"L' Afrique Fantme is at heart a book about the impossibility of human contact". Discuss.

surely indicates, through the language Leiris uses, the inability of the colonials to cross ethnic barriers.

 The European attitude can be further highlighted by looking at particular events in more detail. In the entry for the 6th of September, 1931, the difference in stature of Western and non-Western civilisations becomes apparent with the “acquisition” of the Kono mask. The chief of the Kono made it clear to Griaule and Leiris that the mask could only be seen following the sacrifice of two chickens from each member who wished to view it. After a small amount of discussion between the group, Leiris writes « Griaule…fait dire au chef de village par Mamadou Vad que, puis qu’on se moque de décidément de nous, il faut, en représailles, nous livrer le Kono en échange de 10 francs, sous peine que la police soi-disant cachée dans le camion prenne le chef et les notables du village pour les conduire à San ou ils s’expliqueront devant l’administration. Affreux chantage ! ».  

 This passage underlines and defines the power relations between the groups as well as the priorities of the colonial quest. Also, Leiris’ final expression, “Affreux chantage!”, demonstrates his relish towards the actual situation itself. A further Kono is stolen the following day, and Leiris further distances himself from the conquered African tribes by this time taking charge of the heist, although he states “depuis le scandale d’hier, je perçois avec plus d’acuité l’énormité de ce que nous commettons”.

 It is clear that Leiris is aware of the profanation he had previously undertaken, although he obviously is willing to sin again, characterising the intentions of this journey as a whole.  

 Leiris set off in search of aided reflection on his own cultural values and illumination for his readers. His goal was to find a reconnection with himself in his most natural state, via his experience with the primitive African tribes he would meet. However, a further impediment which would not allow this to successfully occur was the trip’s

itinerary. It is clear throughout the book that Leiris rarely writes more than a few hundred words on each event. As the group’s archivist, he was responsible for the

ethnographic retention of all information and events. What is evident though is that the group spent very little time in each place, which led to their encounters with the natives being brief. This process brought about a feeling of dejection in Leiris, who had excitedly written towards the beginning of “L’Afrique Fantôme”, “Voici enfin que j’aime l’ Afrique. Les enfants donnent une impression de gaîté et de vie que je n’ai rencontre nulle part ailleurs”.

 Even though this primitive impression lasted in Leiris for a while, in fact for the majority of his trip, he finally came to recognise “the impossibility of becoming the child or the native of which he dreamt”. He wrote:

« Avec mon casque, ma chemise kaki, ma culotte de trappeur, je reste le même home d’angoisse que certains considèrent comme un bon type, a la fois tranquille et pittoresque (?), une sorte de bourgeois artiste »

 However, an instance where Leiris felt himself to have slightly broken down the barriers of these numerous social differences gives a good example of what is possible in these situations. It also shows, nevertheless, that there is a state of pertaining to one culture that makes complete transferral to another one somewhat unattainable. In the midst of what he described as an « étonnante pantomime de divination », Leiris felt the desire to join in a tribal dance. His excuse for not actually participating is noted as fatigue, but the fact remains that Leiris scarcely managed to get past the aesthetic in his writings. The difficulty of communication and therefore impossibility of real contact with native African tribes can be seen in the extremely common usage of translators.

 The conclusive truth behind ethnography is that it is in its very nature self-involved to an almost, and occasionally complete, auto-biographical state. Reflexivity is essential to ethnography and the lack of communication explained in the previous

paragraph brings about the filtering of what was really happening down to what becomes subjectively recorded and objectively viewed as being “true”. This selection and ordering of information by an ethnographer, such as Leiris in « L’Afrique

Fantôme », exemplifies the fundamental flaw of ethnography. The question is, why did Leiris undergo such a disenchanting mission in the first place? The answer becomes clear throughout the text. It could be concluded from this book that true human contact is obtainable amongst certain ethnic groups. One could say that the more “civilised” a society becomes, the less opportunity one has to be a human at a core, base level. Taboo is a huge part of contemporary society as it was in France in the inter-war period. The mystery of Africa must have been alluring for Leiris, and in other aspects worthwhile. France was undergoing a great cultural modification taken from its colonies and works such as “L’Afrique Fantôme” reorganised its national identity within the context of the nation’s imperial legacy. However, as previously stated, if ethnography allowed distant cultures of the French colonies to become more understandable for the bourgeoisie back in France itself, the very nature of its practice “still preserved the centrality of a French perspective”.

 A final example of Leiris’ position in his journey through Africa becomes unmistakeable upon reading about the following incident and his prediction. Leiris discusses the arrival of some artefacts that he and Griaule had bought. They are in an administration office with some interpreters and Leiris foresees, « Il ne nous est pas encore arrive d’acheter a un homme ou une femme tous ses vêtements et de le laisser nu sur la route, mais cela viendra certainement ». This shows his feeling of awe in his own natal ability to completely manipulate human beings in the way he describes the scene with such clarity. In fact, other examples of Leiris’ lucid description of certain other inhumane acts brought about by the French group show his relish for being the thief and the villain.  

 A conclusion as to whether this book is “at heart about the impossibility of human contact” draws one closely to the use of the term “heart”. By its nature “heart” implies feeling and a sense of the subconscious; an idea of something that is not completely

rationalised. This works for “L’Afrique Fantôme” as, although Leiris may be aware about the shortcomings of his writing and consciously makes an effort to achieve a degree of pragmatism and objectivity, the core of this book does not deal with, but, more often than not, involuntarily exemplifies the “impossibility of human contact”

through explanations of the practicalities of the journey and the nature of events that arise. At times it has the feel of an autobiography; at others a nature programme.

  

Word Count: 1504

Bibliography and Background Reading

Leiris, Michel: “L’Afrique Fantome” (Editions Gallimard, 1934)

Walcott, Harry: “Ethnography: A Way of Seeing” (Altimira Press, 1999)

 (last accessed 12/12/2006)

Leiris, Michel: “Cinq etudes de l’ethnologie” (Denoel/Gonthier 1988)

 (last accessed 12/12/2006)

   (last accessed 10/12/2006)

  (last accessed 8/12/2006)

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