Houseboy

Houseboy (1956) is a riveting narrative by Ferdinand Oyono. Though shorter in length than most novels, Houseboy addresses the weighty topic of colonization and its effects on the native population of Cameroon. More specifically, Oyono’s story delves into the life of Toundi Ondoua, a young rural African man whose life is changed when he decides to shrug off his African village and enter the world of white Europeans in the city of Dangan. What transpires is a heartbreaking yet didactic narrative about trust and the abuse of power.

Like other boys in his village, Toundi likes to receive gifts, like candy, from touring Catholic priests. Despite his parents’ protestations, he always goes to receive these gifts. From these forays into the world of whites, Toundi first becomes acquainted with Christianity. When violence erupts at home over Toundi’s defiance of his father, and after Toundi refuses to obey his father (as it will result in a beating), Toundi flees to Father Gilbert and asks for help. He asks the amused priest to take him on as a houseboy, and, though Toundi’s father disagrees with the practice, Father Gilbert accepts Toundi. Under Father Gilbert’s tutelage, Toundi is christened Joseph, and given new clothing. He soon learns to read and write, and becomes the houseboy, or servant, of Father Gilbert.

When Father Gilbert’s tour of the nearby villages is over, Toundi accompanies him to Dangan and begins work at the Saint Peter Catholic Mission. While at the mission, Toundi observes the lives of both the native Africans and the whites who come to pray and pay their respects. One day, Toundi’s life is turned upside down when Father Gilbert dies from a horrible motorcycle accident. Father Gilbert meant the world to Toundi, and though he was guilty of patronizing Toundi, the man was all that Toundi knew. With Father Gilbert’s death, Toundi is left to wonder what will become of him in the world without his benefactor to protect him.

Toundi is soon interviewed and accepted as a houseboy for the new Commandant, a position that gives him much prestige among his fellow countrymen. As Toundi says, being the dog of the Commandant is being the king of dogs. He soon moves to the Residence and begins working for the stern Commandant, a man feared by all Africans and many whites. Though the Commandant is stern with Toundi, they get along well enough that Toundi does not fear or want for anything.

Toundi’s life is soon upended yet again when news arrives that the Commandant’s wife, referred to throughout the novel as Madame, will arrive from Paris to live at the Residence. The Commandant seems embarrassed and taken aback, and the natives wonder what sort of woman Madame is. When she arrives, everyone is amazed at her beauty and apparent kindness. She is the most beautiful of all the white women in Dangan (to the chagrin of the other wives in the city). It is evident that she is liked by the white men in the city, even those with wives, just as she is lusted after by the African population. Toundi also finds her attractive and, in a sense, falls in love with her. Toundi witnesses firsthand how enrapturing Madame is when he is in her presence. He also witnesses the lustful comments made by others when she walks through town.

Toundi’s life is again shaken when Madame begins an affair with the prison director, M. Moreau. Toundi, who does not approve, is made the go-between, carrying notes back and forth between the two highly emotional individuals. Neither of the two trusts Toundi, or likes him, but they need him to make their affair work. Others warn Toundi that he is involved in matters that will only end in harm for him, but he continues nonetheless. He is a servant, after all. He must obey, not question. When the Commandant finds out that Madame is having an affair, all hell breaks loose at the Residence. It is revealed that Madame has a history of indiscretions. At the end of these events, Toundi is viewed as a person standing in judgement by all sides of the affair. As a result, he is used as a scapegoat and blamed for crimes he has not committed. He is beaten badly, so much so that he dies after fleeing to Spanish Guinea.

Houseboy addresses themes of sexuality, Christianity, the abuse of power, and the troubling concept of identity. These themes are interwoven into a narrative that is both comical and poignant. Though short, the story hits the reader with explosive themes and symbols, all of which culminate in an ending alluded to by many of the African servants throughout the novel. As the reader already knows that Toundi dies (it is explained in the prologue), the narrative is a tense unraveling meant to show exactly how this once carefree individual ended up on his deathbed, in a country not his own, and with a sobering story that deserves to be told as a cautionary tale against the abuse of power and the effects of racism.