WHEN BLACK MENS TEETH SPEAK OUT

By Yambo Ouologuem

BRIEF HISTORY ON YAMBO OUOLOGUEM

Yambo Ouologuem was born on August 22, 1940.
He is a Malian writer. Mali is in West Africa. His first novel, Le Devoir de
Violence (English: Bound to Violence, 1968), won the Prix Renaudot. He later
published Lettre la France ngre (1969), and Les mille et une bibles du sexe
(1969) under the pseudonym or pen name Utto Rodolph.
Le Devoir de Violence was initially well-received, but critics later charged that
Ouologuem had plagiarized passages other established authors.
Ouologuem turned away from the Western press as a result of the matter, and even
today remains reclusive.

SUMMARY ON Yambo Ouologuem

Born

August 22, 1940 (age 72) Bandiagara, Mali

Pen name

Utto Rodolph

Occupation

Teacher

Nationality

Malian

Citizenship

Malian

Education

Doctorate of Sociology

Alma mater

cole Normale Suprieure, Paris

Period

1968-1984

Genres

Historical fiction, Essay, Poetry

Notable work(s)

Le devoir de violence (1968)

Lettre la France ngre (1969)
Les Milles et un bibles du sexe (1969)

Notable award(s)

Prix Renaudot
1968 'Le devoir de violence'

THE POEM: WHEN BLACK MENS TEETH SPEAK OUT

People think I'm a cannibal
But you know how people talk
People see that I have red gums but then who has
White ones
Hurrah for tomatoes
People say that there aren't as many tourists coming
Nowadays
But you know
We aren't in America and nobody
has much cash
People think it's all my fault and that they're afraid of my teeth
But look
My teeth are white not red
I've never eaten anybody

People are pretty nasty and they 'say I gobble up

Tourists Boiled alive
Or maybe grilled
So I said which is it grilled or boiled

Then they shut up and took an uneasy look at my gums

Hurrah for tomatoes
Everyone knows that they grow things in a farming community
Hurrah for vegetables
Everyone says that no farmer
can live off his vegetables
And that I'm a pretty husky guy for someone so under-developed
A no good lowlife who lives on tourists
Down with my teeth
So all of a sudden I was surrounded
Tied up
Thrown to the ground
at the feet of justice

Cannibal or not a cannibal

Yes or no
Ha ha you think you're pretty clever
Playing high and mighty
Well we'll see about that I'll settle your hash
You're sentenced to death poor thing
What are your last words

I yelled hurrah for tomatoes

People are no good and women are a pretty inquisitive bunch
There happened to be one on the curious crowd
Who yapped with a voice like a leper's rattle
And the gurgle
of a leaky pot
Open his stomach
I'm sure that daddy is still inside
With no knives around
Which is understandable for vegetarians of the Western world
Somebody grabbed a Gillette blade
And very patiently
Slishhh
Slashhh
Plonkkk
They opened my belly
And there they found a tomato field in bloom
Washed by streams flowing with palm-tree wine
Hurrah for tomatoes

A LITTLE INTRODUCTION.
When Black Mens Teeth Speak Out deals with stereotypes of
oppressed people and race relations in Mali.
It is a comical poem about the dangers and effects of such stereotypes.
Yambo uses satire to drive the entire poem to ridicule the ignorance of
the foreigners colonizers.
This poem also talks about racism. The discrimination of black.

LINE AND STANZA ANANLYSIS

The line, Hurrah for tomatoes! (lines 5, 20, 39 & 58) is used throughout
the poem in the way of changing the atmosphere of the actions from tense to
comical. When the character announces that he is being put to death, he opts
for his last words to be Hurrah for tomatoes (line 58), which helps avert
the readers attention from the seriousness of death, making it a laughing
matter.
The main character says, Im a pretty husky guy for someone so
underdeveloped (line 25), which can be interpreted as both being
underdeveloped in intelligence and demeanor.
People are pretty nasty when they say I gobble up / Tourists boiled alive /
Or maybe grilled / So I said which is it grilled or boiled (line 15-18). This
shows the ignorance of our stereotypes and the poets deliberate attempt not
to address the real issue at hand; he opts to poke fun at the ridiculous claim
of cannibalism by asking grilled or boiled.
Open his stomach / Im sure that daddy is still inside (line 45-46). But
when his belly is opened, there is no daddy inside, rather And there they
found a tomato field in bloom (line 56), symbolizing the harmless
occupation of most Africans;
Washed by streams flowing with palm-tree wine (line 57), representing the
traditional popular African drink; and Hurrah for tomatoes (line 58),
reminding his oppressors that red is the color of blood inside every human
being irrespective of the skin color black or white.

SOME FIGURES OF SPEECH

ONOMATOPOEIA like Slishh, Slashhh and Plonk (Line 52, 53 ,54)
REPITION hurray for tomatoes used all through the poem
SATIRE- this poem ridiculed the stereotypes white men and shamed them to doing
what is right and stopping racism
In the midst of his satire and sarcastic humor, Yambo is able to emphasize his
theme on human dignity and the evils of stereotypes.