Congo & Queerness in the diaspora: "Where You Go, I Will Go" by Christina Fonthes - book review
- Shomi Williams
- Jun 13
- 3 min read
“Where You Go, I Will Go” is a debut book by Christina Fonthes that explores queerness, identity, Congolese culture, francophone Africans and gender-based traumas. We read this book in May and spoke to Christina at our event – lots of thoughts arose!
From it’s controversial biblical title to the themes showing cultural and religious rejection of the queer characters, queerness in the Congolese community was explored. Some queer characters were known to the reader as queer while others were closeted in plain sight. It seems that in Congolese spaces, flamboyance and teetering on the edge is welcome, but the open claim of queerness is what causes offence and rejection. This is common amongst many African and non-African groups.
From Congo to Paris to London, we got snippets of how Congolese people integrate into different spaces and how francophone Africans integrate in the West. The growing Congolese community in Tottenham/Seven Sisters was mentioned which was a familiar reference for a few of our members. Christina also mentioned some of the difficulties and isolation faced in this community due to the language barrier that separates them from other black people and Africans in Britain. There’s a distinction between the experience highlighted in Paris, where French is the national language, so Congolese immigrants can move more freely and have access to a wider community of outside of their own.
Like with many black communities all over the diaspora, Christina portrayed church as a haven and cornerstone of the people. While this can present an ideological opposition with queer people, many grow up in these settings and are just as part of the community as others. Some scandalous matters occur in the church and we are forced to examine the authenticity, morality and potential delusion of the churchgoers – because just like in real life, some churches can encourage a cult-like detachment from reality. The comforting and disconcerting sides of religion and church are continuously touched on throughout this book.
I personally loved how the book featured historical events, especially “Rumble In The Jungle” where the term “Ali Bomaye” was coined! This unapologetic heralding of Congo’s vibrance, history and warmth was a nice opening and took us back to a promising time of the past, when all eyes were on Congo. The AIDS crisis is also brought up in the book which is an important part of queer history, due to the stigma and impact it had on this group. Intertwining these historic events with the characters and themes was a great addition to ground the story in the minds of the readers and to provide important historical context.
Our members also appreciated how romantic relationships between black queer people was spotlighted as they remarked that most stories about black queer protagonists involve non-black love interests.
Gender-based violence is a theme in this book so please take this as a trigger warning. The men in this book are... something else! And unfortunately reflects some of the realities experienced by vulnerable women in these communities. The book highlights the importance of sisterhood and how women keep each other safe. It also shows the ways in which women can rebuild their lives and grow a voice, even after going through tragedy. Some of our book clubbers found that the first sexual encounters leading to pregnancy were a bit convenient in the story plot.
Our book clubbers rated this book a strong 4.6 stars out of 5. Have a read and share your thoughts with us!
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