Senegalese Literature

Question 1

A novella criticizing bureaucratic corruption and highlighting the dignity of ordinary people.

Answer 1

The money order by ousmane sembene

Question 2

Historical novel based on a 1947 railway workers’ strike. Celebrated for its collective protagonist and strong female characters.

Answer 2

God’s Bits of Wood by Ousmane Sembène

Question 3

Epistolary novel exploring female identity, polygamy, and widowhood in Senegalese Muslim society.

Answer 3

So Long a Letter by Mariama Bâ

Question 4

A collection of short stories and folktales that preserve oral traditions and African wisdom.

Answer 4

The Royal Treader by Birago Diop

Question 5

Satirical novel that critiques the manipulative use of religion and public image in politics.

Answer 5

The Beggars’ Strike by Aminata Sow Fall

Question 6

• A feminist pioneer, her writing focuses on women’s struggles in a patriarchal society.
• So Long a Letter is internationally acclaimed and widely studied.

Answer 6

Marima Ba

Question 7

• Known as the “Father of African cinema”, but also a key literary figure.
• His works confront classism, colonialism, and state dysfunction.

Answer 7

Ousmane Sembene

Question 8

One of the first Francophone African women novelists, her satirical works address social and political contradictions.

Answer 8

Aminata Saw Fall

Question 9

Author of Ambiguous Adventure, which explores cultural identity conflict between African tradition and Western education.

Answer 9

Cheikh Hamidou Kane