Tonleu, Madeleine2023-07-312023-07-312022-12Tonleu, M. 2022 ,'Folie et identite feminine postcoloniale dans La folie et la mort de Ken Bugul', French Studies in Southern Africa, no. 52, pp. 50-65, doi : 10.10520/ejc-french-v2022-n52-a4.0259-024710.10520/ejc-french-v2022-n52-a4http://hdl.handle.net/2263/91731In this article, I explore the question of madness and feminism as presented by Ken Bugul in La folie et la mort (2000). Madness in this novel is firstly analysed as a socio-political crisis caused by, among other things, bad governance and secondly, as a metaphor for women’s emancipation. I examine the representation of the characters and how the author links their daily experiences to the negotiation of their identity. I draw on critical references from feminism and about madness to demonstrate that the forms of alienation experienced in Africa after independence are a direct consequence of the political systems put in place. They can therefore be compared to madness, which is not only an evil, but can also be a solution, a revolt that unfolds through the writings of African feminists.fr© Association for French Studies in Southern Africa (AFSSA)Ken BugulMadnessAlienationFemale assertionCultural identityFolieAffirmation feminineIdentite culturelleArticle