Page 63 - BB_Textbook

GRADE 12
The inter-cultural literature and films here build on
the teen-to-adult transitional theme for Grade 12 in
this chapter. Topics of happiness, flow, intelligence, perspective, identity, and humanity merge in this chapter’s activities and tasks. And these topics are augmented
by the classic African short story, Caught in the Storm,
and two widely acclaimed films, Bend It Like Beckham
and Frankenstein, that follow. As you work through this Integrative section of the chapter, take notes on the Grade 12 Guiding Questions at the start of this chapter.
Caught in the Storm, Seydou Badian (1954)
Here is a summary of Seydou Badian’s famous novel of love, a generation gap, the transition of a people from colonized to free, and the need for compromise to solve family dilemmas. Two recordings are on the website. One is of the summary below, and the other is of the short novel by Badian.
Step One. Choose to follow one or both readings and recordings. Then respond to these questions:
1. Against the backdrop of change, teenage lives and family lives continue. What qualities in a person are needed to bridge division that arises in times of change?
2. How do you bridge differences among friends and family?
3. Have others helped you find a path of compromise when needed?
Step Two. Pair. Square. Share. Dialogue with your class or with global classroom peers on these questions in the context of the Delta.
Summary
Seydou Badian Kouyate wrote Caught in the Storm in colonized French Sudan (now Mali) in 1954, a time of transition from colony to independent state. Badian was
a prominent public figure. He served in the government, wrote the national anthem, and worked as a physician. But he was also jailed for years by the opposition and then deported to Senegal.
His novel is universal in that many countries, especially post-colonial states, face a “generation gap” that touches on so many choices that individuals and families must make. Dealing with this gap is the central challenge for the two main characters—Old Benfa, the patriarch of
the family, and Kany, his eldest daughter by his first wife. Benfa arranges her marriage to a middle-aged merchant, Famagan, who already has two wives. Yet Kany, who is
highly educated and in love with her classmate Samou, objects.
It does not occur to Benfa to consult his daughter. Following tradition, Benfa has agreed for strategic reasons to marry her off to Famagan. Kany and Samou, however, persist in their hope of being married. Members of the extended family take sides. Many people—wives, siblings, neighbors, sorcerers, soothsayers, healers, teachers, classmates, and elders—are drawn into this collision course of two marital scenarios.
This dilemma is set against the backdrop of great social change in Mali. This family tension and love story are just one quarrel amidst major shifts in state and society. And this is not just in Mali, but also in neighboring Ghana and Nigeria, and not just in urban centers, but also in villages and towns.
A reconciling character, Tieman, emerges. His sense of balance (old and new, village and city, self-interest and national independence) help Kany and Samou with their personal and societal struggle. Tieman and others bridge this generational gap with a compromise scheme. In the end, Kany is allowed to complete her studies, and Famagan decides he cannot wait so long for his third wife, so Benfa is able to dissolve the arranged marriage and save his honor. Peace and happiness reign.
BENDING BAMBOO
IDENTITY | CHAPTER 1 63