Bakayoko

Bakayoko, whose reputation is built throughout the book, does not make his first appearance until chapter 15. Enven though we haven't heard him talk directly, the people's opinion make us have a great respect for him. He was one of the main leaders of the strike; he went from city to city giving speeches and helping the oppressed workers. It is said that he is a man “(…) whose shadow reached into every house, touching every object. His words and his ideas were everywhere, and even his name filled the air like an echo” (p. 64). Some people even argue an suggest that he may be the hero of the novel. When Bakayoko makes his first appearance on chapter 15, he does the let down the readers. He lives up to the readers’ expectations and thus far appears to be the same man people had been talking about since the beginning of the story. He is an intelligent man who weighs the consequences and takes everything into consideration before making any sort of decision. Ousmane Sembene portrays him as something even better than a hero, whereas one of the main characteristics of heroes is that they are all defined by their hubris, Bakayoko seems like a down-to-earth, humble, people’s person. In the novel he is portrayed as an almost flawless man.