Waiting for the Wild Beasts to Vote

This is the epic tale of Koyaga, despotic president of the fictional Republic of the Gulf. Narrated by Bingo – poet and chronicler – with the help of his apprentice, the "king's fool" Tiécora, it is a lavish praise-song that nevertheless condemns its hero. In a series of ritual gatherings, Koyaga is being honoured and his exploits recounted, each section introduced and closed by appropriate proverbs: "When words fail, it is through proverbs that we find them again."