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The Blunder
From a bold voice in African fiction comes a satirical and unputdownable reimagining of an overlooked episode in Cameroon’s colonial past.
Cameroon, 1929. As colonial powers fight for influence in Africa, French military surgeon Eugène Jamot is dispatched to Cameroon to lead the fight against sleeping sickness there. But despite his humanitarian intentions, the worst comes to pass: seven hundred local villagers are left blind as a result of medical malpractice by a doctor under Jamot’s watch.
Damienne Bourdin, a young white woman, ventures to Cameroon to assist in the treatment effort. Reeling from the loss of her child, she’s desperate to redeem herself and save her reputation. But the tides of rebellion are churning in Cameroon, and soon after Damienne’s arrival, she is enlisted in a wild plot to staunch the damage caused by the blunder and forestall tribal warfare. Together with Ndongo, a Pygmy guide, she must cross the country on foot in search of Edoa, a Cameroonian princess and nurse who has gone missing since the medical blunder was discovered.
As Damienne races through the Cameroonian forest on a farcical adventure that unsettles her sense of France’s “civilizing mission,” she begins to question her initial sense of who needed saving and who would save the day.
Cameroon, 1929. As colonial powers fight for influence in Africa, French military surgeon Eugène Jamot is dispatched to Cameroon to lead the fight against sleeping sickness there. But despite his humanitarian intentions, the worst comes to pass: seven hundred local villagers are left blind as a result of medical malpractice by a doctor under Jamot’s watch.
Damienne Bourdin, a young white woman, ventures to Cameroon to assist in the treatment effort. Reeling from the loss of her child, she’s desperate to redeem herself and save her reputation. But the tides of rebellion are churning in Cameroon, and soon after Damienne’s arrival, she is enlisted in a wild plot to staunch the damage caused by the blunder and forestall tribal warfare. Together with Ndongo, a Pygmy guide, she must cross the country on foot in search of Edoa, a Cameroonian princess and nurse who has gone missing since the medical blunder was discovered.
As Damienne races through the Cameroonian forest on a farcical adventure that unsettles her sense of France’s “civilizing mission,” she begins to question her initial sense of who needed saving and who would save the day.
159 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2020
About the author
Mutt-Lon
5 books8 followersMutt-Lon is the literary pseudonym of author Nsegbe Daniel Alain. His first novel, Ceux qui sortent dans la nuit (Those Who Come Out at Night, 2013), brought him critical acclaim when it received the prestigious Ahmadou Kourouma Prize in 2014. Les 700 aveugles de Bafia (2020), published in English as The Blunder, is his third novel and the first to be translated into English. He lives in Douala—Cameroon’s most international and cosmopolitan city—and speaks English fluently.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
July 12, 2022
**Publication Day**
The presence of the French, as colonists in early twentieth century Cameroon, was a time of local unease and suspicion. African sleeping sickness (African trypanosomiasis), caused by the bite of an infected tsetse fly, was rampant. As the disease spread, a French military doctor, Eugene Jamot, was sent to Yaounde to develop a strategy and treatment plan. Jamot's preventive mission included establishing a network of mobile units to diagnose and treat sleeping sickness. The medical protocol developed required that a patient receive an injection of tryparsamide, a derivative of arsenic, which was toxic even if proper guidelines were followed. The natives were "skeptical of the White Man's medicine." They had reason for concern.
In the Bafia subdivision of Cameroon, without clearance from Dr. Jamot, Dr. Monier, a junior colleague, altered the vaccine protocol by increasing the dose of tryparsamide three fold in an attempt to control resistant cases. Although many recovered from sleeping sickness, over 700 Cameroonians became blind. Unfortunately, Dr. Jamot owned "the blunder". The subsequent death of a prominent chief and his eldest son, precipitated the view that blindness was a plot orchestrated by the white colonists. The health center of Bafia was destroyed...the personnel vanished. "...it was interesting...there were patients who owed their sight to the negligence of a native nurse [who stopped providing treatment], even though that might ultimately cost them their lives."
How might the chaotic environment be prevented from escalating into a full scale war? Esteemed Chief Atangara agreed to mediate if his niece Edoa, the only trained Black nurse, was safely escorted back home. Dr. Jamot enlisted the aid of Dr. Damienne Bourdin. Disguised as a nun, Damienne travelled through the jungle with two companions. Nama was the interpreter. Ndong, a Pygmy, dressed solely in an animal hide loincloth, wore an amulet, as a so-called "invisibility cloak". Through the jungle, Damienne was on high alert..."fear of ending up on a spit." She soon appeared scantily clothed!
Edoa, the nurse, had learned how to think outside the box. "What I learned from our differences was the most important part of my education-I met religious, non-religious and pagans of both races...cultural effervescence...after a few compromises to balance out racism and tribalism...".
A memorial to French military physician, Eugene Jamot was erected in Yaounde, Cameroon for his contribution to the prevention of sleeping sickness in the early 1920's. On the 75th Anniversary of his birth, a Cameroonian Postage Stamp was released. I highly recommend this work of historical fiction.
Thank you Amazon Crossing and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The presence of the French, as colonists in early twentieth century Cameroon, was a time of local unease and suspicion. African sleeping sickness (African trypanosomiasis), caused by the bite of an infected tsetse fly, was rampant. As the disease spread, a French military doctor, Eugene Jamot, was sent to Yaounde to develop a strategy and treatment plan. Jamot's preventive mission included establishing a network of mobile units to diagnose and treat sleeping sickness. The medical protocol developed required that a patient receive an injection of tryparsamide, a derivative of arsenic, which was toxic even if proper guidelines were followed. The natives were "skeptical of the White Man's medicine." They had reason for concern.
In the Bafia subdivision of Cameroon, without clearance from Dr. Jamot, Dr. Monier, a junior colleague, altered the vaccine protocol by increasing the dose of tryparsamide three fold in an attempt to control resistant cases. Although many recovered from sleeping sickness, over 700 Cameroonians became blind. Unfortunately, Dr. Jamot owned "the blunder". The subsequent death of a prominent chief and his eldest son, precipitated the view that blindness was a plot orchestrated by the white colonists. The health center of Bafia was destroyed...the personnel vanished. "...it was interesting...there were patients who owed their sight to the negligence of a native nurse [who stopped providing treatment], even though that might ultimately cost them their lives."
How might the chaotic environment be prevented from escalating into a full scale war? Esteemed Chief Atangara agreed to mediate if his niece Edoa, the only trained Black nurse, was safely escorted back home. Dr. Jamot enlisted the aid of Dr. Damienne Bourdin. Disguised as a nun, Damienne travelled through the jungle with two companions. Nama was the interpreter. Ndong, a Pygmy, dressed solely in an animal hide loincloth, wore an amulet, as a so-called "invisibility cloak". Through the jungle, Damienne was on high alert..."fear of ending up on a spit." She soon appeared scantily clothed!
Edoa, the nurse, had learned how to think outside the box. "What I learned from our differences was the most important part of my education-I met religious, non-religious and pagans of both races...cultural effervescence...after a few compromises to balance out racism and tribalism...".
A memorial to French military physician, Eugene Jamot was erected in Yaounde, Cameroon for his contribution to the prevention of sleeping sickness in the early 1920's. On the 75th Anniversary of his birth, a Cameroonian Postage Stamp was released. I highly recommend this work of historical fiction.
Thank you Amazon Crossing and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
January 9, 2023
I didn't know what to make of this. If it were written by a white person I would just think it was unintentionally racist. It's written by a Black Cameroonian, though, and the publisher says it's satire...ok...but what does it mean to call a novel a satire when it's about a real historic tragedy, and when, at the same time, the writing sounds something like a cross between a badly overwritten Edwardian novel and a Tarzan screenplay? Is the stilted writing part of the satire? A fault of translation? Something else?
"The truth would come out but for now he had more urgent worries in his mind."
"Hate-filled black faces burst from the huts."
"The villagers froze and all eyes converged on the white woman...then a wave of servile smiles soon reassured her."
"Were it not for her pygmy guide, she may have ended up six feet underground."
"Slender half naked young girls jumped and danced unselfconsciously while muscular boys stared intently at the white woman."
So.
I have the same feeling I have sometimes at a contemporary art exhibit where the work makes no sense until I read the liner notes that explain its political context and its artistic intention.
"The truth would come out but for now he had more urgent worries in his mind."
"Hate-filled black faces burst from the huts."
"The villagers froze and all eyes converged on the white woman...then a wave of servile smiles soon reassured her."
"Were it not for her pygmy guide, she may have ended up six feet underground."
"Slender half naked young girls jumped and danced unselfconsciously while muscular boys stared intently at the white woman."
So.
I have the same feeling I have sometimes at a contemporary art exhibit where the work makes no sense until I read the liner notes that explain its political context and its artistic intention.
September 29, 2022
In the 1920s, a French Army doctor named Eugène Jamot set out to fight sleeping sickness in Cameroon, which had gone from German to French colonial control not long before. His campaign appears to be succeeding.
Without his knowledge, one of his field units has for months been administering a triple dose of the primary treatment: tryparsamide, an arsenic derivative, which, when given at such concentrations, can have severe side-effects. In Cameroon’s Bafia region, the toll comes to at least seven hundred cases of partial or complete blindness.
Damienne Bourdin, a French doctor and the book’s protagonist, arrives in Cameroon shortly after Jamot has discovered the ‘blunder’. Local leaders have made the connection too, and with racial tensions flaring, Jamot charges Damienne with the almost impossible task of calming the crisis, preventing inter-tribal conflict, and a situation that would mean the..
Mutt-Lon writes with a sensitivity to the local people and yet with directness and humour. It is satirical, and despite that the events are described with care and never trivialised. It is short and yet complex, perhaps too short; key and fallible characters would benefit from fuller descriptions, and though the difficult history of colonial and inter-tribal prejudice is touched upon, we are left wanting more. Having said that, it’s a bluntly and informative piece of forgotten history, about which I now feel better informed.
Without his knowledge, one of his field units has for months been administering a triple dose of the primary treatment: tryparsamide, an arsenic derivative, which, when given at such concentrations, can have severe side-effects. In Cameroon’s Bafia region, the toll comes to at least seven hundred cases of partial or complete blindness.
Damienne Bourdin, a French doctor and the book’s protagonist, arrives in Cameroon shortly after Jamot has discovered the ‘blunder’. Local leaders have made the connection too, and with racial tensions flaring, Jamot charges Damienne with the almost impossible task of calming the crisis, preventing inter-tribal conflict, and a situation that would mean the..
rejection of doctors that could quickly blow up into a rejection of the White Man altogether.
Mutt-Lon writes with a sensitivity to the local people and yet with directness and humour. It is satirical, and despite that the events are described with care and never trivialised. It is short and yet complex, perhaps too short; key and fallible characters would benefit from fuller descriptions, and though the difficult history of colonial and inter-tribal prejudice is touched upon, we are left wanting more. Having said that, it’s a bluntly and informative piece of forgotten history, about which I now feel better informed.
December 25, 2022
this was a 3.5 read for me
thoughts coming shortly
thoughts coming shortly
June 12, 2022
An interesting book based on a historical event, but with a fictional twist.
Mutt-Lon has taken the little-known pandemic of Sleeping Sickness that swept Cameroon in the early 2oth century and its subsequent mishandling by a white doctor and added his own flavour.
We follow the story through the eyes of another white doctor, female, Damienne Bourdin, who is sent to help ease tensions in the villages where it has become apparent that the incorrect treatment by one particular doctor has resulted in many natives getting better from the pandemic, but ending up blind.
Reading fiction that has been translated is always hard, as the passion that comes through the native tongue of a writer is tough to replicate in other languages, however the translator has done a pretty good job of giving a true feel for the story and the characters.
There is a little jumping around within the story, in terms of the present and the past, and sometimes points of views are a little erratic, but, once I got into the story, I really wanted to know what happened at the end, and whether everything was resolved!
Mutt-Lon has taken the little-known pandemic of Sleeping Sickness that swept Cameroon in the early 2oth century and its subsequent mishandling by a white doctor and added his own flavour.
We follow the story through the eyes of another white doctor, female, Damienne Bourdin, who is sent to help ease tensions in the villages where it has become apparent that the incorrect treatment by one particular doctor has resulted in many natives getting better from the pandemic, but ending up blind.
Reading fiction that has been translated is always hard, as the passion that comes through the native tongue of a writer is tough to replicate in other languages, however the translator has done a pretty good job of giving a true feel for the story and the characters.
There is a little jumping around within the story, in terms of the present and the past, and sometimes points of views are a little erratic, but, once I got into the story, I really wanted to know what happened at the end, and whether everything was resolved!
February 20, 2023
Trigger warnings: racism, violence, xenophobia, death, colonialism, medical malpractice, death of a child (in the past)
Well, that's Cameroon crossed off my Read Around the World list in a short little package. I kind of wish that the translator's note at the end about the actual events that inspired the story had been at the beginning because I kind of struggled to get my head around what was happening at times. I tried Googling it, but just ran into the hero worship of Jamot that the author describes.
Anyway. It's an interesting insight into colonialism and Cameroon in the 1920s, caught between two colonial powers. But I don't know that I'll be in a hurry to seek out this author again.
Well, that's Cameroon crossed off my Read Around the World list in a short little package. I kind of wish that the translator's note at the end about the actual events that inspired the story had been at the beginning because I kind of struggled to get my head around what was happening at times. I tried Googling it, but just ran into the hero worship of Jamot that the author describes.
Anyway. It's an interesting insight into colonialism and Cameroon in the 1920s, caught between two colonial powers. But I don't know that I'll be in a hurry to seek out this author again.
November 16, 2022
I found this to be a fascinating read and wished for more of the story. I always enjoy new aspects on "forgotten " episodes of history.
To refer to the true medical malfeasance this story is based on as a blunder is a true understatement. The majority of the book is set in late 1929 in French colonial Cameroon but there are flash backs to the mc's life in France prior to her deployment to Cameroon and it is bookended 30 years later when she returns.
I won this from a GR giveaway and I am so happy to find a new author. This is his third novel and the only one translated into English. Looking forward to reading more from him.
To refer to the true medical malfeasance this story is based on as a blunder is a true understatement. The majority of the book is set in late 1929 in French colonial Cameroon but there are flash backs to the mc's life in France prior to her deployment to Cameroon and it is bookended 30 years later when she returns.
I won this from a GR giveaway and I am so happy to find a new author. This is his third novel and the only one translated into English. Looking forward to reading more from him.
July 19, 2022
I guess I'm just not a big fan of satire, at least not this type. I am really interested in the historical story, but the writing style didn't do it for me. I think if you liked Catch-22 or Kurt Vonnegut you might like this one. This is another one of those situations where it would be really nice if there were preview samples on NetGalley.
July 5, 2024
Before doctors understood the causes of and developed reliable treatments for the disease, African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) outbreaks could kill hundreds of thousands of people. Because the disease is caused by parasites in the tsetse fly, efforts to control and hopefully eradicate the disease involve controlling the population of the fly and treating patients as soon as possible. The course of dealing with sleeping sickness hasn’t run as smoothly as my quick background might make it sound. Mutt-Lon’s satirical novella, The Blunder, takes its inspiration from an actual historical incident. Mutt-Lon uses the real blunder and its aftermath to shine a light on colonial racism and paternalism and tribal conflict...
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, for review consideration.
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, for review consideration.
May 8, 2022
3.5 stars- rounded up. This was an interesting read. This is a short, historical fiction novel based on true events set in Cameroon in the 1920's. A white doctor takes liberties with the procedure for treating an epidemic of sleeping sickness, and causes a wave of blindness in the patients who received his treatment. In the aftermath of the violent anger by the local population as a result of the medical blunder, Damienne, a white doctor, is sent on a politically sensitive mission to retrieve the niece of the region's most prominent Chief from the village where the upheaval started. As we follow Damienne on her adventure through the jungle, guided by the resourceful Pygmy Ndongo, we learn of the events that lead to the medical blunder and the possible repercussions for the stability of the country, and also see how Damienne's own prejudices and biases shift as she travels further from familiar territory and must depend on the knowledge and traditions of Ndongo and other native people she encounters.
I liked the overall arc of the story, and I appreciated the author and translator notes at the beginning- not only are readers given context for the outdated, racist language, but are also guided towards paying attention to how the language is used over the course of the book. I did feel like the pacing was very uneven- I really enjoyed the adventure tone of Damienne's journey, but then we would get flashbacks to her personal history, or the background of a character she was introduced to, and it was a bit info-dumpy for my taste. I thought the information we gleaned in these instances was relevant, but was not smoothly integrated into the events of the story. Overall I liked the translation, but I did notice some moments where there were some modern-isms, or very formal speaking language, that felt a little out of place. This was not a consistent issue, so I wonder if this came from an attempt to emphasize the voice of certain characters- to give a distinct tone to characters who were speaking their native language, a second language, what their education level was, etc,
I really liked how the plot served as an allegory for the lasting effects of colonialism- how even the most well-meaning people who try to "help" are still hampered by their unseen biases, and can cause long-lasting unintended consequences among the local population. I also liked that periodically we would get perspectives from some of the native characters that would serve as a contradiction to the assumptions by white characters.
I liked the overall arc of the story, and I appreciated the author and translator notes at the beginning- not only are readers given context for the outdated, racist language, but are also guided towards paying attention to how the language is used over the course of the book. I did feel like the pacing was very uneven- I really enjoyed the adventure tone of Damienne's journey, but then we would get flashbacks to her personal history, or the background of a character she was introduced to, and it was a bit info-dumpy for my taste. I thought the information we gleaned in these instances was relevant, but was not smoothly integrated into the events of the story. Overall I liked the translation, but I did notice some moments where there were some modern-isms, or very formal speaking language, that felt a little out of place. This was not a consistent issue, so I wonder if this came from an attempt to emphasize the voice of certain characters- to give a distinct tone to characters who were speaking their native language, a second language, what their education level was, etc,
I really liked how the plot served as an allegory for the lasting effects of colonialism- how even the most well-meaning people who try to "help" are still hampered by their unseen biases, and can cause long-lasting unintended consequences among the local population. I also liked that periodically we would get perspectives from some of the native characters that would serve as a contradiction to the assumptions by white characters.
August 7, 2022
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.
As an historian with a PhD in Latin American history, I know perhaps more than your average person about the history of imperialism. With that said, Africa is not my specialty so I enjoyed learning about a specific incident that I'd never heard of before. I also appreciated the author's inclusion of the warning that racist commentary was meant to represent the European characters' perspective and not his own. I further enjoyed that two of the three main characters were women, and strong, interesting ones at that.
The main frustration I had with this book is that the story is mostly told, rather than shown. Major plot points are learned through long, unrealistically long, monologues by characters that have been in Cameroon longer than the main character. Some of the details feel extraneous and not part of a natural conversation. Had the story been told through multiple POVs, and had we seen these things happen through other characters' eyes, it would have been easier to get sucked into the story and feel as if you were there. This also could have allowed for a bigger presence of the fascinating character Edoa.
One point that is neither positive or negative is that the translator mentioned that the story was humorous. In my opinion, it didn't come off as funny at all. I suppose the author was writing with an ironic tone but I definitely wasn't rolling in the aisle.
Overall, this is an interesting story from a promising author. Work on dialogue and description would improve it.
As an historian with a PhD in Latin American history, I know perhaps more than your average person about the history of imperialism. With that said, Africa is not my specialty so I enjoyed learning about a specific incident that I'd never heard of before. I also appreciated the author's inclusion of the warning that racist commentary was meant to represent the European characters' perspective and not his own. I further enjoyed that two of the three main characters were women, and strong, interesting ones at that.
The main frustration I had with this book is that the story is mostly told, rather than shown. Major plot points are learned through long, unrealistically long, monologues by characters that have been in Cameroon longer than the main character. Some of the details feel extraneous and not part of a natural conversation. Had the story been told through multiple POVs, and had we seen these things happen through other characters' eyes, it would have been easier to get sucked into the story and feel as if you were there. This also could have allowed for a bigger presence of the fascinating character Edoa.
One point that is neither positive or negative is that the translator mentioned that the story was humorous. In my opinion, it didn't come off as funny at all. I suppose the author was writing with an ironic tone but I definitely wasn't rolling in the aisle.
Overall, this is an interesting story from a promising author. Work on dialogue and description would improve it.
March 7, 2020
Trente ans après avoir passé dans la forêt camerounaise trois semaines les plus éprouvantes de sa vie, en 1963, une Française revient visiter les protagonistes noirs de cette affaire, toujours vivants, à qui elle doit sa vie.
En 1929, cette médecin religieuse des troupes coloniales venant de Marseille, Damienne Bourdin, est envoyée par le médecin Eugène Jamot (dont une biographie existe aux éditions Karthala, par ailleurs) au coeur de la forêt de la zone de Bafia, au Cameroun, pour exfiltrer une infirmière de grande valeur, Edoua, princesse d'un clan africain rival retenue en otage suite à une émeute. Depuis quelques mois en effet, une épidémie de cécité ravage Bafia, où furent prodigués des soins intensifs contre la maladie du sommeil par le personnel soignant blanc aux remèdes certes efficaces mais douteux. La tension entre les Africains et les Français est palpable, ainsi que celle des alliances interdites entre Africains, et avant que tout ne s'embrase, il reste une expédition qui pourrait peut-être, entre deux femmes de tête qui se respectent et se comprennent, réussir à apaiser la situation. Ou non.
Tiré d'une affaire réelle, quoique tout à fait méconnue, Les 700 aveugles de Bafia permettent à l'auteur camerounais Mutt-Lon, dont c'est ici le second roman, de déployer un récit narratif prenant, sensible et sobre. Composé en flash-backs imbriqués, sans effet de manche ni cabotinage de style, le roman se dévore pour l'intrigue sans doute plus que pour sa psychologie, dont on sent qu'elle n'est pas le principal moteur de l'écrivain. Pas de thèses, pas d'interprétation, mais des faits et des femmes et hommes éprouvés, retranchés dans leurs limites physiques et mentales, des descriptions suffisantes pour évoquer mais qui n'épuisent rien, pour la restitution aussi fidèle qu'il l'a pu d'un épisode complexe, aux coupables difficiles à cerner, aux ressorts multiples.
Bref, une chouette lecture d'aventure et d'histoire, palpitante et réaliste, mais qui laissera sur sa faim les amateurs de grande plume et de psychologie fouillée.
En 1929, cette médecin religieuse des troupes coloniales venant de Marseille, Damienne Bourdin, est envoyée par le médecin Eugène Jamot (dont une biographie existe aux éditions Karthala, par ailleurs) au coeur de la forêt de la zone de Bafia, au Cameroun, pour exfiltrer une infirmière de grande valeur, Edoua, princesse d'un clan africain rival retenue en otage suite à une émeute. Depuis quelques mois en effet, une épidémie de cécité ravage Bafia, où furent prodigués des soins intensifs contre la maladie du sommeil par le personnel soignant blanc aux remèdes certes efficaces mais douteux. La tension entre les Africains et les Français est palpable, ainsi que celle des alliances interdites entre Africains, et avant que tout ne s'embrase, il reste une expédition qui pourrait peut-être, entre deux femmes de tête qui se respectent et se comprennent, réussir à apaiser la situation. Ou non.
Tiré d'une affaire réelle, quoique tout à fait méconnue, Les 700 aveugles de Bafia permettent à l'auteur camerounais Mutt-Lon, dont c'est ici le second roman, de déployer un récit narratif prenant, sensible et sobre. Composé en flash-backs imbriqués, sans effet de manche ni cabotinage de style, le roman se dévore pour l'intrigue sans doute plus que pour sa psychologie, dont on sent qu'elle n'est pas le principal moteur de l'écrivain. Pas de thèses, pas d'interprétation, mais des faits et des femmes et hommes éprouvés, retranchés dans leurs limites physiques et mentales, des descriptions suffisantes pour évoquer mais qui n'épuisent rien, pour la restitution aussi fidèle qu'il l'a pu d'un épisode complexe, aux coupables difficiles à cerner, aux ressorts multiples.
Bref, une chouette lecture d'aventure et d'histoire, palpitante et réaliste, mais qui laissera sur sa faim les amateurs de grande plume et de psychologie fouillée.
April 14, 2022
Malheureusement, ce livre n'est pas à la hauteur de sa promesse. Pour un livre qui évoque un pan méconnu de notre passé colonial camerounais, je trouve qu'il a été vidé de sa substance historique.
Pire encore, le personnage principal est si inintéressant... comment l'auteur peut-il nous faire découvrir l'histoire des 700 aveugles de Bafia à travers les yeux du colon ?
Décevant, c'est dommage.
Pire encore, le personnage principal est si inintéressant... comment l'auteur peut-il nous faire découvrir l'histoire des 700 aveugles de Bafia à travers les yeux du colon ?
Décevant, c'est dommage.
March 18, 2023
اول رواية اقرأها في حياتي تمنيت يكون فيها وصف اكثر للمكان والمشاعر و الروائح 🥹💓
قصة مختلفة بأحداثها وتفاصيلها.. تتكلم عن البعثة الطبية للكاميرون وكيف البعثة واجهت الناس بمعتقداتهم ورفضهم للبيض انهم يعالجونهم واعتقادهم بأن البيض جايين علشان يبيدونهم
خطأ طبي من طبيب بالحملة تسبب في عمى ٧٠٠ شخص وهذا الشي سبب مشكلة، و أكد للأفريقيين ان البيض غرضهم الابادة واخذ اراضيهم
الترجمة للاسف تعيبها شوي
قصة مختلفة بأحداثها وتفاصيلها.. تتكلم عن البعثة الطبية للكاميرون وكيف البعثة واجهت الناس بمعتقداتهم ورفضهم للبيض انهم يعالجونهم واعتقادهم بأن البيض جايين علشان يبيدونهم
خطأ طبي من طبيب بالحملة تسبب في عمى ٧٠٠ شخص وهذا الشي سبب مشكلة، و أكد للأفريقيين ان البيض غرضهم الابادة واخذ اراضيهم
الترجمة للاسف تعيبها شوي
December 13, 2022
Cameroon - Historical fiction about the French doctors in the 1930s who accidentally blinded hundreds of people using an unproven treatment for sleeping sickness. This book is all over the place, but that could be because I was working long hours and falling asleep while reading.
August 6, 2022
In her translator’s notes to Mutt-Lon’s novel The Blunder, Amy B. Reid describes the book as both a “critique of the racism that undergirded France’s colonial mission” in Cameroon and “a friendly poke at readers” that uses “boisterous humor” to remind of us of “our own, very present, human imperfections.”
I’m not sure all the promised comedy carried over to the English version—either that, or I missed most of it—but I did appreciate Mutt-Lon’s layered depiction of the intersections between imperialism, race, and gender.
The bulk of the story takes place in 1929, a time when, as Mutt-Lon relates in his author’s note, “Cameroon was a territory under control of the League of Nations … with Great Britain and France administering separate parts of the former German colony and serving as de facto colonizing powers.” In the French sector, doctor and historical figure Eugène Jamot is leading an effort to combat the sleeping-sickness epidemic devastating the indigenous population. His campaign seems to be succeeding.
But unbeknownst to him, one of his field units has for months now been administering a triple dose of the primary treatment: tryparsamide, an arsenic derivative. When given at such concentrations, the side effects can be severe. And in Cameroon’s Bafia region, the toll comes to at least seven hundred cases of partial or complete blindness.
Damienne Bourdin, the book’s protagonist, arrives in Cameroon shortly after Jamot has discovered his underlings’ “blunder.” Local leaders have made the connection too, and with racial tensions flaring, Jamot charges Damienne with averting further crisis by forestalling a looming tribal war. It’s a farcically tall task. (And from a thematic standpoint, probably intentionally so.)
Damienne has a medical background, but the rest of her past provides little relevant experience or history of competence. Her interpreter quickly abandons her. And the other men she meets—French and Cameroonian alike—are more likely to objectify her than help her cause.
She’s not prejudice-free either. Like nearly all the white characters in the book, Damienne is (initially at least) convinced of her supremacy. She sees her native guide as “primitive,” she’s surprised to find no Africans “with a bone through their nose,” and she has a deep-seated fear of “seeing hate-filled Black faces burst from [their] huts.”
Yet Mutt-Lon takes care to illustrate that there are also “ethnic hierarchies at play among the local people, with the Bantus seeking to assert their superiority over the Pygmies.” Not everyone in the book is unfortunate enough to suffer from physical blindness induced by medical malpractice, but no one is free of blind spots.
Damienne eventually recognizes some of hers. But others remain. At the end of the book, she still judges the doctor as a “great man” worthy of the statue that stands in front of the Ministry of Public Health in Yaoundé (Cameroon’s capital). But Mutt-Lon also suggests that Jamot was well aware that even lower levels of tryparsamide can cause optic neuritis. “The population doesn’t need to know this,” Jamot tells Damienne earlier on, “but with normal dosages, one expects to find one or two cases of blindness per hundred patients in each subdivision.” That hubris—assuming he knows best and doesn’t need to explain the treatment’s risks to his non-white patients—ultimately undermines his otherwise transformative accomplishments.
I found The Blunder’s nuanced deconstruction of this “savior” mentality particularly effective. Other aspects of the 151-page story felt rushed and could have used fleshing out. But what’s present is extremely readable, a testament to both Mutt-Lon’s skillful prose and Reid’s deft rendering of it into English (potential loss of humor aside). I also enjoyed learning a bit of forgotten history. Worth a try.
(For more reviews like this one, see www.nickwisseman.com)
I’m not sure all the promised comedy carried over to the English version—either that, or I missed most of it—but I did appreciate Mutt-Lon’s layered depiction of the intersections between imperialism, race, and gender.
The bulk of the story takes place in 1929, a time when, as Mutt-Lon relates in his author’s note, “Cameroon was a territory under control of the League of Nations … with Great Britain and France administering separate parts of the former German colony and serving as de facto colonizing powers.” In the French sector, doctor and historical figure Eugène Jamot is leading an effort to combat the sleeping-sickness epidemic devastating the indigenous population. His campaign seems to be succeeding.
But unbeknownst to him, one of his field units has for months now been administering a triple dose of the primary treatment: tryparsamide, an arsenic derivative. When given at such concentrations, the side effects can be severe. And in Cameroon’s Bafia region, the toll comes to at least seven hundred cases of partial or complete blindness.
Damienne Bourdin, the book’s protagonist, arrives in Cameroon shortly after Jamot has discovered his underlings’ “blunder.” Local leaders have made the connection too, and with racial tensions flaring, Jamot charges Damienne with averting further crisis by forestalling a looming tribal war. It’s a farcically tall task. (And from a thematic standpoint, probably intentionally so.)
Damienne has a medical background, but the rest of her past provides little relevant experience or history of competence. Her interpreter quickly abandons her. And the other men she meets—French and Cameroonian alike—are more likely to objectify her than help her cause.
She’s not prejudice-free either. Like nearly all the white characters in the book, Damienne is (initially at least) convinced of her supremacy. She sees her native guide as “primitive,” she’s surprised to find no Africans “with a bone through their nose,” and she has a deep-seated fear of “seeing hate-filled Black faces burst from [their] huts.”
Yet Mutt-Lon takes care to illustrate that there are also “ethnic hierarchies at play among the local people, with the Bantus seeking to assert their superiority over the Pygmies.” Not everyone in the book is unfortunate enough to suffer from physical blindness induced by medical malpractice, but no one is free of blind spots.
Damienne eventually recognizes some of hers. But others remain. At the end of the book, she still judges the doctor as a “great man” worthy of the statue that stands in front of the Ministry of Public Health in Yaoundé (Cameroon’s capital). But Mutt-Lon also suggests that Jamot was well aware that even lower levels of tryparsamide can cause optic neuritis. “The population doesn’t need to know this,” Jamot tells Damienne earlier on, “but with normal dosages, one expects to find one or two cases of blindness per hundred patients in each subdivision.” That hubris—assuming he knows best and doesn’t need to explain the treatment’s risks to his non-white patients—ultimately undermines his otherwise transformative accomplishments.
I found The Blunder’s nuanced deconstruction of this “savior” mentality particularly effective. Other aspects of the 151-page story felt rushed and could have used fleshing out. But what’s present is extremely readable, a testament to both Mutt-Lon’s skillful prose and Reid’s deft rendering of it into English (potential loss of humor aside). I also enjoyed learning a bit of forgotten history. Worth a try.
(For more reviews like this one, see www.nickwisseman.com)
July 4, 2022
I was drawn to this book by its medical background it is the story of the chain of events started when treatment of fly carried sleeping sickness in 1920s Cameroon goes wrong and although patients were cured of the disease the drug they are injected with causes a large portion of patients to be blinded .Of course it is about far more than this ,the author cleverly uses the incident to look at race relations at that stage in history both through relations between black residents and the French White Colonialist rulers and the equally prevalent not always casual racism between different black populations .The pigmy guide for example is universally looked down on by all but his emotional intelligence and local knowledge is clear
Setting the book in 2 time periods 1929 and 30 years later allows these historical relationships to be shown without having to use the lens of current day sensitivities .Both author and translator make this clear in their forwards and after pieces which set some of the context of the story
This is a short book but beautifully crafted ,the author uses the female doctor character to dig more deeply into the back stories of the people she meets ,something that might have not read so clearly of the lead were a man .I did find this interesting as a female medic myself I think it would not be as common to have women doctors at that time on history if they had been British rather than French .None if the colonial leaders she meets seem in the slightest bit surprised to be coming upon a young woman doctor on the middle of the African countryside
There are some rather jolly hockey sticks chase scenes which read like something out of an Enid Blyton novel or Tarzan and Jane film ,definitely exciting but not so realistic .
The title was interesting ,if such a medical malpractice were to happen nowadays it would be seen a a serious incident and the whole think would involve the press and lawyers .By choosing the word Blunder the author trivialises the episode ,it is clear that the effected individuals were not going to be told about why they had turned blind and the authorities were doing their best to brush it under the carpet .The colonial paternalism inherent in this is obvious to modern readers .The author chooses not to delve too deeply into this leaving the reader to make their own minds up
The author has an easily read prose style which is translated seamlessly by the translator of the novel .The author uses Mutt Lon as a pseudonym he is from Cameroon this is his Third novel
II was fortunate to be sent a copy of this book by its publicists FMCM Associates as part of a book blog tour ,the book is published by Amazon crossing on July 12th
Setting the book in 2 time periods 1929 and 30 years later allows these historical relationships to be shown without having to use the lens of current day sensitivities .Both author and translator make this clear in their forwards and after pieces which set some of the context of the story
This is a short book but beautifully crafted ,the author uses the female doctor character to dig more deeply into the back stories of the people she meets ,something that might have not read so clearly of the lead were a man .I did find this interesting as a female medic myself I think it would not be as common to have women doctors at that time on history if they had been British rather than French .None if the colonial leaders she meets seem in the slightest bit surprised to be coming upon a young woman doctor on the middle of the African countryside
There are some rather jolly hockey sticks chase scenes which read like something out of an Enid Blyton novel or Tarzan and Jane film ,definitely exciting but not so realistic .
The title was interesting ,if such a medical malpractice were to happen nowadays it would be seen a a serious incident and the whole think would involve the press and lawyers .By choosing the word Blunder the author trivialises the episode ,it is clear that the effected individuals were not going to be told about why they had turned blind and the authorities were doing their best to brush it under the carpet .The colonial paternalism inherent in this is obvious to modern readers .The author chooses not to delve too deeply into this leaving the reader to make their own minds up
The author has an easily read prose style which is translated seamlessly by the translator of the novel .The author uses Mutt Lon as a pseudonym he is from Cameroon this is his Third novel
II was fortunate to be sent a copy of this book by its publicists FMCM Associates as part of a book blog tour ,the book is published by Amazon crossing on July 12th
December 3, 2022
I won the epub version of this book through a giveaway hosted by goodreads- thank you Goodreads! I had not previously heard about this book at all, but seeing it under new releases and it being about real historical medical malpractice immediately had my attention.
What I learned about the real event that happened was both fascinating and upsetting, even as the very tongue-in-cheek satirical retelling of the story did make me giggle nervously. There is a lot here to be uncomfortable with, but such is the purpose of satire and of trying to spread awareness about a medical blunder that represents so many of the worst parts of colonialism.
Coming at this from a white, american, english-speaking perspective, as a nurse myself, I felt as if there was a lot about this story that flew over my head. Tropes and storytelling tricks from the French-Cameroon author that flew right by me and went unappreciated. This is entirely a problem of me, and not at all of the book itself.
The storytelling framework and pacing is not quite like anything I've seen before. It almost feels like a play, or like an episodic serial, in the way the action happens in fast-paced spurts between long monologues about backstory and events. The bulk of the action between dialogue is taken up by descriptions as well, which makes me feel as though an archetype is being presented that I don't recognize. Which made this a fun challenge in trying to figure them out.
The use of Damienne as the narrator was clearly a very deliberate choice because she is neither the most interesting character here, nor the one I most wanted to root for. In fact, she rather made things worse several times over and did not act like a hero. Those who did act as heroes, well, did not quite get what they wanted. But if they did, this would not be the tale of how French missionary doctors blinded 700 of their patients by misusing the treatments designed to save their lives.
Delighted that this book was translated into English, and something I will want to revisit someday after I have a greater grasp on french archetypes and satirical forme.
What I learned about the real event that happened was both fascinating and upsetting, even as the very tongue-in-cheek satirical retelling of the story did make me giggle nervously. There is a lot here to be uncomfortable with, but such is the purpose of satire and of trying to spread awareness about a medical blunder that represents so many of the worst parts of colonialism.
Coming at this from a white, american, english-speaking perspective, as a nurse myself, I felt as if there was a lot about this story that flew over my head. Tropes and storytelling tricks from the French-Cameroon author that flew right by me and went unappreciated. This is entirely a problem of me, and not at all of the book itself.
The storytelling framework and pacing is not quite like anything I've seen before. It almost feels like a play, or like an episodic serial, in the way the action happens in fast-paced spurts between long monologues about backstory and events. The bulk of the action between dialogue is taken up by descriptions as well, which makes me feel as though an archetype is being presented that I don't recognize. Which made this a fun challenge in trying to figure them out.
The use of Damienne as the narrator was clearly a very deliberate choice because she is neither the most interesting character here, nor the one I most wanted to root for. In fact, she rather made things worse several times over and did not act like a hero. Those who did act as heroes, well, did not quite get what they wanted. But if they did, this would not be the tale of how French missionary doctors blinded 700 of their patients by misusing the treatments designed to save their lives.
Delighted that this book was translated into English, and something I will want to revisit someday after I have a greater grasp on french archetypes and satirical forme.
August 4, 2022
It's a fable of sorts, which they tell you at the end. More of a novella than a novel. Based on historical records, with fictional characters set into the story. I learned a bit about sleeping sickness and "the blunder" that took place. Not as much as I was thinking I might - yet maybe all there was to learn. Depending on when you grew up, you might also find this fable reminiscent of those prurient stories of old that capitalized upon the cliche' of a black or indigenous man lusting after a white woman. It's used here I think in part to mimic that old trope (which now that I was reminded of it, has been gone from mainstream US literature for awhile (not gone from history, of course - as in recent news we had the story of the black man falsely accused of attacking a white woman). So, it's a quick interesting read. I think the machinations of the writing are subtle and intentional, for which I give credit due.
July 26, 2022
I won a copy of this book from a giveaway here on goodreads, so thank you for that.
I thought this story was quite interesting. I've always enjoyed historical fiction and this one has been added to the list. We get to know the main character and her journey through a reflection of her past and flashbacks of even further events within that story. I appreciate the depth of this method and how it created links and empathy between characters as the story unfolded.
This medical blunder was a regretful event, but a great inspiration for a life-changing story.
Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys a good story or historical fiction.
I thought this story was quite interesting. I've always enjoyed historical fiction and this one has been added to the list. We get to know the main character and her journey through a reflection of her past and flashbacks of even further events within that story. I appreciate the depth of this method and how it created links and empathy between characters as the story unfolded.
This medical blunder was a regretful event, but a great inspiration for a life-changing story.
Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys a good story or historical fiction.
August 3, 2022
I enjoyed this book very much. It was originally written in French, so you have to keep in mind that it is a translation and words don't flow beautifully. The translator did a pretty good job explaining the thoughts the author was trying to portray.
It's fast paced, it's a little scary, and it does talk about colonialism and racism of 100 years ago. I was interested in the culture of that part of Africa and how they viewed technology and change. I wouldn't give it a 5 star because it had a little of "hollywood" happening with the characters were doing things that would only happen on a TV screen.
It's fast paced, it's a little scary, and it does talk about colonialism and racism of 100 years ago. I was interested in the culture of that part of Africa and how they viewed technology and change. I wouldn't give it a 5 star because it had a little of "hollywood" happening with the characters were doing things that would only happen on a TV screen.
January 29, 2023
An engaging fictional account of actual tragic events in Cameroon. The writing is straight forward, draws the setting vividly, has fairly decent character development and employs varied points of view, which adds interest to the evolution of the plot. I recommend it to those who want an accessible entry into historical events in Cameroon, and maybe it will spur a deeper dive into learning the history of other countries. The subject is also relevant in this -- dare I say, post COVID-19 -- era where we witnessed opposing views on whether we could trust the vaccines that had been developed to treat the virus.
September 7, 2022
⭐⭐⭐
This was an interesting quick read that I enjoyed a lot. It's a short historical fiction novel based on true events that happened in the 1920's in Africa with a fictional twist. I had a few issues with the pacing at times, especially when the plot went into an information dump and really brought the story to a stand still. The worst was with Edoa. This is a translation of a french(?) novel, so perhaps the issue could have been because of that. 🤷����♀️ Overall though, it was a quick read that kept me entertained throughout.
**ARC Via NetGalley**
August 11, 2022
Great novel
The Blunder beautifully meshes a historical incident and fiction . It felt very real and each character alive. I have a lot of feelings about this book since it was set in French West Africa during the colonial period and the racism was rampant . Some parts of the story were just so uncomfortable I needed a break. The blunder is a Tuskegee event type that is not talked about. I read this in one day.
The Blunder beautifully meshes a historical incident and fiction . It felt very real and each character alive. I have a lot of feelings about this book since it was set in French West Africa during the colonial period and the racism was rampant . Some parts of the story were just so uncomfortable I needed a break. The blunder is a Tuskegee event type that is not talked about. I read this in one day.
Shelved as 'didnt-finish'
September 9, 2022i gave this a fair shake but it was kind of all over the place and i couldn't see where it was leading so it lost my interest. it had sounded really interesting!
October 21, 2022
A fascinating story told in an original style.
October 23, 2022
Yes, there is a satirical tone to this fictional exploration of a medical mishap/blunder/atrocity ( what you call it depends on the level of intent behind it) which resulted in people going blind from a doctor's decision to deviate from the proscribed treatment for sleeping sickness. The satire works and does not lessen the fact that the subject is serious and had long lasting impacts on trust of international medical professionals in Cameroun. The author pokes fun at colonialism and the ridiculous ideas the colonizers brought with them. Some of the language is off putting but necessary to get into the headspace of the people who perpetuated the colonial system.
June 2, 2023
It is a bit of a complex read, so it is difficult to know what to make of this fictional story based on historical fact. Considering that it's satire, there's understandably very formal language in Joseph Conrad "Heart of Darkness" style mockery. It's also translated from French to English by an American white woman (in my opinion this adds to the hilarity of it all).
Also, the pacing seems unbalanced and the narrator's voice changes oddly at times, one minute Damienne will be speaking, then suddenly we'll be reading from the perspective of another, then suddenly back to Damienne again, it was disconcerting. However, I must say, kudos to the human narrator from audible, she did a great job, listening along enhanced what would have been an otherwise extremely boring reading experience for me.
Also, the pacing seems unbalanced and the narrator's voice changes oddly at times, one minute Damienne will be speaking, then suddenly we'll be reading from the perspective of another, then suddenly back to Damienne again, it was disconcerting. However, I must say, kudos to the human narrator from audible, she did a great job, listening along enhanced what would have been an otherwise extremely boring reading experience for me.
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