Dakar (Chapter 4-6)
Mai Truong, Quan Lam, Ayesha Haroon, Alex
Yastremskiy
Summary- DAKAR: DaoudaBeaugosse
 Beaugosse – a handsome man, he is on strike. There is
something of him against Bakayoko and having a rough time
with N’Deye Touti
 Ramatoulaye went to Hadrame the Moor’s shop to ask for
some rice, but the government forbid all kinds of
foods/materials providing to any sympathizers of the strike.
 Ramatoulaye encountered her brother, who supported the
government. She asked him for some help, but he denied it.
Ramatoulaye was angry and announced that she would never
talk to him again.
 The government also cut the water sources of the people on
strike.
 Mama Sofi is Deune’s first wife, second wife is Bineta.
 Mama Sofi named the new born baby of the village Strike.
DAKAR: Houdia M’baye
 The children in village are so hungry that they start eating
dirt
 Houdia M’baye is a widow, her husband Badiane died in the
first strike
 Houdia M’baye does not have enough milk to feed her baby.
 The water carrier offered water for Five pieces of five francs
each.
 Mama Sofi came in and took the man to pour water into the
Jar.
 She said if he believes in God he should let me pay the
money later
 He was angry and demanding to get the money right away
 Mama Sofi and Bineta had a fight with the man, the water
carrier ran away while cursing on the village.
 Ramatoulaye brought back milk and other foods for the
village.
DAKAR: Houdia M’baye (cont.)
 N’Deye Touti is a young woman who is educated
 Read a lot of foreign book
 At the same time, look down on her people and their
culture
 She helps people in the village to write forms and letters
 People think she is pretty and better be with Beaugosse.
 She admires and desires Bakayoko, but the man is
married
 She is against polygamy, so she is unsure about
marrying Bakayoko.
 Beaugosse likes N’Deye Touti but frustrated with her
going back and forth with emotions.
Dakar: Ramatoulaye
 The ram Vendredi ate the rice
 Ramatoulaye wrestled with the ram. Bineta got the knife
and stab the ram.
 The ram belonged to Ramatoulaye’s brother.
 Used the ram to feed the family
 Her brother called police to arrest her
 She refused to give him the meat
Indolent (in·do·lent)
 [in-dl-uhnt]
 Adjective
 1.a. Disinclined to exert oneself; habitually lazy. See
Synonyms at lazy.
 b. Conducive to inactivity or laziness; lethargic: humid,
indolent weather.
 2.a. Causing little or no pain: an indolent tumor.
 b. Slow to heal, grow, or develop; inactive: an indolent
ulcer.
 P. 51 “Indolently, the cat strolled off, its yellow eyes
flickering over the brood of children coming into the
courtyard.”
 Sentence- Indolently, I walked over my bed, planning to
take a nap instead of doing homework.
Asphyxiate (as·phyx·i·ate)
 [as-fik-see-eyt]
 Verb (used with object)
 1.to produce asphyxia in.
 2.to cause to die or lose consciousness by impairing nor
malbreathing, as by gas or other noxious agents; choke;
suffocate; smother.
 P.35 “And, Deune, tonight you are going to leave those
sandals outside. You’ll asphyxiate us.”
 Everyday, after lunch as I walk pass the boy’s bathroom,
the stench of the cigarette asphyxiate me.
Imperceptible im·per·cep·ti·ble
 [im-per-sep-tuh-buhl]
 Adjective
 1. Impossible or difficult to perceive by the mind or
senses: an imperceptible drop in temperature.
 2. So subtle, slight, or gradual as to be barely
perceptible: an imperceptible nod.
 P.44 “Ramatoulaye stared at him, thrusting out her
tattooed lower lip imperceptibly.”
 When the stranger enter the house, the new born puppy,
hid behind his mother imperceptibly, leaving his eyes
unhidden so he can have a glimpse of the person.
Precipitately
 Adjective
 1. Moving rapidly and heedlessly; speeding headlong.
 2. Acting with or marked by excessive haste and lack of
due deliberation. See Synonyms at impetuous, reckless.
 3. Occurring suddenly or unexpectedly.
 P. 56 “ From all the neighboring courtyards men and
women came running to help, and the Toucouleur fled
precipitately, leaving to the victorious women not only
the water brut is undershirt and the tin jug.”
 After sitting at my computer for hours, I realized that it
was 1am so I decided to do my homework in a
precipitated manner that my essay no longer made
sense.
Women in Senegal/West Africa
 Marry at a young age (around 16)
 20% undergo Female Genital Mutation
 Most do not have educational opportunities
 Cannot Own Land
 Average birth rate is 5.7 (7 in 1995)
 About half live in a polygynous unions
 Analysis- Women are not treated as equal as men.
Women marry at a young age and reproduce about 6
child per person.
Women in Senegal (Laws)
 The Constitution of Senegal states that "men and
women shall be equal in law“
 However there are still discrimination against women
 Laws do not work efficiently in rural areas
 Law and Society view rape as a serious crime (protect
women)
 Analysis- Women have some rights, but laws still
discriminate against women, mostly in less urban areas.
Women roles before Strikes
(Senegal/West Africa)
 Do bulk of farm work
 Provide livelihood of their families
 (cannot own land)
 *Shows domestic role of a woman is that it is their
responsibility to keep a balance in the home, whereas
men are to go out, work and provide the money to take
care of their family.
Women During the Strike
 P. 44 “The men have not consulted their women, and it
is not the task of the women to urge them to go back.
They are men, and they know what they are doing. But
the women must still eat, and the children, too…”

Ramatoulaye goes begging for food when her family is starving.
 Analysis- In this section, it shows how women have
another role since the men are on strike. The women
cannot tell the men to stop the strike, and the men are
not bringing home money for food. They do not have as
much money as before, the women have to go beg for
the food because even though there is a strike, they still
need to eat. Women have to get the ingredients, and
cook. Before the strike, men bring back money and the
women buy the food necessary for their meal.
Women During the Strike #2
 P. 69 “I knew that God was with me,’ Ramatoulaye said, ‘and I knew
that it is possible to die of hunger, and that Houdia M’baye had no
more milk. God knows all of these things, too… I told my brother
Mabigue this morning that I would Kill Vendredi, but God is my
witness that it is not because of that I did it. It was because we
were hungry- we were all too hungry for it to go on. The men know
it, too, but they go away in the morning and don’t come back until
the night has come and they do not see…Being the head of a family
is a heavy burden- too heavy for a woman. We must have help.”
 The women and children are starving. In this section, Ramatoulaye
wrestles a ram to provide food for her family. We can see that as
the men are away, the women are in charge in the house-hold. The
women become more “independent” (the can provide for
themselves). They became stronger, not physically but mentally.
They learn to not depend on men as much, but to use their strength
and do whatever they can to feed their family. We can see the
gender-role changes in this, instead of seeing a women as weak,
and taking care of kids, we can see strong women wrestling rams.