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Impact of colonialism in africa
impacts of colonialism in africa
Impact of colonialism in africa
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The Author of this book is called Sembene Ousmane, and he is a French- African that was born in Senegal. “He is assuredly one of the most prominent figures in African film and literature” (Emory). After World War II was started, he was drafted by the French Army. After the war he returned to France where he joined the French communist party until the independence of Senegal in 1960 (Emory). The Author doesn’t use chapters instead writes the book towards each cities perspective and how they were involved in this book.
The book starts off Ad'jibid'ji, the daughter of Bakayoko, sneaking into the railroad workers meeting in Bamako. Ad’jibid’iji is a very respectful character. She obviously values the opinions and views of her elders while at the same time knowing her own perspective. When Niakoro accuses her of speaking in French she is ashamed. When her grandfather asks her what she thinks of Tiemoko, She lies because she knows her father and family like him. What is interesting about Ad’jibid’iji is that inwardly she is. She listens to Niakoro’s opinions of her place in the clan as a girl but she silently disagrees. I like that she is outwardly respectful but does not let the opinions of others dictate her own. She also uses the fact that she is a harmless little girl to her advantage in pushing through the crowd; not one person stops her or tries to send her home. It seems that as a girl in this more modern world she will be accepted as she is. However, it makes sense that her elders who came from a different time completely think that some of her actions are improper.
The meeting the workers had been concerning the low wage pay and poor treatment from the employers. The workers gathered and hailed a strike “yes we must strike!...
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...cisely this show of determination from those (the wives marching) that the French had dismissed the strike. The women's march causes the French to understand the nature of the willpower that they are facing, and shortly after the French agree to the demands of the strikers. “The news has been confirmed, the strike is over” (Sembene 348).
In conclusion, the book was mostly about the struggle of the Senegal people and how they were being treated unfairly by the railroad companies. People have gone through series of unfortunate events to get to the freedom necessary for life. In this book the people’s need for change conflicted with the management’s desire for unequal rights to continue. Greed had led them to think like this, but the people prevail against all odd so they find independence from oppression.
Works Cited
http://english.emory.edu/Bahri/Sembene.html
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Sembene Ousmane’s novel, “Gods Bits of Wood,” gives a highly detailed story of the railway strike of 1947-48 in French West Africa. It contains conflicts of political, emotional and moral nature. Ultimately, Sembene’s novel is one of empowerment. It brings to light the tension between colonial officials and the African community among the railway men as well as the struggle of the African community to free itself from being subjected to colonial power. Frederick Cooper’s article, “Our Strike: Equality, Anticolonial politics and the 1947-48 Railway Strike in French West Africa,” helps reveal the strike’s true meaning and agenda by analyzing the conflicts present in Sembene’s novel. In fact, it paints a very different picture of the railway strike than Sembene’s novel.
In “Things Fall Apart,” Chinua Achebe incorporates the theme of marginalization. Instead of the typical scenario in canonical works, the focus is on the tribe Umuofia in Africa:
The novel God's Bits of Wood by Sembene Ousmane is an account of the strike Senegalese trainworkers underwent in pursuit of equal benefits and compensation from their French employers. In an effort to coerce the workers into returning to their jobs, the French cut off the water and food supply to the three villages wherein these events transpire: Thies, Dakar, and Bamako. Ousmane's novel explores the way in which these hardships evolve the worker's and their families till the strike is ultimately resolved. Arguably the most significant transformation that takes place is in the role of women within these societies. Prior to the strike, the women were expected to be subservient to their husband, with exclusively domestic roles consisting of cooking, cleaning, and caring for the children. As a result of the strike and the famine that accompanied it, the women were forced to alter their role to provide food for their families. The goals of the men in women differed in that the men were fighting for equality and better pay, whereas the women were fighting a battle for their own and their children's survival. So despite the fact that the declaration of strike and refusal to work until their demands were met was the campaign of the men, it was the women who ultimately forced the Frenchmen to see their resolve and succumb to their demands.
History has been told through various forms for decades. In the past, history was more commonly expressed through word of mouth, but more recently in the past century, through written text. While textbooks and articles give formal information with little to no bias, novels give a completely new perspective from the people who experienced it themselves. The Novels, God’s Bits of Wood, written by Sembene Ousmane, and No Longer at Ease, by Chinua Achebe give a more personal account of the effects of colonization. These two novels tackle the British and French method of colonization. God’s Bits of Wood takes place in the late 1940s and sheds light on the story of the railroad strike in colonial Senegal. The book deals with different ways that the Senegalese and Malians respond to colonialism during that time. No Longer at Ease is set in the 1950s and tells the early story of British colonialism and how the Nigerians responded to colonization. Comparing the two novels, there are obvious similarities and differences in the British and French ways of rule. African authors are able to write these novels in a way that gives a voice to the people that are most commonly silenced during colonialism. This perspective allows readers to understand the negative ways that colonization affects the colonized. Historical fiction like God’s Bits of Wood and No Longer at Ease are good educational tools to shed light on the history and effects of colonization, but they do not provide a completely reliable source for completely factual information.
Schipper, Mineke. "Mother Africa on a Pedestal: The Male Heritage in African Literature and Criticism." Women in African Literature Today. Ed. Eldred Durosimi Jones. Trenton, N.J.: Africa World Press, 1987. 35-53.