FORE-RUNNERS
OF FRENCH
IN NIGERIA
FOCUS ON UNIVERSITY TEACHERS
Tunde Ajiboye
Editor
PROF. MARTIN BESTMAN: A SEMBENIAN
CRITIC AT HIS BEST
Bukoye Arowolo
Department of French, University of llorin, florin.
Introduction
There is no way the full story of the development
of the French studies in Nigeria can be told without a
mention of Martin Bestman. He certainly was one of the
indigenous quadruple under whose nurture French
flourished at the Obafemi Awolowo University (then
University of Ife), the others being Sola Oke, Emmanuel
Nwezeh and Femi Ojo-Adc. This quadrupole worked
earnestly with the expatriate, Willfred Feuser to birth and
nurture to full maturity what is now kncnvn as the
Department of Foreign Languages in the University.
Bestman and the making of a career
Martin Bestman started his career at the Obafemi Awolowo
University (OAU) in 1973 after his Ph.D at the Universite
Laval, Quebec in Canada. While in Canada, he had had a
stint at teaching in a few institutions before he decided to
return to the native land. Bestman assumed duty as
Lecturer 11 at OAU in 1973 and by dint of hard work
became a full professor of Literature nine years
after, that is in 1982. Within those nine years, Bestman,
married to h i s research, had written so compellingly on
the African novel in French that he became a major
reference in t h e field even outside Africa. This is in spite
of the fact that, except for a fell contributions to books
meant to benefit t h e local Anglophone reader, all his
critical works (book-, and articles) whether on
Francophone or Anglophone novels arc in French.
Bcstman's critical works could perhaps best be
described as "critique universities." A hen considered in
terms of the depth of ideas, the capacity to generate counterdiscourse and most especially the obscurantist style. His
expression which is refreshingly innovative is not for
critical novices. It is often an unusual but coherent
assemblage of uncommon words in creative structures.
Bestman conceives of Literature as a celebration of
language and imagination. In his words, the literary text is
"an adventure into the universe of words". The universe
itself is a text that is capable of multiple interpretation and
the literary text is a mere variant of this "archetypal text".
Hence, the complimentarity between the two. For him.
Literature is not only mimetic of reality but sometimes
hides same; this is the reason why the c r i t i c has that
responsibility to reveal the mystery under the mask
As for the African novel on which most of his
Critical work are based. Bestman considers the literary
text as a pretext to dissimulate the (actual reality. Words
are seen to be Used as "masks' 1 to cover up our true
thought or action. The novelist makes use of a l l sorts of
narrative artifices to divert the attention of the reader from
the reality through the imaginative employment of words.
The critic is seen as the co-conspirator with the creative
writer, in this case, the novelist. The novel is like a
mythical masquerade performance whose esoteric nature
confounds the non-initiate who dare not v i o l a t e the
sanctity of the masquerade The lot f a l l on the cr i t i c , a coperformer with the masquerade, to commit the sacrilege"
of unmasking the masquerade having performed the
necessary rituals. Without the intervention of the critic,
the reader cannot make a headway in understanding the
work of arts which remains to him words, words and
words only.
In most of Bestman's critical essays on the African
novel, there is an enduring desire to confirm the
correlation between the imagination of the novel, i.e. the
world of fantasy, and reality. Bestman considers the
African novel as a product of two fundamental phases of
black history: the first phase being the anticolonial
diatribe and the second that of disillusionment.
The novel in the first phase, apart from the
anticolonial diatribe, is a portraiture of hope, mirage and
dreams of political, social and economic freedom on
independence. It has created the illusion of a more human
and humane world devoid of oppression, misery and
suffering. This therefore gave room to disillusionment in
the second phase. This is a feeling of breach of tacit
social contract between the people and their political
leaders.
In the novels grouped m the second phase,
Bestman with the benefit of his understanding of colonial
past, perceives the correlation between (lie extra-literary
reality and literary creations. The role of the novel is that
of generating a faithful collective consciousness lieobserves the thematic resemblance of several of the
African novels in English and French. The theme which
has become a leit-motif since the 1960s is that of the
criticism of the political system.
Bestman's critical works on the African novel
(Anglophone and Francophone) are found in international
literary and critical journals in Europe and America. To
give a wider local access to the works, he collected some
seminal works for publication in the book forms. One of
such is the adapted version of his doctoral thesis Sembene
Ousmane el I'esthetique du roman africain published in
Sherbrooke (Canada) by Editions Naaman in 1981. This
is a "must-have" background critical work for any c r i i i c
studying the novels of Ousmane.
With regard to his articles, seven of the major ones are
also collected in Le jeu des masques: Essais sur le roman
africain by Nouvelle Optique, Quebec (Canada) in 19X0.
This collection contains articles in works of Anglophone
novelists such as Wole Soyinka and Hlechi Amadi. and
Francophone ones such as Alioum Fantoure. Mongo Beti
and Ahmadou Kourouma. Bestman sees in the specific
works of these novelists what he describes as "thematic
unity" cutting across geographical and linguistic
boundaries The striking and unifying force in the works is
the amplification of the spectacle of disenchantment and
alienation vividly played out in the novels, l i e sees the
theme of these novels as an elongation of those of earlier
novels of the 1960s on the shortcomings of the
independent Africa. All the works treat the same
fundamental problems of corruption, hypocrisy lack of
discipline etc. All Bestman docs in these critical works
(according to him) is to study the novels within their
social contexts to bring out the tares in their various
manifestations-political, moral or historical. More
importantly, Bestman goes beyond thematic appreciation
and historicity in his critical works, he draws out the
literary structures and secret narrative mechanisms that
give aesthetic value to the novels.
The inner turbulence that characterises the
apparently placid Bestman is also given expression
through literary creativity. This shows that Bestman is not
only a creative c r i t i c but also a critical creator. Hence, he
has written several poems both in English and French.
Most of these poems have been published in literary and
critical journals in Africa, Fmope and America. He has
published two collections of poems: one in Fnglish and
the other in French.
More than in his critical works. Bestman s style is
esotenc and may only he accessible for interpretation to
hard baked c ri t ic w i t h both the boldness, and mythical and
mystical wherewithal to perform the sacrilegious
unmasking of a violent and vicious masquerade.
Generally. Bestman's poetry is the expression of an
anguished, helpless, self-made mouth-piece of the
oppressed in their various situations. Anguish, pains and
bursts of violence permeate the two collections.
Conclusion
Professor Martin Bestman has spent a good part of
his life teaching French Studies since 1973 in Nigerian
Universities (more than 31 years as at the time of writing).
At Ife, he taught both French and Negro-African literature
to students both at the undergraduate and postgraduate
levels. As at the time he left Obafemi Awolowo University,
Ile-Ife, for University of Port-Harcourt he had successfully
implanted himself as a great scholar of no mean value, almost
the image of an irreplaceable institution. He participated in
various reviews and in the elaboration of departmental
programmes, and was a member of several University
committees.
Interestingly, Professor Bestman is a most
accessible lecturer such that lie became a role model to
several of his old students who are now well established in
their careers of choice.
Professor Bestman left the Obafemi Auolowo
University, Ile-Ife for the University of Port Harcourt in
March, 2002, after more than 28 years. I here he has
continued the good work of sustaining the teaching of
French. He is helping to build a durable legacy for French
in the University as current Head of Department of
Foreign Languages. University of Port Harcourt as he did
at Ife.
Selected Works of Professor M. T. Bestman
1.
CRITICAL WORKS
(i)
Books
1.
Bestman, M. T. (1981) Sembène Ousmane et
l’esthétique du roman négro-africain, Sherbrooke,
Editions Namaan.
Bestman, M. T. (1982) Le jeu cles masques: Essais sur le
roman africain, Montreal, Editions Nouvelle Optique, 1982
2.
(ii)
Contribution to books
3.
4.
(iii)
Bestman. M. T. (1975) "Sembene Ousmane:
Social Commitment and the Search for
African Identity." In King, B and Kola
Ogungbesan (eds.) A Celebration of Black
and African Writing. Ibadan, Ol P.
Bestman, M. T. (1981) "L’expression de la
temporalite dans 1'oeuvre romanesque de
Sembene Ousmane" in West African Studies
in Modern Language Teaching and Research.
Lagos Federal Ministry of Edueation. pp309324.
Articles
5.
Bestman, M. T. (1975) "L'imivers de Xala"
A/ru/iie Litteraire et Artistique No. 48 pp 3948.
6.
Bestman, M. T. (1980) "La technique
romanesque de Wole Soyinka, Europe, Paris
No 618, pp 39-48
7.
Bestman, M. T. (1981) Structure du recit et
mecanique de Faction revolutionnaire dans
Remember Ruben." Presence Francophone
No 23, pp 61-73.
8.
Bestman, M. T. (1982) "Le roman africain
comme expression d'une prise de conscience
critique et revolutionnaire" Peuplcs Noirs,
Peuples Africains, No 32, pp 104-121.
9.
Bestman, M.T. (1982) “Structure narrative et
aventure révolutionnaire dans Un fusil dans la
main, un poème dans la poche” Peuples noirs,
peoples Africains, No. 30, 138-158.
2. Creative Works
10.
Bestman, M.T. (1998) Texture of Dawn
(Collection of Poems) Ile-Ife Obafemi Awolowo,
University Press.
11.
Bestman, M.T. (1999) Une calebasse d’extase
(Collection of Poems) Ile-Ife Obafemi Awolowo
University Press