The Collective Voice of Silence: A Critical Study of "La Greve Des Battu" - Tapa blanda

Aminata Sow Fall marks a transition from the autobiography to the novel in African feminine literature. Her first novel Le Revenant (1976), is the first work of fiction written by a sub-Saharan female writer. Her second novel, La Grève des bàttu (1979), gave rise to an era of subversive writing which constitutes the point of separation between masculine and feminine discourse in francophone sub-Saharan literature. Indeed, the female characters in the microcosm of La Grève des bàttu have great courage and dignity. Lolli, Sine, Salla Niang, Sagar Diouf, Dibor and Dieng emerge to find their path and proclaim their voice in the midst of social conflicts. La Grève des bàttu is a towering achievement that set the tone for a new era of African feminine literature.

Born in the Republic of the Congo in Brazzaville, Professor Bruno Wambi received his Ph.D. in Romance Languages (1999) at the University of Missouri in Columbia. He has published in such journals as Bulletin des Bibliothèques de France, Chimères, International Development Research Center Reports, Journal of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), and World Encyclopedia of library and information Services. Francophone literatures, International development, Women studies, and the Dialogue of Cultures are at the heart of his research. He has worked for the University libraries system of the University Marien Ngouabi, in Brazzaville, Congo and taught French in the United States at public and private universities including Georgia College & State University, Monmouth College, Pittsburgh State University, Stephens College, the University of Missouri, and the University of Notre Dame.