What is an analysis of God's Bits of Wood?

There is an excellent thorough study guide on the subject of God's Bits of Wood--I have linked it in the citations, and you may wish to look at it for more in-depth information. In brief, though, this novel is a seminal work in the canon of postcolonial literature. Although not Sembene's first novel, it was God's Bits of Woodthat brought the author to the world's attention, as this was one of...

There is an excellent thorough study guide on the subject of God's Bits of Wood--I have linked it in the citations, and you may wish to look at it for more in-depth information. In brief, though, this novel is a seminal work in the canon of postcolonial literature. Although not Sembene's first novel, it was God's Bits of Wood that brought the author to the world's attention, as this was one of the first works to focus upon how colonialism had been responsible for a multitude of sins in Africa. The author followed the success of this novel by writing another that further exposed the political upheaval caused in Senegal by colonialism and its aftermath (Xala, 1973). The Senegalese Sembene is an important twentieth century African novelist, and is a core focus of much post-colonial literary scholarship. Unlike many other writers on this topic, he is writing not from the point of view of a European, but from that of someone who has lived under the system he critiques. 

In terms of plot, God's Bits of Wood focuses on the lives of workers on the Senegalese railway line running between Dakar and Niger, and others who live along the line. The conflict of the plot is based upon a real-life strike which occurred in the late 1940s and caused chaos in the lives of union members, French overseers, and the families of all involved with the railway line.

The decision made by the Sengalese workers to rebel against the French management of the railway is emblematic of a wider struggle in Africa against often-tyrannical overlords. The African workers in the novel understand at first that independence comes at a price, but as their circumstances worsen--they have to survive hunger and hardship, rationing of water by the French, and punishment--they begin to lose their appetite for revolution. The attitude of the French seems to be that, if they wait long enough, they will be able to starve their workers into returning to them. They use their power to control the African workers. 

What we see in the novel, however, is not what the French expect. As the initial leaders of the strike become discouraged, others step up to support them. Women involve themselves in the fight, marching on the city in protest, and ultimately the bravery of the striking workers leads to a victory for them. The tone of the narrative makes it clear that this is not just a victory for these workers, but has wider implications: Africa has suffered under colonialism, and it has only been able to achieve independence again through suffering and heroism in the face of European brutality.