Ouagadougou: Dr. Ousseni Ouedraogo, a teacher-researcher at the Virtual University of Burkina Faso (UV-BF), presented and signed his novel "The Destiny of a Forgotten Man" on Thursday in Ouagadougou. The novel is a work of fiction inspired by the consequences of the security crisis in Burkina Faso and highlights the resilience of the affected populations.
According to Burkina Information Agency, during the ceremony, the author explained that his novel was born from the hardships experienced by internally displaced populations, particularly in the Centre-North region. He confided that he had been especially affected by the massive influx of displaced people into Kaya starting in 2019, as well as by the eviction from his own village in August 2022.
"The stories of my loved ones and the suffering experienced by displaced populations have deeply affected me. I felt the need to put them in writing in order to explain the consequences, but also the causes of the security crisis," he said.
Dr. Ouedraogo indicated that his work addresses several major themes, including resilience, betrayal, traditional values, social cohesion, and religious tolerance. Through his main character, Pousga, a sacrificer who became a volunteer to defend his community, the author shows that it is possible to overcome hardships and participate in the reconstruction of one's village.
According to him, the novel also delivers a message of hope by evoking the end of the war and endogenous development as ways to rebuild affected communities. Looking back on his career, the author recounted a path marked by perseverance. Born in Dabou, Ivory Coast, he moved to Burkina Faso while in the fourth grade to continue his studies in Kaya. After working as a primary school teacher, he entered the National School of Administration and Magistracy (ENAM), before becoming a school administrator.
Now holding a doctorate, he is head of the University Pedagogy and Innovation Service at the Virtual University of Burkina Faso. Introducing the work, teacher-researcher Dr. Fatou Ghislaine Sanou considered that "The Destiny of a Forgotten Man" falls into the category of "writings of urgency," a literature that translates the immediate realities imposed by contemporary crises.
She emphasized that the novel, structured in three parts and thirteen chapters, constitutes a contribution to understanding the social changes caused by insecurity. She recalled that the author had already distinguished himself with a first collection of short stories entitled "L'Agonie sociale", devoted to contemporary social challenges.
Speaking in turn, Dr. Bamoussa Farma, presented as a close collaborator of the author, praised his academic and literary career, marked, according to him, by rigor, discretion and perseverance. The book signing ceremony took place in the presence of officials from the Virtual University of Burkina Faso, teacher-researchers, students, colleagues, parents and friends who came to show their support for the author.
The book "The Destiny of a Forgotten Man" is available at the Zagfa bookstore, the Librairie Jeunesse d'Afrique, the Librairie Mercurie as well as the Virtual University, at a unit price of 4,000 CFA francs.