“Malfeasance” is a story by the Togolese author Thérèse KAROUE-ATCHALL, who wants to mirror the torments that beset our current societies, while raising the questions that torment contemporary Africa. Around her work, the woman of letters confides the secret springs of the development of her main character, Esso, a reflection of young people in search of a better future. This interview also reveals the literary projects of this talented author with multiple hats, navigating between writing and teaching.
Interview by Gilles LAWSON
Can you tell us about the inspiration behind your novel “Malfeasance” and the ideas that motivated you to write it?
Thérèse KAROUE-ATCHALL : The novel “Malfeasance” was not just born of my imagination like all my other novels. It was born from my lived experiences, from my observation of life in certain environments, from true stories that nourished my childhood, from my imagination and from certain research that I did. At one point, I found myself faced with unanswered questions, facts that undermine our African society and that go beyond the visible. It was like an urgent need for me to highlight the themes of this book to perhaps prompt answers to my questions.
The main character of your novel, Esso, faces many trials and misfortunes. Could you tell us about the process of creating this character and how it evolves throughout the story?
Thérèse KAROUE-ATCHALL : The Esso character represents many young people with dreams in their heads, young people who had a chance of achieving their goals in life but who very rarely succeed. Esso is like the one who “pulls the devil by the tail”, the one who watches everything fall apart around him, without being able to change much. To create this character, I imagined an altruistic, intelligent, benevolent young man… but who fails to achieve his goals in life. To say that life does not always give what you want even when you have the best intentions in the world! The environment can be a brake on the evolution of a person. And people like Esso, I’ve met.
“Malfeasance” deals with themes such as ignorance, wickedness, superstition and witchcraft. What is your intention in exploring these topics and what message do you want to convey to readers?
Thérèse KAROUE-ATCHALL : Wickedness led to witchcraft and vice versa in this novel. But the main idea conveyed through these themes is to show how difficult it is sometimes to get to know those around us, and even the members of our family. The closer people are to us through blood ties, the easier it is for them to harm us in some way. Esso’s family was decimated by a member they all trusted because he was one of them.
Your novel highlights the complex psychology of the characters, who are confronted with situations that are beyond them. Could you tell us about your approach to developing these characters and how you managed to evoke emotion in readers?
Thérèse KAROUE-ATCHALL : The emotion among readers is mainly due to the dramas experienced by the Esso family. Deaths for no apparent reason, unexplained illnesses… I created characters who endure, who endure who sometimes face death helplessly. In a family, there are people who are more resilient than others, stronger than others, nicer or meaner than others. All this panoply of characters is found in this family to show any form of character that can be found there, especially in Africa. Even if the family dramas are pushed to their climax in this novel, it is quite demonstrative of certain family realities in some of our cultures. This is not an isolated case, no.
The family context plays a central role in “Malfeasance”. Why did you choose to highlight family dynamics and how do these contribute to the narrative of your novel?
Thérèse KAROUE-ATCHALL : Our whole life is played out in the family where we are born. Our successes, our failures, our behaviors. In short, we necessarily hold the place where we were born and raised. In this novel, all the problems are born of a fault committed by the mother of the family. She would have had to act otherwise for everything that happened not to have existed. It is also to show the weight that a woman’s mistakes can represent. As if she had no right to do so. His mistakes most often fall on the heads of his children and that too, I have seen a lot. Why should children bear the burden of their mothers? Probably, this cord is never cut, the mother-child relationship is stronger than anything.
How do you perceive contemporary Togolese literature and what is your vision as a Togolese writer? What challenges do you face as an author in today’s literary landscape?
Thérèse KAROUE-ATCHALL : The Togolese literary landscape abounds with good authors. For the past ten years, there has been an explosion of literary talent in Togo. I am very happy about it because it shows on the one hand that the intellectual level of the Togolese is quite high and on the other hand that there is a real pleasure in expressing oneself.
What feedback have you received from readers and the literary community since the publication of “Malfaisance”? How did these reactions influence your career as a writer?
Thérèse KAROUE-ATCHALL : The feedback is quite satisfactory, in my opinion. First, because they highlight the frightening side of the book, they make a case of the reality that this book describes and above all of the depth of the description that is made. They also raise questions, the same ones that ran through my head while I was writing it “Should we be afraid to go to our village? », « How to avoid being assassinated by the sorcerers of the village », « How are we going to develop our continent if the sorcerers prevent us from carrying out in our villages of origin? “Questions that deserve reflection and above all answers that I do not necessarily have.
As a teacher at the University of Lomé, how do you reconcile your career as a writer with your academic responsibilities? To what extent do these two areas feed each other?
Thérèse KAROUE-ATCHALL : My job allows me to be safe from need and writing, a passion. Although it keeps me busy enough to teach and do other activities, I always find time, between one or two occupations, to write. As if to say that you always have time when it comes to your passion.
In addition to Malfeasance, you have in your bibliography “the season of love”, “Aborted passion” or even “The secret”. What are your future plans as a writer? Do you have other novels in preparation or themes that you wish to explore apart from those already developed in your previous works?
Thérèse KAROUE-ATCHALL : I have other projects in progress. Novels to be completed, others already completed. But I give myself time to come up with something better than what I’ve already posted. So it’ll be a while before another novel comes out. I will always explore human and societal facts.
Finally, what advice would you give to young Togolese or African authors who aspire to a career in the field of writing?
Thérèse KAROUE-ATCHALL : In Africa especially, writing does not feed its man. Already, publishers generally self-publish. So the author has to pay to get published. However, one cannot silence one’s inspiration because one has no money; you just have to understand that you have to have a source of income that will give us the means to publish our writings. You can store ten, twenty, in short as many writings as you want, while waiting to have the means to publish them, this will in no way detract from their value, on the contrary, it will allow them to be reread, to rework, this will give them time to macerate so that when they come out, they will be well received.
Biography from the author
Of Togolese nationality, Thérèse KAROUE-ATCHALL (real name Essohanam KAROUE) is a Doctor in general linguistics and a graduate in international studies. A teacher at the Universities of Lomé and Kara, she is also a Volunteer Support Advisor for Crossroads International, a Canadian NGO in Togo. Author of fiction, she released her first novel in 2015. The season of love which won the France-Togo literary prize in 2016. In 2017 and 2018, she released the novels respectively aborted passion et Secrets (KMN Prize 2021) then malfeasance in 2022. In 2022, she created the “Lingwa” application which makes it possible to learn the Kabiyè language and later, other languages of Togo. Thérèse KAROUE-ATCHALL to date, the General Treasurer of the Association of Writers of Togo (AET), member of the Nimble Feathers, member of the Le Littéraire club and president of the Nid d’Ora and Labora association of Togo.