Country Information
Republic of Senegal is located in Western Africa. It is slightly smaller than South Dakota. Senegal surrounds Gambia on three sides and is bordered on the north by the Atlantic Ocean and Mauritania, on the east by Mali, and on the south by Guinea and Guinea-Bissau. 44 percent of the population are Wolof. Other principal ethnic groups are the Fulani, Tukulor, Serer, Jola, and Malinke. About 92 percent of the population are Sunni Muslim. About 2 percent are Christian (mostly Roman Catholic), and 6 percent follow indigenous beliefs. French is the official language. Almost half of the population also speaks Wolof, the most widely understood of the African languages, but Pulaar, Jola, and Mandingo are also spoken. Senegal is a constitutional republic under a multiparty democracy.
The spread of Islam and French expansionism occurred simultaneously during the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries; these two forces shaped modern Senegal. Senegal came to serve as the beachhead for France's conquest of a colonial empire in Africa. The country's largest city and capital, Dakar, is the setting in the film
The Little Girl Who Sold the Sun
. Its population, according to the 2003 estimate, is 2,476,400 people. Dakar served as the capital and the commercial center of colonial French West Africa. Citizens of Senegal were the first Africans to gain French citizenship rights, and the African nation has maintained close ties to France since independence in 1960. The name "Senegal" probably derives from "Zenaga" – the Zenaga Berbers – peoples from North Africa.
Education is officially compulsory for all children between the ages of 6 and 12, but the official data shows that hardly 50 percent of school-age children attend school. Therefore, the literacy rate of the country's population (age 15 and over who can read and write) is quite low: about 40 percent, according to the 2003 estimate.
The northern part of Senegal is part of the Sahel, a transition zone between the Sahara desert on the north and the wetter regions to the south. Vegetation toward the south consists mainly of savanna grass with scattered clumps of trees and spiny shrubs. Farther south, near the Gambia river, trees are more common. Primary economic activity in Senegal is agriculture, as well as roundwood production, fishing, phosphate mining, and manufacturing. Primary crops include peanuts, millet, corn, sorghum, rice, cotton, tomatoes, green vegetables, and livestock.
Today Senegal faces challenges common to many African countries, such as economic stagnation. The film
The Little Girl Who Sold the Sun
observes street life poverty. It claims to be a hymn to all children who demonstrate courage and hard work on the streets of Dakar. However, Senegal continues to serve as an intellectual and cultural center in French-speaking Africa. Its relative stability and political openness offer the hope that Senegal might once again lead Africa in building a democratic and economically secure society.
Plot Summary
The Little Girl Who Sold the Sun
(La Petite vendeuse de soleil)
(1999)
Directed by Djibril Diop Mambety; Runtime 45 minutes; In Wolof, with English subtitles
Sili, a young handicapped teenage kid, decides to hit the streets and sell newspapers ("The Sun" is the name of a newspaper) to make ends meet. The other newspaper boys don't like her moving on their territory and give her a hard time. In spite of that, Sili continues working. By that she proves that a girl also can be a support in the family.
Theme of Responsibility
There is more to say about this appealing movie. The central theme deals with the responsibility this girl feels towards her blind grandmother who may be the only member of her family. Sili speaks with great tenderness about her, introducing her as a close person and teacher. It was her blind grandmother who has taught Sili to tell stories and sing. So, Sili being a child on crutches goes to the city of Dakar to earn some money to provide for her family.
There is another teenager who acts as a responsible character; he stands up for Sili in dangerous situations, as she is confronted and terrorized by the newspaper boys. His loyalty and audacity wins Sili's trust, and she is willing to make friends with him.
Sili's determination to make money and courage are worth admiration. When she comes to ask for a job as a newspaper seller she is met with suspicion because she is a girl. But she pronounces the key phrase of the film: "What boys do girls can do too!" And she gets the job. When she finally manages to earn money like any child she happily celebrates her success with her friends.
Throughout the movie we observe Sili's firm desire to be useful and helpful to her grandmother. The girl does not stop selling newspapers even when there are life-threatening circumstances. Her honesty, compassion, and fearless attitude also help another street woman wrongly accused of a theft. Sili speaks for her and she is let out of the police station.
I view this touching story as a powerful tool to help our elementary students obtain the concept of responsibility. Besides, the film tells about a serious issue - challenges street kids experience today in some countries – in a simple manner appropriate for the students' language. It is precise, short, and teachable. It provides a lot of opportunities for discussion. Students may easily sympathize with Sili because of her age and handicap. Needless to say, the film also introduces children to an absolutely different environment where other kids of their age live through poverty and severe hardships. It helps us teach students about the world, and global problems we have in the world today.
