L’héritage de Ousmane Sembène, l’écriture au service de l’histoire et de la mémoire: l’exemple des bouts de bois de Dieu

If we associate identity and memory in Francophone Africa, it is oral tradition that prevails. It is the griots or elders who are in charge of this mission. Contemporary researchers have sought to transcribe these oral memories in order to preserve a trace of them today, as important evidence of the identity of African civilisation. Colonisation also made it possible to preserve these memories through literature. African authors began to write in the colonial language, initially developing the historical novel. These helped to awaken national consciousness by clearly documenting historical moments that had actually taken place. Ousmane Sembène’s Les Bouts de bois de Dieu highlights the Senegalese people as a collective actor fighting for their rights. Through history and memory, the national identity is preserved.