Kanor, Fabienne. Humus. Paris: Gallimard- Continents Noirs, 2006.
For details: http://www.fabiennekanor.net/humus-2006.html
Language: French
In English translation: https://www.upress.virginia.edu/title/5405
Setting: 1774, Atlantic Ocean
Remarks: Reading this book, I felt the gravity of slavery and the acute pain of being female “cargo.” Too, the ventre motif reshaped my understanding of femaleness; not only are women progenitors, they create the conditions for men to succeed. I later encountered Hélène Cixous, who describes the dual creative power of women, that of generation and that of art, but Humus introduced me to the power of the female body. Given its vitality, the female body intimidates men, who in turn try to limit it. Yet, as the women in Humus demonstrate, women are choosing, acting beings who can seize their destiny. Perhaps I am reading existentialism into Humus, and perhaps I am optimistic about making that choice. Nevertheless, Humus has laid the foundation for my feminist and postcolonial thinking.
Keywords: slavery, ventre, women, Middle Passage, self-sacrifice