“On the other bank … that is where Henri Lopes now rests,” wrote novelist and journalist Nicolas Michel in a beautiful tribute to mark the passing of the celebrated Congolese author. It’s a reference, of course, to Lopes’ 1992 novel Sur l'autre Rive (On the Other Bank).
Indeed, how can we not imagine Lopes as the character Andélé from his 1990 novel Le Chercheur d’Afriques (The Researcher of Africa), who describes himself as a man “born between the waters”. Lopes, born to mixed ancestry, was a writer who never wanted to be confined on one “bank”. His novels depicted a broad and inclusive range of characters.
Identity is a key theme in his work, as is colonisation, its after-effects, and the politics of postcolonial Africa. The novels, driven by a quest for social justice, include meditations on women’s rights, dictatorial regimes, racism and a questioning of certain ancestral traditions. It’s not surprising they are political in nature. Lopes was a teacher turned politician who served as prime minister of Congo-Brazzaville.
