L'écriture métissée de Marie-Joseph Bonnat dans son journal (1869-1874)

25th October 1570 marks the first stage of their freedom for the four European captives being held prisoner at the confines of Kumansi by Ashanti on a war-path : on this day, indeed, they took possession of writing material. Ramseyer and Kühne, missionnaries, then wrote their journal, with the very tone of the "civilizing mission" which was theirs. Marie-Joseph Bonnat, the French prisoner, also began to write, but this writing act was for him more than the egocentric writing of the chronicle of his misfortunes ; to write meant for him to embark on a spiritual journey ; it was the important event which allowed him to master a new cultural world. Bonnaťs entry into the Ashanti universe can be read through the gradual code-mixig in his language ; his 19th century French undergoes significant changes when it comes into contact with English which he learnt the hard way and particularly with Twi which increasingly became part of him, as he embraced the African way of life. The 20th century reader discovers in Bonnat a precursor of a modern world, which irrisistibly opens itself up to Africa.