Mbëkë mi: à l'assaut des vagues de l'Atlantique

by Abasse Ndione, Michel Leiris (Préface)

Mbëkë À l'assaut des vagues de l'Atlantique

Genres: Africa

96 pages, Hardcover

First published August 25, 2008

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short, simple account of about 45 men from Senegal who try to enter Europe, traveling by boat to the Canary Islands. Their different motivations, hopes and fears a realistically described, and the novel gives insight into the experience of African migrants. The literary value of the novel is not remarkable, but the message it contains makes up for the simplistic plot development and character analysis. If there is an English edition (I read a German translation of a French edition), I consider reading parts of it with Middle School students to give them a different perspective on immigration, focusing on the real human stories behind the statistics.

[Vorik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bewegender kleiner Roman über Flucht und Fluchtgründe junger Menschen aus dem Senegal.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sad but poignant. Novelized description of the crazy exodus of Senegalese in search of a future in Europe, which they are willing to attempt at any cost. Ndione takes on a topic far more serious than those he previously broached, and in a far more serious manner. Short, but the man has his finger on the pulse of a perennial concern for Africans: migration.