Books from Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)

In The Blind Kingdom, Véronique Tadjo imagines a society thrown into chaos when a devastating natural disaster shakes the land and an epidemic of blindness takes hold. As the kingdom struggles to survive, its people face fear, uncertainty, and the collapse of the structures that once held their world together. Yet the crisis exposes more than physical suffering: it reveals the moral blindness of those in power and the indifference of a ruler who remains detached from the misery of his subjects. At the centre of the story is a tyrannical king whose obsession with authority prevents him from recognising the suffering around him. His daughter, however, begins to question the kingdom’s injustice and becomes drawn to a man seeking to save the country from oppression. Through this allegorical tale, Tadjo explores dictatorship, social inequality, and the dangers of political leaders who refuse to see the realities faced by ordinary people. Blending novelistic storytelling with poetic and symbolic elements, Tadjo creates a powerful reflection on a society approaching collapse. Although rooted in the political realities of Côte d’Ivoire and wider African experiences, the novel’s themes of authoritarianism, resistance, and collective responsibility resonate far beyond its setting.