Jacqueline Sorel, disappearance of a memory activist

A young student of modern literature and law, she was recruited in the 1950s as a literary secretary by Pierre Schaeffer: the writer, father of musique concrete and electroacoustic music, was also a radio man. It was he who created Sorafom (Société de radiodiffusion de la France d’outre-mer) in 1955, responsible for assisting African countries in the process of independence in launching their own radio. Jacqueline embarked on this adventure which had a significant variation: Sorafom, a radio program production company, continued after 1960 to record broadcasts intended for African radio stations and changed its name: it is now OCORA (Office of Cooperation radio).

In this context, the show to which Jacqueline attached her name was born: Memory of a continent, appeared in 1969-70. Jacqueline Sorel was then a production associate and was responsible for cultural, literary and historical programs at OCORA. First annexed, as a simple historical commentary, to the production of major dramas on African history, the production of historical knowledge became autonomous when a facilitator was recruited: Ibrahima Baba Kaké, original history professor Guinean. It is 1970, and the objective is thus stated by Jacqueline Sorel : “ It immediately became clear to me that Africans had to take back control of their History. » Objective all the more obvious as the program is recorded then sent to African radio stations, which contribute, suggest topics. Memory of a Continent is launched, offers portraits of great African personalities, invites to his microphone African historians passing through France… “I then played the role of hostess! “, smiles the production manager.

Cooperation with African radio stations is not limited to sending the two star programs of the time: The Masters of Mystery Anthology ; And Memory of a Continent. Audio and written documents are also sent to radio partners to provide them with material conducive to their own productions. Among these elements, Jacqueline Sorel remained very attached to two series: the Places and people of Africa provided elements of geographical or historical information, AgendaAfrica made it possible to produce small daily chronicles on past events. Other cooperative activities included discs made on African authors, on the great epics reported by oral tradition, competitions organized on theater, music, and even the writing of short stories.

Let’s go back to Memory of a Continent : its success was such that on Sundays, on campuses like that of Abidjan in the 1970s, “the student rooms rang out on Sunday evening with the credits » well known, she remembers. From 1979, the show was broadcast on Air Afrique planes and, in exchange, the show’s producers received tickets which allowed them to travel often to Africa, strengthening the link with the academics. Ibrahima Baba Kaké had achieved considerable notoriety; at one point, people criticized Memory to be too focused on West Africa, and another presenter was called to the rescue: the Congolese historian Elikia M’Bokolo. It was he who would replace Ibrahima Baba Kaké after his death in 1994, giving a more academic turn to the show; Baba Kaké was concerned about popularization as widely as possible. Memory has remained a high-profile label, and without a doubt the main reference for the history of Africa on the radio.

Jacqueline Sorel remembers the arrival at RFI of Elikia M’Bokolo: “ As M’Bokolo was very interesting, we also ordered a weekly series of fifteen minutes from him on “LGreat Moments of the Third World “. He was extraordinary! He came alone to the microphone and, as he had asked me to act as his interlocutor, I placed myself behind the glass to listen to him. When the recording started, he would start his stopwatch, tell an episode of the day’s theme without there ever being a repeat – it must be said that he was a teacher – and, when he saw that he was not he only had three minutes left, boom! he was beginning the end. Great art! He had an extraordinary gift for speech and radio, although he was kind enough to acknowledge that it was I who introduced him to radio. In fact, he amazed me! [1] ».

In 1995, Jacqueline Sorel retired from RFI. This is an opportunity for her to engage in writing work that fascinates her. In 1995, his major biography on Léopold Sédar Senghor was published.[2]. Then, she focuses on the overly neglected women of African history: Shadow women and great Royals in the memory of the African continent (published with Simone Pierron Gomis, ed. Présence Africaine, 2004). In 2015, she wrote about Boufflers, a gentleman in the tropics, this knight appointed governor of Saint-Louis in Senegal in the 18th century and whose memory is still alive in the country (ed. L’Harmattan).

Small and frail in appearance, emaciated face with a helmet of white hair when I knew her, Jacqueline had quite prodigious energy, coupled with an communicative good humor. Speaking in a small voice full of joy, her humor was lively and was sometimes used to throw arrows at the funny people in power that she had often come across.

This continent, of which she herself knew nothing at the beginning of the 1970s, became over the decades the object of an immense attachment, and she never stopped serving, in the always modest place that she attributed to itself, the history and, let us say it, the pride of Africans. Some of them had become close friends: the Congolese writer Tchicaya U Tam Si; or, in Senegal, Annette Mbaye d’Erneville, with whom she had a deep bond.

We will not be surprised to learn that, until the last moment, she worked to maintain and promote the intellectual history of Africa. Among her friends, her work of transcribing radio archives into writing commanded admiration: thus she left imposing volumes transcribed from Great Witnesses of History ; and Great voices in writing. The typescripts, sent to a publisher, have remained unpublished to this day, but we must see what they are about: in the 70s, RFI had recorded several vinyl records of these Voice of writing which featured interviews with writers by other writers. A whole era parades there: Senghor, Léon Gontran Damas, Aimé Césaire, Birago Diop, Cheikh Hamidou Kane, Ferdinand Oyono, Tchicaya U Tam Si… And the interviewers were called: Edouard Maunick, Daniel Maximin, Maryse Condé!

Jacqueline, voluntarily self-effacing, but aware of the importance of her work for Africa, embodies an era and a faith in this continent.

[1] JS cited in Jonathan Landau’s master’s thesis, Africa’s past on the radio, Memory of a continent2013

[2] Léopold Sédar Senghor, emotion and reason, ed. Sepia, 1995