Sembene Ousmane's film, "Xala" (meaning impotence), can be seen as a revolutionary tool. Although his works were originally inspired by the African's struggle for liberation from colonial domination, "Xala" reflects the revolutionary intellectual's protest against corrupt socialist authoritarianism. Everyday events in the lives of the characters,…

Reviews three folktales and a children's novella, "Chike and the River," by the Nigerian author and compares them to his adult short stories. Observes that, aside from differences in scale or degree, the style of his children's stories is basically the same as that of his adult works. (FMW)

Reports on a computerized statistical study of discourse bias and the specificity of female writing against male writing. Examines the characters in 20 novels written by male and female Francophone African authors. Finds a number of significant differences that characterize the make-up of novels by the two sexes. (CFR)

Compares characterization in Western and African novels. Observes that the characters in African novels are principally mediums for exposing the sociopolitical situation. (FMW)