French-Manitoban author Pierre Minkala-Ntadi publishes “From Parisian Dream to the Cold of the Prairies” with Editions de la Nouvelle Plume. This work depicts immigrants' adaptation to life in Canada.
Between Brazzaville and Provencher Avenue in Saint-Boniface, Adolphe, a young Congolese, talks about his experiences as a newcomer to Canada.
He is passionate about SAPE (Society of Ambianceurs and Elegant People), a Congolese cultural movement that celebrates elegance and daring clothing, and dreams of leaving his native Congo for adventure in Paris. However, after a tragedy, he finds himself in a refugee camp and then in Manitoba, where he has to trade his elegance for clothes better suited to the cold.
Before, I didn't even understand what winter meant. But those few minutes on Avenue Taché were enough to understand: it was a time of year when I could feel all over my body – from the soles of my feet to my head – the same cold that I only felt temporarily and specifically on my fingers when my mother asked me to take the fish out of the freezer in Brazzaville.
Author's advice
The work's editor, Laurier Gareau, proudly emphasized that it is the first book by an author of African descent to be published by Editions de la Nouvelle Plume.
Pierre Minkala-Ntadi is originally from the Republic of Congo and lives in Manitoba, where he teaches at the University of Saint-Boniface.
Visit to the Salon du Livre fransaskois in Regina to present his book. The author took the opportunity to offer some advice to those who would like to emulate him. The biggest challenge is not writing, but finding your publisher.
It's a long process: write everything down and don't worry about the structure, he advises.
The most important thing is to be able to put your feelings into words, emphasizes Pierre Minkala-Ntadi.