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.