Tété-Michel Kpomassie
Encyclopedia
Tété-Michel Kpomassie is an explorer and writer from Togo
, and the author of An African in Greenland
.
s in the jungle
when he was surprised by a python
, and fell to the ground. His father believed that his resulting illness could only be cured by consulting the priestess of the python cult
, deep in the forest, and so he was taken, through one long night, into the heart of the snake-infested cult. The cure worked, but the priestess required a payment. Kpomassie must become initiated into the snake cult. This required living for the next seven years in the jungle, among the snakes.
It was at this time, recovering from his illness and waiting to be taken back to the jungle, that Kpomassie found a children's book at the local Jesuit library about Greenland
. Not only did this strange country have no snakes, but it had no trees in which they might hide. He fell immediately in love with the country, and the idea of its native hunters. As soon as he was well, he ran away from home, with the sole idea of somehow reaching Greenland
.
For the next twelve years he traveled, refusing to stay in one place more than six months, and worked his way through the countries of West Africa
, into Europe
, and finally, in the mid-1960s, found a boat to Greenland
. All the while, he taught himself languages through correspondence courses and made an endless number of friends through his skills as a story-teller and natural charm. The story of his adventures in Greenland can be found in his book, published in France
in 1977, An African in Greenland
.
Kpomassie was awarded the Prix Litteraire Francophone International in 1981. In 2003, Leonard Lopate
interviewed Kpomassie on WNYC
for The Leonard Lopate Show. The interview is available to listen to on the radio station's website.
In New York City
, in September 2009, the Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts and Flux Factory organized an exhibition called Arctic Book Club centered on the book, with Kpomassie himself as the guest of honor.
Kpomassie currently lives in Nanterre
, near Paris, France, but continues to regularly visit Greenland
and his native country of Togo
.
An African in Greenland
, trans. James Kirkup
(1981)
Togo
Togo, officially the Togolese Republic , is a country in West Africa bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, on which the capital Lomé is located. Togo covers an area of approximately with a population of approximately...
, and the author of An African in Greenland
An African in Greenland
An African in Greenland is a 1981 book by the Togolese author Tété-Michel Kpomassie.It details his upbringing in Togo, his encounter as a teen with a book about Greenland and his determination to move there and become a hunter. As A...
.
Biography
Kpomassie was born in 1941, in Togo, and received only six years of elementary education. His father, a prominent man in the village, had eight wives and 26 children. When he was a young man, he was collecting coconutCoconut
The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...
s in the jungle
Jungle
A Jungle is an area of land in the tropics overgrown with dense vegetation.The word jungle originates from the Sanskrit word jangala which referred to uncultivated land. Although the Sanskrit word refers to "dry land", it has been suggested that an Anglo-Indian interpretation led to its...
when he was surprised by a python
Python
The Pythonidae, commonly known simply as pythons, from the Greek word python-πυθων, are a family of non-venomous snakes found in Africa, Asia and Australia. Among its members are some of the largest snakes in the world...
, and fell to the ground. His father believed that his resulting illness could only be cured by consulting the priestess of the python cult
Cult
The word cult in current popular usage usually refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre. The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices...
, deep in the forest, and so he was taken, through one long night, into the heart of the snake-infested cult. The cure worked, but the priestess required a payment. Kpomassie must become initiated into the snake cult. This required living for the next seven years in the jungle, among the snakes.
It was at this time, recovering from his illness and waiting to be taken back to the jungle, that Kpomassie found a children's book at the local Jesuit library about Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
. Not only did this strange country have no snakes, but it had no trees in which they might hide. He fell immediately in love with the country, and the idea of its native hunters. As soon as he was well, he ran away from home, with the sole idea of somehow reaching Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
.
For the next twelve years he traveled, refusing to stay in one place more than six months, and worked his way through the countries of West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
, into Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, and finally, in the mid-1960s, found a boat to Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
. All the while, he taught himself languages through correspondence courses and made an endless number of friends through his skills as a story-teller and natural charm. The story of his adventures in Greenland can be found in his book, published in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in 1977, An African in Greenland
An African in Greenland
An African in Greenland is a 1981 book by the Togolese author Tété-Michel Kpomassie.It details his upbringing in Togo, his encounter as a teen with a book about Greenland and his determination to move there and become a hunter. As A...
.
Kpomassie was awarded the Prix Litteraire Francophone International in 1981. In 2003, Leonard Lopate
Leonard Lopate
Leonard Lopate is host of the public radio talk show The Leonard Lopate Show, broadcast on WNYC. He first broadcast on WKCR, the college radio station of Columbia University—where his brother Phillip was a student—then later at WBAI, before ultimately moving to WNYC. -Biography:Lopate came to...
interviewed Kpomassie on WNYC
WNYC
WNYC is a set of call letters shared by a pair of co-owned, non-profit, public radio stations located in New York City.WNYC broadcasts on the AM band at 820 kHz, and WNYC-FM is at 93.9 MHz. Both stations are members of National Public Radio and carry distinct, but similar news/talk programs...
for The Leonard Lopate Show. The interview is available to listen to on the radio station's website.
In New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, in September 2009, the Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts and Flux Factory organized an exhibition called Arctic Book Club centered on the book, with Kpomassie himself as the guest of honor.
Kpomassie currently lives in Nanterre
Nanterre
Nanterre is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located west of the center of Paris.Nanterre is the capital of the Hauts-de-Seine department as well as the seat of the Arrondissement of Nanterre....
, near Paris, France, but continues to regularly visit Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
and his native country of Togo
Togo
Togo, officially the Togolese Republic , is a country in West Africa bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, on which the capital Lomé is located. Togo covers an area of approximately with a population of approximately...
.
Selected bibliography
Africain du Groenland, (1977)An African in Greenland
An African in Greenland
An African in Greenland is a 1981 book by the Togolese author Tété-Michel Kpomassie.It details his upbringing in Togo, his encounter as a teen with a book about Greenland and his determination to move there and become a hunter. As A...
, trans. James Kirkup
James Kirkup
James Falconer Kirkup, FRSL was a prolific English poet, translator and travel writer. He was brought up in South Shields, and educated at South Shields Secondary School and Durham University. He wrote over 30 books, including autobiographies, novels and plays...
(1981)