The Art of Re-membering the Self in Alain Mabanckou’s the Lights of Pointe-noire

Abstract

The study examines how Alain Mabanckou employs art to remember and re-member the self in his memoir, The Lights of Pointe-Noire. Mabanckou is a professional writer and therefore this study examines how he employs creativity to narrate the self. The study also examines how Mabanckou employs various autobiographical strategies to narrate the self. The objectives of the study are to: interrogate the elements of autobiography in The Lights of Pointe-Noire, evaluate the strategies of remembering and re-membering the self employed in the narrative and explore the issues Mabanckou addresses in The Lights of Pointe-Noire. This study is guided by two theoretical frameworks: the theory of autobiography and the theory of narratology. The study is divided into four chapters:- The first chapter forms the background of the study, the second chapter focuses on the nature and functions of autobiography and how they are portrayed in The Lights of Pointe-Noire.- The third chapter focuses on how artistry is employed in Re-membering the self in the narrative and finally, the fourth chapter is dedicated to the findings of the research and the conclusion.The findings and conclusions derived from this research rely solely on the text under study.. The study focuses on how selected narrative elements help him communicate thematic issues. The study recommends further study on autobiographies by creative writers to examine how they artistically narrate their lives whileaddressing issues within their societies simultaneously.