The Representation of African Identity in Francophone African Novels: A Study of Works by Chinua Achebe and Ngugi wa Thiong’o in French Translation

The translation of canonical African literary works into French opens important questions about how African identity, cultural specificity, and postcolonial experience are mediated for francophone readerships, and whether translation processes flatten, amplify, or transform original meanings. This study examines the representation of African identity in the French translations of selected novels by Chinua Achebe and Ngugi wa Thiong'o, analysing the translational choices made in rendering culturally specific content. A comparative textual analysis methodology was applied to original English texts and their published French translations, with identity-related passages coded for cultural terminology, idiomatic expressions, proverbs, and social role descriptions. Results indicate that translators frequently adopted domesticating strategies that substituted culturally specific African terms with French equivalents carrying different cultural loading, occasionally diminishing the specificity of the original African contexts. Ngugi's explicit anti-colonial political language was found to be rendered with greater fidelity in some translations than in others, reflecting the ideological choices of individual translators. Achebe's proverb-dense prose presented the greatest translation challenge, with some French versions electing paraphrase over direct translation of proverbial expressions. The study argues that French translations of African literary works function as sites of intercultural negotiation that warrant critical reading alongside original texts. Recommendations are directed at French literature curricula to incorporate comparative translation analysis as a methodological tool. Keywords: African identity, Francophone literature, translation, Chinua Achebe, Ngugi wa Thiong'o