Summary

The narrator, Tokumisa Nzambe po Mose yamoyindo abotami namboka ya Bakoko, Moses for short, reminisced about his time in an orphanage in Loango and Father Maupelo, the priest who gave him his ridiculously long name. In Lingala, his name meant “Thanks be to God, the black Moses is born on the earth of our ancestors” (2). The children of the orphanage used to look forward to Father Maupelo’s weekend visits. He was a “pocket-sized man” that would teach the children songs and dances and make them forget about the punishments they had been subjected to during the week. Father Maupelo would join in with the dancing, imitating the Pygmies of Zaire. The children would rehearse the moves in their dormitory until the corridor wardens would stop them with their sticks. The six corridor wardens had gotten their position due to their familial relationship...