Ousmane Sembene
Senegalese novelist and filmmaker often called the father of African cinema. His novels God's Bits of Wood and Xala depicted colonial exploitation and postcolonial corruption with socialist commitment and popular vigor.
Works
- God's Bits of WoodStrike by railroad workers in colonial Senegal confronts racism and exploitation
- XalaSenegalese man experiences sexual dysfunction on his wedding night with existential consequences
- The Money-OrderSatirical novella about a man receiving a bureaucratic money order in Senegal
- The Last of the EmpirePolitical novel exploring Senegalese independence and postcolonial power dynamics
- Black DockerStory of longshoremen in Dakar confronting colonial racism and labor exploitation