Awu's Story

Justine Mintsa is a Gabonese author and, before her retirement in 2016, was an English professor at Omar Bongo University in Libreville. She has also worked in Gabon’s Ministry of Culture and the Arts for sixteen years. In 2012 Mintsa was named advisor to Gabon’s prime minister and head of the Department of Education and Culture. Cheryl Toman is a professor of French, the chair of the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, and the director of the Women’s and Gender Studies Program at Case Western Reserve University. She is the author of Women Writers of Gabon: Literature and Herstory. ThÉrÈse Kuoh-Moukoury is a novelist, journalist, children’s rights advocate, and activist. She is the author of Essential Encounters, making her the first woman novelist of francophone Africa.

Praise for the original French edition:  “Electrifying, striking, and raw, Awu’s Story recounts the realities women face within the family and society in a small village in Gabon. . . . This text incites debate about cultural differences, plunging the reader to the very heart of Gabonese traditions.”-Lire le Monde  “This novel that invites the reader to rethink the very foundation of inherited customs is still very valid today.”-Africultures

• Foreword by ThÉrÈse Kuoh-MoukouryAcknowledgmentsIntroductionPart OnePart TwoPart ThreeNotes