GOING AGAINST THE TIDE: WOMEN IN OUSMANE SEMBÈNE'S GOD'S BITS OF WOOD

It is commonly attested that women are downgraded in the first generation of African male-authored novels of the sixties. However, a combination of feminist and Marxist theories as reading grids locates Ousmane Sembène’s God’s Bits of Wood as an exceptionto this rule through its empowerment of the female figure regarding the role played by the latter therein. This essay uncovers how the novelist empowers his female characters in the framework of his masterpiece, demonstrating that females are a force to be reckoned with.