God’s Bits of Wood – by Sembène Ousmane

God’s Bits of Wood, written by Sembène Ousmane and first published in 1960, is a powerful novel based on the 1947–1948 railway workers’ strike in colonial French West Africa. The story follows the lives of African railway workers and their families in Dakar, Thiès, and Bamako as they unite in resistance against French colonial exploitation.

Told through a wide cast of characters—both men and women—the novel vividly captures the spirit of solidarity, cultural awakening, and the struggle for dignity in the face of oppression. Sembène, often called the “father of African cinema,” brings his storytelling to life with realism, emotion, and political conviction.