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(Grace, Anna, Eliza, Jay)
Context

The real-life 1947 Senegalese railroad strike(6-10)

Ousmane Sembene and the influence of early 20th century socialist thinkers on him (86 - 87)

Role of the CGT in the interaction between France and its colonies (71)

Senegal’s path to independence (book was written in 1960, when Senegal gained independence)

Pan- African Nationalism and how it led to independence (71)

Culture

Ethnic distribution and interaction between Ouolof speaking and Bambara speaking people (100-101)

Mourning process in Bambara-speaking culture in Mali (105-107)

Traditional societal systems of punishment in what is now Mali (91-95)

Conflicting views of the elderly in African and western cultures (8)

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Keith, Dario, Nirnay, and Gabby

Context:

Culture:
- Marriage within the story, as well of the effects of polygamy on the culture

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Context: The effects of French colonization on the daily life in Senegal, and Senegal became independent from France in 1960 (same year the book was published).

Culture: Role of women in Senegal, how religion was involved and impacted daily life in Senegal, and the use of the French language in the Dakar-Niger strike.

Relevant Passages:

Context:
(57-58) “N’deye had turned on them like an avenging fury and cried out in French, ‘Be quiet, you ignorant fools! If you don’t understand, get out!’”

Culture:
(Page 5) Niakoro doesn’t want Ad’jibid’ji to go strike meeting, the role of women was to keep their families in line
Page 67, Ramatoulaye is going to kill the ram and provide food for her family or die trying.
When Ramatoulaye wants to kill the animal she brings religion into the picture, and prioritizes her family over religion (69)
“The toubabs are here because that is the will of God. Strength is a gift of God, and Allah has given it to them” (Page 45)
Using French is seen by many as betraying their native African culture, especially the older generation (5)

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Alana, Matt, Maia, and Solly
Culture:

The value of modesty in GBOW - types of clothing, children wearing clothing (ex. Ad’jibid’ji when the soldiers come (101))

Respect for elders - relationship between Niakoro and Ad’jibid’ji and the generational differences it presents (5)

Feminism and gender roles (Ad’jibid’ji is pressured to assume the standard gender roles of Senegalese women) (5, 97)

Race relations - white French soldiers compared to African railroad workers

Economic inequality in Senegal - seen in houses in Bamako v. Thies v. Dakar, varied clothing among soldiers and workers

Senegal’s physical landscape and resources: how this relates  to the people’s daily lives (Food is scarce, crops don’t grow well)

Religion is important to them and plays a part in their everyday lives (people pray during the day and recite things in Arabic)

Political structure (hierarchy of race. i.e. white people are in charge of everything)

Context:

Sembene’s cinematography influence - when he returned to Senegal after writing GBOW, he realized that many people were illiterate, so he turned to film as another method of conveying his messages

Sembene was a member of the Construction Workers Trade Union, and he witnessed one of the first workers’ strikes in French Africa

How Sembene's fathers origin affected his writing (His father is a fisherman from Dakar)

He was born in Senegal

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Context:
- French occupation of Senegal
- Senegal becomes independent

Culture:
- Religious values of Senegalese
- Cultural difference between men/women, French/Senegalese.
- Language and art in Senegal

Relevant passages:
Context:
Culture: P. 102

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Context:

Historical interactions between the French and the Senegalese.

History of the railway and how it progresses.

The wealth gap between the Senegalese.

The geography and how it affects the people.

The authors life and how it brought him to write the book.

Culture:

How the role of women changes throughout the book.

How the inter workings of the community works.

The economic divide among the social hierarchy.

The wisdom of the old has no affect on the actions of the young.

Disdain of educated women and the causes of it.

The use of language and what the language used indicates.

Relevant passages:
For culture: pg 5, pg 44, pgs 69 vs 74, pg 95,
For context: pg 70

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[Ben; Peter; Laithe; MacKenzie]
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Context: Presumably following the time period the book was written, in the time epoch (decade, precisely) of the author, the societal temperament had improved slightly for the Senegalese, so with this text, perhaps Sembene wanted to remind the people that despite the betterment of the treatment and tolerance of the Natives, still improvements needed to be expedited.

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Culture: How the treatment of women according to the respective condition of the ambiance (French versus Senegalese) impacted the caste of the applicable women (the position of Islam could be an impetus).

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Textual Excerpts of Relevance:

pg 1 - Niakoro is accustomed to a disposition where women have lowly status

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Topics of Research for CONTEXT of GBOW:

Topics of Research for CULTURE of GBOW:

Relevant passages from the text: