African history- railway strike in west French Africa Essay

African history- railway strike in west French Africa - Essay Example 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. 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 s imilar 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 artic le 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