This article looks at the functions of paratexts in three novels by Belgian-Congolese writer In Koli Jean Bofane: Mathématiques congolaises, Congo Inc. Le Testament de Bismarck and La Belle de Casa. An analysis of the title, the image on the cover, the dedication and the epigraph, that these epigraphs constitute real points of junction and transition with the text: by stating and announcing it, they programme its deciphering and anticipate its reception. They also highlight Africa, the writer’s native land, which plays a major role in his writing.
