Kourouma’s satirical novel traces the life story of Koyaga, a master hunter from the mountains of West Africa who by hook, crook, scheming, magic, ruthless violence, and military politics became the dictator of the fictional Republic of the Gulf.

The author weaves a complex story in a complex fashion. The plot advances via the recitations of a traditional storyteller and historian, who always begins with proverbs before spinning the next section of his tale. The language used is flowery and dense, often difficult to track, but, of course, quite African in floundering around and over-embellishing a point.

The descriptions in the novel barely hide, and often do not even try to hide, the real life characters being wickedly presented. Houphet-Boigny of the Ivory Coast, Emperor Jean Bedel Bokassa of the Central African Empire, Mobutu of Zaire, and King Hassan of Morocco are among the leaders scathingly portrayed. Although his antecedents are less clear because his character is an amalgamation of many abusive leaders, Koyaga himself probably owes more to Gnassingbe Eyadema of Togo than to anyone else.

Koyago rises to the supreme magistrature of his impoverished nation first by proving his mettle in the tribal context of his upbringing by becoming a master hunter and well grounded in the mysticism of magic icons that are guarded on his behalf by his mother and a marabou.

A poor student, Koyaga enlisted in the French forces and fought well in North Africa and Indochina. At independence, he became chief of staff of his country’s fledgling army. Sooner or later, threatened by rivals, he mounted a bloody coup and took over the presidency. His initiation into the club of African dictators followed as he made the rounds visiting the four above-named leaders where Koyaga learned about their personal foibles and the iron-fisted tactics each used to maintain power.

A good student, Koyaga too became enamored of himself, surrounded by sycophants, an able wielder of terror, and reliant on magic, perceived or real, to keep himself beloved and feared by his citizens.

Yet the reality of modern Africa begins to insert itself—the economy does not work, salaries are unpaid, workers, students and even the troops become restless. The dictator’s time-tested tactics no longer work as well, but yet he employs them as ruthlessly as ever.

The story does not end as much as stop.

Students of African politics will enjoy this novel. It truly does encapsulate and, by hyperbole, render ridiculous even as it makes you think about the politics of the dictatorial era of post-independence Africa. Note that the setting and the characters are West and Central African rather than East African—no Kenyans figure in the tale, even allegorically. Yet the lessons displayed are also applicable to politics throughout the continent.

Written originally in French, the University of Virginia Press edition is the novel translated into English by Carol F. Coates.