SUGAR MAN AND DELIGHTS OF WHITE WOMEN

(above) Oyono's Houseboy

It must be confessed that it was something of a relief to learn that Aryan Kaganof, Supremo of the movie, Sugar Man had a symbolic message whilst depicting black men as "impotent" whilst faced with the powerful attractions of white prostitutes in his movie.

Indeed the erotic scenes dished out by the white ladies in this movie are very mouth-watering. The women go out of their way to try to galvanise the black clients into action, but they largely fail. This aspect will certainly not go down well with most black viewers, unaware of the "message" from Kaganof, who depicts them in this wise.

The history of African Black writing for decades has shown the black African's fascination with white women. Many memorable works of fiction published by African authors have emphasized this over the years. Ayi Kwei Armah's Fragments is just one of such works (Aimee is the white lady in the book). In Kole Omotosho's The Edifice, a white English lady, Daisy, is the object of interest.

Perhaps the most powrful, tentative description in this wise occurs in Ferdinand Oyono's Houseboy where the young protagonist almost goes crazy after a mere handshake with a white woman:

"I have held the hand of my queen. I felt that I was really alive. From now on my hand is sacred...my hand belongs to my queen whose hair is the colour of ebony...whose skin is pink and white as ivory. A shudder ran through my body at the touch of her tiny moist hand...my life was mingling with hers at the touch of her hand. Her smile is as refreshing as a spring of water. Her look is as warm as a ray from the setting sun"
(from Oyono's Houseboy)

Apparently, virility is taken for granted by black African writers and there is hardly any hint of impotence in the continent's literary works, save occasionally where the man in question is elderly. (In Sugar Man the 'disabled' blacks are young hunks!). The only African work that comes to mind as regards impotence is Sembene Ousmane's Xala, though of course both the man and the young lady in question are blacks.

Here's a thought: What if Aryan Kaganof (considers) turning the movie Sugar Man into a novel? This would better explain (if possible) the motivations and plight of the characters in the movie; though I still believe the author would be hard-pressed to explain the shortcomings of the black characters, no matter how peripheral they might be in the movie. Meanwhile Black African literature blog salutes the earth-shattering performances of Leigh Graves, Deja Bernhardt and Co!!!
- R Khotseng