Abdoulaye Sadji
Sadji, Abdoulaye (1910-61). Senegalese novelist. Though first published in the 1950s, Sadji's two novels were written earlier and form part of the first wave of ‘ethnographic’ novels encouraged by the French, who were anxious for ‘horse's mouth’ knowledge of their colony. Sadji's novels, like those of his fellow countryman Socé Diop, provide a detailed account of Senegalese manners and attitudes in the 1930s. Though written mainly for European consumption, Sadji's work is popular with his own people. While in no way openly contesting the colonial enterprise, his novels, both of which have strong moral overtones, are a warning to young Africans against the superficial allure of Western culture. Maimouna, la petite fille noire (1953), which recounts the misadventures of a village girl in Dakar, is a pessimistic version of Socé's Karim, while Nini, mûlatresse de Sénégal (1954) is a condemnation of the Afro-European who despises her African cultural heritage. Sadji has also written Tounka, une légende de la mer (1952), an account of the early days of the Lebou tribe, in which traditional story-telling techniques are blended with Western narrative features to excellent effect.
[Firinne Ni Chréach´in]
