GLOBALIZATION, A RECYCLING OF COLONIALISM: A READING OF OUSMANE SEMBENE’S XALA AND THE LAST OF THE EMPIRE.

Abstract

Through a textual analysis of Sembene Ousmane’s novels, Xala (1976) and The Last of the Empire (1981), the

paper suggests that nation building in Africa generally and Senegal in particular has been hampered by global

ization. Nation building was trumpeted by African nationalists who united the masses to end colonial rule. The

political leaders and the middle class touted nation building. However, after they took up the reins of power

from the colonialists, they not only created an elite class of capitalists, but they also sustained exploitative links

with the former colonial masters, whose only intent is to under develop African nations. These leaders, who

worked in cahoots with the former colonial masters, aped the lifestyle of the former master at the expense of the

masses and the nation. Their practices undermined the sense of nationalism. It is against this backdrop that this

paper will explore globalization and how it challenges and undermines nation-building in African nation-states.