THE BLACK BIRD
The opening chapters of the first volume of The Panther with Two Hearts intentionally begin in a contemporary urban setting, allowing readers to fully identify with my two heroines before they are gradually pulled into a plot that is larger than life. This narrative choice felt essential to me because it introduces fantasy through reality before opening the doors to the Alkeb Kingdom and the Alkebworld universe. This is how I personally manage to immerse myself in a new world, and how I come to believe in wizarding schools or wardrobes that open into another realm...
Although this universe is semi-fictional, the Alkeb Kingdom and Intuló being invented territories, my intention has always been to treat the African and Afro-Caribbean cultural inspirations that fuel the work with respect. Through Alkebworld, I want to offer a fantasy that does not caricature these cultures or their spiritualities, but instead seeks to represent them with nuance, dignity, and complexity.
Certain elements in the story may surprise a Western readership, particularly the significant role given to spirituality, clan traditions, or specific family structures unique to certain peoples within this universe. However, these aspects are an integral part of the cultural and philosophical identity of the world I am building. To alter them would be to distort the central message of the work.
THE THEMES EXPLORED
Can love survive violence ?
This question runs through the entire saga and shapes the relationships between many of the characters:
- King YA Kosênde Mamake I, of the second dynasty, and his wife ZA Valnia, known as the Supreme Queen;
- The Dark One and the child she sacrificed out of maternal love;
- Or more recently, Olivia and Valnia, two sisters who are complete opposites, yet connected despite everything.
The other major theme of the story is identity. This is a deeply personal question for me, but also a universal one for many people from diasporas or multicultural backgrounds:
"Am I European? African? Or something in between?"
Like Olivia and Valnia, who are culturally human but biologically Alkeb, I have long felt that I belong to several worlds without fully recognizing myself in just one.
I have lost count of how many times a white person has shouted at me:
"Go back to your country, you dirty black !"
The irony...
My country is Belgium. And when I travel abroad, it is a European passport that I present.
This duality lies at the very heart of the title, The Panther with Two Hearts. It took me many years to finally put this feeling into words. Through this fantasy work, I try to answer it using symbols, allegory, and narrative, through Olivia's doubts, but also through Valnia's psychological torment. Because yes, not knowing where you fit in, or how to define yourself, can become a source of true inner suffering.
I hope that exploring this dense, spiritual, and deeply human universe will capture your attention. Alkebworld is an ambitious project, envisioned and built over many years, which seeks to offer a different vision of French-language fantasy, both in its inspirations and in the themes it addresses.
Now, you know who I am.
I am a bird.
The Black Bird.
A melancholy bird, but proud of its feather.
And Alkebworld... is my song.
ALKEBWORLD
"Where my enemy drowns, I, daughter of the sea, will breathe."
— The Lady of the Tides