Aya Life in Yop City is based on the author’s life and experiences growing up in Cote d’Ivoire. This graphic novel was first written in French, and then later translated into English. Marguerite Abouet was inspired by the graphic novel Persepolis and its ability to show the outside world an Iran only few people have seen or experienced. Abouet wanted to do the same thing with her graphic novel, Aya Life in Yop City. Through three female characters in specific- Aya, Adjoua, and Bintou- we get to experience an Africa far different from the Africa we as Americans have constructed in our minds. The preface of this graphic novel states this very fact. “Inarguably, the western world is becoming increasingly aware of the myriad cultures on this massively diverse continent, but swollen-bellied children, machete-wielding janjaweeds, and too many men and women dying of AIDs continue to comprise the majority of visual images that dominate the Western media” (Alisha Grace Chase). So, reading and visually experiencing the Africa that Abouet grew up in, is a wholly new depiction of Africa to many foreign readers, including myself. In Aya Life in Yop City, we see a strong female character trying to escape traditional female roles in the hopes of being a doctor, a woman and her journey as a single mother, and the double- standards that exist between men and women, all while also seeing Africa’s youth enjoying clubbing, dating, and having a more “westernized” perspective regarding sex.
Being a foreign novel, however, certain elements or queues had to be included by the author for her foreign audience. Keeping her audience in mind, and perhaps the lack of cultural knowledge some readers might have, Abouet does a fantastic job making the reader feel both wanted and acknowledged in this piece. From the very beginning, we can note a footnote at the end of the page stating “Friends, check out the glossary at the back of the book for definitions of words we use in the Ivory Coast” (Abouet 15), as seen in the panel above. This footnote instantly feels warm and inviting. The author wants us to know and understand the cultural references in this graphic novel. She is opening the door to her culture and welcoming us in. Not only that but the style in which the narrative is written is inviting as well. Abouet provides us with background information, or context clues, that may seem redundant to a native but are vital for a foreign audience. For example, Abouet uses a play on words with “c series” that may seem funnier to natives if the joke was not as thoroughly explained in the narrative, however, in order for a foreign audience to understand the pun, Abouet needed to provide a detailed context for the joke. Not only is Abouet aware of who her audience is, but it almost seems that she is “hyper-aware” in that the entire graphic novels seems to want to invite and convey a foreign reader into the text and culture, in a very nice and flattering manner.
And just as Abouet does a great job of keeping us in mind. We, her readers, have a responsibility as well. We owe it to Abouet to really focus and absorb the message of Aya Life in Yop City. When I first started reading this graphic novel, I was missing the “bigger picture.” I was just reading the graphic novel and enjoying the story for what it was. For its entertainment value, I suppose. I wasn't noticing the social commentary Abouet was making. Looking back, I now realize the clear agenda Abouet had for Aya Life in Yop City, and I feel as it was my duty to not just recognize her purpose but understand it. To see her culture through her eyes and not the visual images I have been given by my western culture.
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