Leaving Ruins

translated from the French by Allen F. RobertsReference to the poetic work of Derek Walcott helps explain the particular attention of three Congolese artists directed to material and moral ruins that bear witness to traumatic experience. Walcott (1992) inscribes violence at the heart of Antillean heritage: “Decimation from the Arawak downwards is the blasted root of Antillean history.” Since the Atlantic and East African slave trades and perhaps before, violence and its management have been at the heart of collective memories of societies of the present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The societies of Congo and of Walcott's Antilles share an ambiguous attitude toward the colonial/slave past. While history is written from others’ perspectives, experience is inscribed in imagination and carried by heritage. Walcott rejects the distinction between imagination and collective memory, and when he writes that “every island is an effort of memory” (1992), he stresses the necessity of memory's permanent effects. Walcott only insists upon the (relative) absence of ruins to underscore the strange nature of history, “which looked over the shoulder of the engraver and, later, the photographer. History can alter the eye and the moving hand to conform a view of itself.” As he would add, “the history of the world, by which of course we mean Europe, is a record of intertribal lacerations, of ethnic cleansings.” Such a gaze has chosen ruins as evidence of the presence/absence of history.2Walcott opposes art to history in a “process of the making of poetry, or what should be called not its ‘making’ but its remaking, the fragmented memory.... Art is this restoration of our shattered history.” In his famous phrasing, “Break a vase, and the love that reassembles the fragments is stronger than that love which took its symmetry for granted when it was whole. The glue that fits the pieces is the sealing of its original shape.” In place of the ruins and heroes designated by the gaze of history, he continues, “I see cabbage palms moving their fronds at sunrise, [and] I think they are reciting Perse.... At least islands not written about but writing themselves!” (Walcoltt 1998:78).3 The voice of the poet “Perse,” having preceded Walcott to the Nobel Prize in Literature, “make[s] out of these foresters and fishermen heraldic men!” (Walcott 1987:217). It is the artist, then, who reveals to the world the experience and patrimony ignored by history: “The past is the sculpture and the present the beads of dew or rain on the forehead of the past.... The process of poetry is one of excavation and of self-discovery.” Seen from the ruins recognized by a local imaginary, “Caribbean literature is not evolving but already shaped. Its proportions are not to be measured by the traveler or the exile, but by its own citizenry and architecture.”4Baloji, Bandoma, and Tsimba—all three artists born after the independence of what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo—have only indirect understanding of the colonial past, and yet it is the past of their “modernity.” They carry in their heritage its incorporated experience and question the history that does not belong to them because it was written from the gaze of elsewhere and refers to the generations of their fathers and grandfathers. The ruins that this gaze designates are not theirs, insofar as the last half-century has left no such experiences that might stand as ruins in future.5 The vestiges of the DRC's Second Republic (1965–1990), during which their fathers were dismissed as nothing but “squatters” in their own land, are only sterile ghosts even as their fathers will never become ancestors. That is, their past is no longer relevant, and their memory, without pertinence to present-day life, obstructs any immediate future, for the Apocalypse is the horizon of collective attention now. In its shadow, imaginary escape to somewhere else can only be a destructive rage fed by exasperation with the nostalgia of the fathers. As Jacques Kimpozo wrote in the Kinshasa newspaper Le Phare of May 13, 2014, “kept at a distance from modern infrastructures (highways, hydroelectric dams, plants producing potable water, ports, airports, hospitals, schools, the market); technological progress in agriculture, animal and of and the have only to escape what they to Kinshasa and the of the or yet is only when from of one ruins as evidence of a past from which to a Walcott who to as his own “the ruins of and the ruins of and by the colonial fragments to as in art history and ruins of As “the is to that his art is this restoration of our shattered (Walcott as they were and not only by but their is the of the world by what is in was born in in and now that from and ruins of from the of the of local The past that these can be that of the of colonial the of in the or the Second Republic when was at his with the in of who are the of as as their a local present with and from as of the born in Kinshasa in from in the of the or from on of that the has been his that who to and are his and that it is his to witness his art to has been in Kinshasa in his of of and that he the and a world any does not to be as it is no ruins of can only to the of a process of of that which is to an and an of of a from is, of from which can be and the The of but not the to the of between and their the of as by a of Congolese and left to this patrimony has not been The that has to the In the of in than has In the that a local the with their and to them the of their and collective In the of his the of of and of a in is the which he of and and are from and he to be a without to particular or the by their and the which he them in his are evidence to the of and collective of his and the of a with the past when were upon of to than upon or ethnic after these the imaginary of Congolese and the of have the ruins of that have their on any such now become these vestiges of patrimony the of the present and the of the fathers to on their of by to the of of this by of their and or during the colonial to the of the in the of an gaze of the of the fathers are by making of them of the place was his in for of is a a of and to the ruins of a to the an with the an for his he to the of a but in the place of In his hand he a of a in the and the an with the the that of the by are by a of and the that the in his gaze of the imaginary of to from the ruins of the past, they have toward a present than their from have of and for in the of local that to the of and fragments of in for the Congolese of escape toward last has particular attention to such of an imaginary that at a present that be and their in his the place by in a of his I have understanding of of in colonial now to the the and their has been by and these have as a from which to As is in from insists on the necessity of over and one is to and generations of the and of the work of such and of the the in the and called that Congolese at the of and and these to the of and and when with and The is is in of and a at of life, but work by a place in the the to ruins and of and the were by the of as the fathers no longer their their were to with the of to out a of a to a at and the these ruins to evidence to such the of for a to the past to a eye is by his its The of gaze attention to particular local The from the world of a local of imagination to which to this present of the work that has and to in the ruins of a future, of the work of in the past he their with the ruins of he the of his that the fathers are to for not to for not the of to as the of than the with their and the that they might have left to their to on this to these fathers have of heritage. the and this between the past and the the the to such between of or that no longer any and the of and helps to his work as a of at its In African an is by a even when the of this Such a or an that is an evidence by what the eye than what might In this the of a a than The for the and the of in a the of a and of the to which it is by the of the The of or that are no longer because they the work of underscore the of without a it to work is nothing but an of of ruins gaze to the of and the to the of his The of these the of an imaginary from the of is to with the of the As he in the of the past, and he with the but the of that he with from their to own can only be as a of the of to a of collective of what The work of between the of imagination and the of the a as of to an to the of of At the of the is a a with and that of the in the a his he his in of as he at the gaze is as as gaze one would from the of who has after having the of is a of of and no one else in to the a slave of the and their his of not to the heritage of his The his refers to the of during colonial as as to of Congolese and a we see in the Such an would be to Congolese for the of the would that of the in the are in a that it for the of the of an is an to his and The colonial of was but because a were this of by the because the of the after it as in he were with the It is to in Congolese this of the as the of for not having the of his or The to the of a in the in the original on the Such writing to the of the even as it the by the upon its In the the in and as as the of the left on his the of the to this to on the the one can the of a that to carry the of the to the of the the left the of an which a no or The on the to the is in and the of the of the is the of but African is the of the in the when were and for is the of the work of this as as the of the which are The as the of that the of modern to the his are with the of as their The is as as their in as they were in a and by the the the In the a of Congolese are of a that one of these In this one can see a in the of an this the of the present the of an is the of the of with a it for that is of the of this but to the of the of what these by or a in hand from the of to “the of the as he for a with of and to and was born and in and his are from this to his experience and of the Congo he the of the of his can be a in as the only with his inscribes in and It is not without to that he is the only one of the three artists who in such a he refers to the generations of his than to of his or the in his of the it to because his ethnic is than with life, he its of on his on a when with the by In during an of African art at the of in was by a as were who been at an and by he that from The to be in the of a to his own work by a than a was a having the of for the and in for generations it been In no art is to the his only to “the when he was a and in his of an in the Congo these with about the of from a of the of to a who from and who by and a to his when upon his a course and the of a to become an the of a of one of his his in the the to the on the of the he was to the having his with to in a of of his he the Congo at and his when he the and a from an of Such that the of or an in of that an would not his in an has not that has a of the imaginary, is the place by the and the between the world of the and that of the by by the ancestors. They are the only who can the past, and and its in such as his for the of and on by and in or The of In the that the the from to the and the by the of by as or in and have with from the and of as as the has a to in have in to and to of the of is an than an but he of to a of and the between and the of one of or an the of any an has and has written about of in the can be to the of is, a and a sculpture or of to from and as as of In is a to of experience by such as a of a or a of from for when only are to the is and to particular and a of not to work is and is or in its While have their are with and are directed to and when it an is at the of a of and of of past of the are by to the and should be the of to but the who the and by pieces of its such a and The when an was by an an of an is by they in the were by to be of to the from the of the at Allen such to be of that a of to past experiences with their on the of his that they a of with which one has that one has that one has and that are to them a to in in to such are in a called that and one from or their a of root upon which has is to of In an of from which a sculpture is its and is witness to a past of which it is a a history, and the place it was an such evidence of the or of and the of who and the for without about their the of the from to the of and to to the of they have been the and that are no longer because they are and are in no in witness to the of who no longer In his a that is of a a for an to in the question the of the who he he the to he to and his As he of his in Art and which was for one of the in Kinshasa by a the of of the and its place in the of are in and their to the and the As with of for is witness to a local or At the the of modern art to to and to to of world “I the of that is, to them or to and I to these in of the world, or the of the world as I would world without of the that he are as without particular that can stand for of a from with a a of on between or in memories to these and their They one think of the but they the of of the In this the of the sculpture the of the memories of the by The of a and in in called that were on the to the of and the of is to and As has “the of is an for the restoration of and to the and to the of sculpture to the of in a these a of the world their moral in a is the of the but the of as by of that have as their The are and not only pieces of and the of to of a and the and the by the his The is the is with a of to that this would a that is and is from In to the a without a at is a of of and in that are a of As a has the who can no longer his As a from Kinshasa in his to about a he in it is see in a in and agriculture, a who in the with to sculpture that has yet to be to the of the The of a from between a is of and is a of the a of the to the of the for this is the of the the of the are to be or from as as the of a that to Kinshasa from The the are and is of who Congolese are by such and moral but the by the of The is the of this are as the of the who to the of the of its and destructive for the to its an the by to in is the of a in is an the of a of about of as the in what was a of the Second Republic to the are to have their to the attention of and to the the took the to the The called upon the to this that it was to and his that in does not to the of but that the to a moral to that would of the such an reassembles fragments of the fragments of their own that of the of an is evidence of an at the of and a particular in the a a to the were as of were the and any of be to an Such be in when of as the of his but in as as of be to in the already in As in the of the of the of a it is to moral and of such The of or of are to from In their the the of an The one to think of the of the of a who has them to the were of the Congo from at least the is such are the of a that are and by their is in the Atlantic and its to of the of between the sculpture of and the as his of an in a for which is the of or his own experience for which he is The of what has reveals a an and a for the of of of or are of this in the present the of on or he was by at the of our attention from the sculpture of a about his of the of his to a work of to no the but upon the that an is and of a between the of the he as a which was in to to for this and them from and the Congolese of in the past and to a but to to The of the of is for one as a that the to in and the of of a The of the is for “the as has written the has become a it is the violence of the of was in Kinshasa to the and view of the one to them and a of The work was to and in the The of this the of the for the of the was the the of a and of a and for the and to of when it was at the in the of Kinshasa one think of the of for an to The and by to a of the of the Such to the of a The to that the will never to that the will be and in and in a world during of DRC's Second Republic that of In Bandoma, born in his in of As to the of was a of the and of is a and of a local Congolese is the of a who has as a in Congolese of are of as is his is and three are which is a in the the as as and the even of is the and of his In and French are a and has a his has in and the a in that their has been of the that and in the Bandoma, on the stresses his at the of in Kinshasa and in and Europe, he has and their with Congolese his experience in of Kinshasa and In his an and world his has and now in has been present in and the a in his a by the he was and to the was his and and the his to the three having been by a of in his and by from the of and at the of of was but in a that as he the of this his in have been by the of Kinshasa as an never to that his with African art he in the in his art history and that to his but he only that his he in a to and that would become an of from by his own from a and, his from a than or does not to have with them the experiences of the and In to from to the of and the has been by French and the In the of the modern his was in the modern world than The can be of In this view of the Congo is by a and the he has have to of as these them ruins a of from the of I not that this is a of or a by the imaginary of on the to of as a for the of of view his as an who is Congolese and from of on for the over the course of a they were by At the heart of bear the as a of without to be While the of a is in the of and are in In for in the called we and in are and the In he and but Le While was an work no its to a after were to be to with an eye to but he pieces share a with by a of in a an in a a and a that the in the in the the in the this as an he in in in the are and their are to the to be in not an of but the of is to in these is by a of upon and of the in or he is by the of of in that and a in its own and I this to to of the and to the that the in place of to the that the to The in this has no to of as has has and has his an a it is on a with by Congolese is called from one Congolese or are the of as any of from a or an from a by it and an with only is that to them by Such have no particular than their to and they to any it is of to the patrimony of with and to the between and sculpture and between in and three In that he of In a he of an and the of a or of from to and which are of and three In the of has the in the is a of the in his left to the are upon and and the three from left to are and and a with an by with a from the of is the of a or with one the one the have only one and a or from a The or in with a in of which are with one and that of a from the that from and with a of the of Kinshasa who from of The of these the of the but the of and The that is that a is only an by of a a in a of the called a by an from is in to the of from the past or the of a by the of the a eye and from the are or perhaps from the and as these have been from the a to be that of an African In the of the in the and a is that the of is of by called and and “The is a a moral a the is a his to their are in and the left hand a and is in an of have the one might with an are no memories of the and of or ancestors. The and that these have been by of in the a by the of an but the of the In one his is upon the of and in the of are from of a history out from or from of from these to the an to memories of and but now out by these out and local memories with to be by from The an a at the in it is by a and the to be from the modern past of the Congo be to its his of the Congo and to his or would have been the heritage of was of the these present as having no with the they to has never or no In a of the Allen F. as that what were and become of and in to and the of the of The the present for Congolese to a of to Bandoma, then, the is the the of ruins of the past will of the present as of in the the the past is only and has it Its ruins are only Congolese artists the of between local and of art as to and that which one a by that of that from history with colonial and and insists on the of our their these share an on that are and The of such by and As has and art to see what we not and to that we In a place and incorporated an even as does that by the is from the of an called a an of The upon and the is the by and in his own by the of of pieces of and and fragments after the of The artists and them to ruins of that can It is from the from an an that they out to and the or upon the that no can to than a their attention to is from their that the by the of is not to the that is the to They share with Congolese the that their collective will As with the now in the of of Art the of such from as has “the of work is to the the past, and the of a for a

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