis sisters.” To Rosie Gankey and Marius, Cavé Okou, and Fania Nöel. To Christian Eboule; Yassine Belattar; Chloé Juhel, Raphaël Yem, Stella Magliani-Belkacem; Randianina Peccoud (thank you for your support and continual faith in me); Ta-Nehisi Coates and Kenyatta Matthews. To the Palenne, Libar, Jean-Baptiste and Peraste families. And to the N’Dour-Sow-Bary,