Famous comic series 'Aya of Yop City' launched with the theme 'Looking at a Dynamic Africa'
WVR - On the afternoon of April 5, in Hanoi, the French Institute in Vietnam, in collaboration with Kim Dong Publishing House, organized an exchange program and launched the famous comic series "Aya of Yop City" with the theme "Looking at a Dynamic Africa".
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| Author Marguerite Abouet takes a commemorative photo with delegates and audience members attending the program. (Photo: Minh Hang) |
The exchange was attended by the author of the series, Marguerite Abouet; Mr. Eric Soulier, Counselor for Cooperation and Cultural Activities at the French Embassy in Vietnam, and Director of the French Institute in Vietnam (IFV); and researcher Ngo Tu Lap, former Director of the International Francophone Institute (IFI).
In his opening remarks, Mr. Eric Soulier emphasized that the launch of the Aya of Yop City series is not just a publishing event but an opportunity to open a “window” for the Vietnamese public to access a more modern, vibrant, and relatable Africa.
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| Mr. Eric Soulier delivers the opening speech. (Photo: Minh Hang) |
According to him, the work helps dispel long-held stereotypes about Africa while celebrating universal values such as family, love, education, and community bonds.
He also affirmed that with the international success of the series and its complete publication in Vietnamese, this is a significant step in promoting cultural exchange between the African and Asian continents, thereby enhancing understanding and connection between cultures.
Dispelling the stereotype of a "suffering" Africa
At the beginning of the exchange, author Marguerite Abouet shared the motivation that drove her to write. Having moved to Paris at the age of 12, she was astonished by the Westerners' lack of understanding of her homeland. “My classmates kept asking if we slept outside in Africa, if we went to school, if we had cars,” she recalled.
While Africans are well-versed in the West through films and media, the world often only knows Africa through negative images: poverty, war, and disease.
Thus, Aya of Yop City was born as an affirmation of a different reality. It portrays an Africa of modern cities, where young people like Aya aspire to study and become doctors, where youth experience love, ponder the future, and live in tight-knit family and community bonds.
The story is set in the Yopougon neighborhood (affectionately known as Yop) in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, in the late 1970s—a period known as the "Ivorian miracle," full of dynamism and vitality post-independence.
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| Author Marguerite Abouet (center) shares about her creative inspiration. (Photo: Minh Hang) |
Aya – A symbol of universal values
Although the story takes place in a distant country, Aya of Yop City resonates with readers worldwide, having been translated into 18 languages, including Vietnamese.
Author Marguerite asserts that the series carries a universal message: “Everywhere, we share common values of family, love, and education.”
Researcher Ngo Tu Lap, who has passionately introduced the series to Vietnam, shared that he found a strange similarity between the souls of Africans and Vietnamese people.
Vietnamese readers, especially the youth, also see themselves in Aya's pages. At the exchange, the author recounted a young reader's sentiment from Ho Chi Minh City: “In Vietnam, too, families live together across generations, and parents always push their children to study hard to succeed.”
According to the female author, this is the “greatest compliment” she has received, as it proves that Aya's story—though originating from Africa—can authentically reflect the lives and aspirations of young people in many different countries.
Thus, Aya of Yop City not only tells a local story but also opens a broad dialogue space where people recognize deep commonalities that transcend all geographical and cultural differences.
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| Researcher Ngo Tu Lap (far right) expresses his thoughts on the series. (Photo: Minh Hang) |
A skillful collaboration and a deep tribute
The program took a moment to commemorate illustrator Clément Oubrerie, the co-author of the series, who passed away in March. Marguerite revealed the unique creative process between the two.
She could not draw, so she often sketched scripts using round shapes like “potatoes” to outline the space for the characters. To help the illustrator capture the “soul” of Ivory Coast, she took Clément to her homeland, visiting markets, sitting at street bars (called maquis), and dining with locals.
With over 6,000 documentary photos and real-life experiences, Clément authentically recreated Abidjan in detail, turning the Yop neighborhood into a character with its own vitality.
Interestingly, the physical model for the main character Aya was inspired by a magazine photo of Ayaan Hirsi Ali—a Somali-born politician and women's rights activist.
From her distinctive ears to her decisive spirit, Aya has become a powerful, modern feminist icon with a distinctly African essence.
At the program, Marguerite Abouet also emphasized the role of curiosity, reading habits, and personal identity in creating comics, encouraging young people to build their “own universe” instead of following trends. She also highlighted the collaborative spirit between screenwriters and illustrators as a key factor in creating the depth of the work.
Wide cultural impact in France and globally
In France, "Aya of Yop City" is not only a publishing phenomenon with numerous prestigious awards like the First Prize at the Angoulême International Comics Festival but has also entered the language and cultural life.
Many Ivorian slang words (Nouchi) appearing in the series have been widely used by French youth and even included in the famous Larousse dictionary.
The work has also been adapted into an animated film and soon into a long-running series on French national television.
Marguerite proudly shared that this is a victory as, for the first time, a black female protagonist appears on a major television channel, breaking barriers and the hesitance of producers about audience tastes.
From a reader's perspective, Mainetti Wang Li (France), who read the original French version, shared: “This book sometimes has cultural details that make me think to understand better; the way the story is constructed and explained is very tight and engaging. I really recommend everyone to read it. Through the author's sharing, I understand more about the characters and the creative process.”
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| Mainetti Wang Li shares thoughts on the series. (Photo: Minh Hang) |
The Aya of Yop City series, published in Vietnam by Kim Dong Publishing House - Wings Books, consists of 7 volumes, maintaining the spirit of the original, as a result of translation cooperation and copyright exchange with support from the French Institute. Through this, the humanistic values of Francophone literature are brought closer to Vietnamese readers.
Despite a long interruption in the creative journey, Aya's appeal remains enduring. Author Marguerite Abouet revealed she has completed the script for volume 9 and is seeking a new illustrator to continue Clément Oubrerie's legacy.
The exchange program concluded but opened a new door. As the author shared, the familiar feeling when setting foot in Hanoi, from the hot and humid atmosphere to the bustling rhythm of life, reminded her of her own homeland.
Through the work, a vibrant Africa emerges, no longer distant, but becoming a mirror reflecting shared values of family, dreams, and the desire to live—elements that are ever-present in every culture.
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| Author Marguerite Abouet signs for readers at the end of the exchange. (Photo: Minh Hang) |
| Marguerite Abouet was born in the Yopougon neighborhood, Abidjan city, and moved to France at the age of 12. In 2005, she signed a contract for the first volume of Aya of Yop City, which won the first prize at the Angoulême International Comics Festival. She also works in the audiovisual field, contributing to the adaptation and bringing Aya of Yop City to the big screen (nominated for the César Award in 2014), creating the TV series "Life, eh!" aired on A and TV5 Monde/Afrique along with about 40 national African TV channels. She also runs the organization Books for Everyone, which she founded, with the mission of building libraries in neighborhoods to help Africans access books more easily and combat illiteracy. Five libraries have been opened in Abidjan, welcoming over 6,000 children. |
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