African history- railway strike in west French Africa - Essay Example

? Introduction African nations have a dynamic history in the events of their colonial periods. Respective nations in Africa were under the rule of diverse colonialist nations. For instance, most of the West African nations were colonized by France. Indeed, colonialism brought an enormous gap in the social stratification and general structures of leadership within the African nations. Consequently, the African natives devised techniques and strategies of denouncing the colonial leadership. The chauvinistic colonial leaderships had oppressive impacts on the African natives. In most cases, the colonial regimes had predetermined capitalist interests. Therefore, they exploited Africans for cheap access of resources. West African was under the colonial regime of France. The colonial period in this region had significant historical events that defined the conflicting relationship amongst the French colonialists and the African natives. These significant events were documented by diverse scholars. Ousmane Sembene and Frederick Cooper were key writers that recorded the colonial events in West Africa. Sembene’s and Cooper’s literal productions have both similarities and differences. Similarities As denoted previously, the literal productions by Sembene and Cooper possess significant similarities. These documents are similar through their exploration of conflict and disharmonious interests of the French colonialists and the West Africa natives. Sembene produced his literal record of the colonial events in the form of a novel. He therefore inserts fictional characters and settings of the factual event in the colonial periods of West Africa. Through his text, Sembene explores the major conflict between the colonialists and the West African natives in diverse ways. Sembene defines the ramifications of a previous strike through the flashback of the character Naikoro1. She grieves in pain upon the consideration of her loss of her husband and the disappearance of her son. This flashback by old Naikoro portrays a heated conflict and antagonism that existed between the colonialists and the West African natives2. It is therefore evident that the native Africans had perceived the need for freedom long before the railway strike in 1947. They had premeditated the move of a strike in reference to the existent conflict with the interests of the French regime. In the event of the flashback, Naikoro becomes agitated by Bakayoko’s step-daughter. She had spoken French and Naikoro was irritated by this fact3. This tendency demonstrated by the character represented the resentment that native Africans had against the French regime. Cooper also demonstrated the conflict amongst the larger groups of West African natives and the French colonialists. Cooper produced an analysis of the events in colonial and post-colonial West Africa. His literal record of the events is factual and non-fictional. This article gives a comprehensive account and analysis of the events of the railway strike. It also factors in the eventualities of the railway strike in 1947. Cooper defines the strike as a result of the strong integration amongst the African communities4. The railway strike lasted for approximately five months and it was planned from the community level amongst the West African natives. This article therefore defines the West African communities as cohesive for the purpose of freedom attainment. Members of diverse communities reached a concrete agreement of paralyzing the railway operations. Therefore, this is an evident reflection of conflict and antagonism amongst the African natives and the French regime. The conflict is defined through the premeditation of West African communities to launch a railway strike in the quest for equality and freedom5. Sembene and Cooper present a growing trend of the rivalry between the French colonialists and the West African natives. They are in a conflict that tends to grow in the progression of time. This is a tendency that is described by both writers within their productions. Sembene has an artistic manner of presenting this fact through his novel. He uses his fictional and literary representation in the exploration of the accelerating rate of conflict and rivalry. Sembene defines the ramifications of the battle after the railway strike. The battle has extreme and severe consequences on the West African natives6. In chapter three and four, the novelist explores the events that are consequent to the railway strike. In the strike, seven workers were killed during their quest for equality and freedom. The novelist also defines the growing rivalry through the tribulations of the fictional character Maimouna. She had lost her second twin during the battle. Maimouna does not realize that the body of her child was taken away with the other dead bodies7. This induces a subconscious rivalry attributed to the French dominance in West Africa. Maimouna is left with a wound against the existent social structure in the country. Despite of the explosive battle, Dejean who was a French railway manager assures his superiors of future prospects8. He argued that he will oversee the matter and curb the railway strike. Evidently, the novel defines the rivalry and conflict as a growing phenomenon. This perspective is also evident in the article by Frederick Cooper. Frederick Cooper explores the conflict as a growing phenomenon through his arguments in the article. The article is factual and non-fictional in the insights it develops regarding the events of the railway strike in West Africa. The battle was within the workplace context, but the general objective went beyond the workforce issues9. Ideas originated with the intension of combating the French dominant government structure. However, the attainment of the premeditated objective was to be through the revolution against the railway workforce structure. Therefore, the progression of the battle demonstrated a developing trend due to the national interest of attaining independence. According to Cooper, the battle and conflict was ongoing after the railway strike due to the quest for national independence10. Evidently, Sembene and Cooper demonstrate the conflict between the West Africans and the French governance as a continuing and growing phenomenon. Differences Despite of the substantial similarities between Cooper’s and Sembene’s productions, they are as well significant differences. The definition and exploration of the railway strike in West Africa during the period between 1947 and 1948 in the literal productions differ substantially. Differences amongst the two literal productions are mainly attributable to their diversified natures of composition. Sembene produced a fictional and artistic account of the historical event in West Africa. Cooper takes a different strategy of exploring the happenings of the railway strike in West Africa during 1947 and 1948. Cooper’s article is non-fictional, and it features actual events that occurred in West Africa during the period of the railway strike. Therefore, Cooper produces a factual account of the historical events. The diversity in the forms of writing of the different literal productions is a key factor in the differences that arise. There is an observable difference in the way Cooper and Sembene reflects the political relationships within the political parties and the union. According to Cooper, the political parties had an uneasy relationship in the events of the railway strike in West Africa. He also defines the disharmonious relationship within the structure of the union. Cooper asserts that the individual constituents of the political parties and the union were in constant conflict and disagreement11. The fictional novel about the events of the railway strike produced by Sembene has a different view. This novel reflects the political parties and the union as harmonious groups. For example, Sembene defines Bakayoko as an admirable party leader. In this regard, he orders for calm through instructing his people through the co-leaders he had in the party. He orders Doudou and Lahbib to instruct no farther action by the people12. Definitely, this arrangement would not come to accomplishment if the party structure was experiencing conflicts. Through the affirmation of Dejean to his superiors, Sembene also reflects the union as a harmonious structure. As a manager of the railway, Dejean assures his superiors to resolve the minor conflict through the use of the major portion of individuals within the union13. Sembene therefore reflects political parties and the union as relatively harmonious. Cooper portrays the African block as a unitary group of people with a similar agenda against the French colonial regime14. He defines the antagonistic relations amongst the West African natives and the French colonialists. In this case, Africans are reflected as a cohesive group that does not suffer from individual diversities. Cooper only outlines the overall and general strategy of West African natives against the French regime. However, Sembene explores internal diversities amongst the West African natives. For example, N’Deye Touti is a fictional character that receives intense criticism and mockery from fellow African women15. She is ridiculed due to her literacy and knowledge of French ideologies and culture. Therefore, there is a perspective difference towards the groups by the two literary forms. Conclusion African nations were under the rule of colonial authorities for a long time in history. West African nations were subject to the rule of French colonialists until the attainment of independence. The railway strike in West Africa oversaw the attainment of freedom and independence in the nations. Their quest for labor equality resulted to the attainment of independence within the West African nations. This promoted the spirit of nationalism within the nations. However, there are consequent happenings such as post-colonialism of the nations that attribute to the French dominance. The post-colonialism is perceived through the French educational curriculum and the speech of French as an official language in West Africa. Sembene and Cooper give an account of the railway strike in West Africa. They show differences and similarities in the explanation of the railway strike. Bibliography Ousmane, Sembene, and Francis Price. 1998. God's bits of wood. Oxford: Heinemann. Cooper, Frederick. “Our Strike: Equality, Anticolonial Politics and the 1947-48 Railway Strike in French West Africa.” The Journal of African History. 1996. Read More