By Mariama Ba.

The novel Une Si Longue Lettre Translated

into English as So Long a Letter was written
by Senegalese Writer Mariama Ba. The text is
a series of reminiscences, some pleasant,
some bitter, of the main character
Ramatoulaye, who has been recently
widowed. A Senegalese school teacher,
mother and wife, Ramatoulaye documents her
experiences, conflicts and disappointments
from the time of her husbands death.
 The text falls under the theme of La condition
Feminine and deals with the experiences that many
women, specifically African women of the 1960s.
Although the text is set in Africa however, its treatment
of women and feminine struggles are not limited to the
African Diaspora but are relevant to all women of all
races, age, class and ethnicity.
 The novel deals with such themes as:
Marriage and Polygamy
Motherhood
Women roles within and outside of the home.
Women as a sex symbol
Education and the changing role of women in
society
Friendship
Cultural diversity and the Impact of Modern-
Western values and practices on traditional
customs and social norms.
Religion
Social class and Expectations
 The themes of marriage and Polygamy are
perhaps the most predominant themes of the
text. In chapter 1, Ramatoulaye informs her
friend Aissatou of the death of her husband
Modou . However, it is in chapter 2 that
Ramatoulaye first mentions her co-epouse,
Binetou, Modous second wife. Throughout the
text Ramatoulaye speaks about polygamy and its
impact on her and her family, the betrayal of
being abandonned and neglected by her
husband and being practically disinherited
Chapter 4-5.
 In chapter 5 Ramatoulaye internalizes what
Modou has done and laments on the fact that
he not only remarried, but that he ceased to
take care of her and their 12 children while
he lavished on his new wife and her family.
Pg.27-29.In her letter to Aissatou,
Ramatoulaye likens herself to those who were
boen blind or paralyzed as she seeks to
makes sense of what has happened to her
and the deep resentment she feels for her
late husband, his family and his new wife.
 In order to examine the issue of polygamy,one
must understand the cultural norms of African
society at that time. Polygamy at that time was
quite entrenched in African society, in fact in was
accepted by most as a cultural norm. In the
novel, we see that though the two friends
Ramatoulaye and Aissatou- reacted differently to
the situation, they had one thing in common,
both women were staunchly in opposition to the
second marriages of their husbands and both
women saw it as an act of betrayal.
 Ramatoulaye recounts the story to us in
chapters 11-12 of how Aissatous mother in
law was responsible for Mawdos marriage to
Petite Nabou, his first cousin. The narrator
describes this action as a malicious attempt
of Tante Nabou- Mawdos mother- who
despised Aissatou because she was
considered to come from a lower class pg.
55-69.
 The two chapters give a detailed account of the great
lengths to which Aissatous mother in law went in
order to put an end to the marriage between Aissatou
and her son. On pp. 64-65, we read of Aissatous to
the remarriage of her husband. In her letter to
Mawdo, Aissatou expresses her refusal to accept the
marriage of her husband, and describes it as ... A
schematic and unacceptable rule of their society
which she refused to accept... Aissatou makes it
clear to her husband that she could not live with him
being married to someone else, that she considered
him a coward and his mother to be vile and
revengeful. At the end of the letter Aissatou informs
her husband that, with nothing but her dignity, she
was leaving.
 In chapter 13, Ramatoulaye speaks of her
own drama which takes place 3 years
afterwards. In her situation, Modou her
husband of 30 years with whom she has 12
children discreetly marries the best friend of
their oldest daughter, Daba, who is 18 years
old. Without her knowledge. pp.70-74.
 On page 72, it is revealed to Ramatoulaye
through the visit of Tamsir, Modous brother,
Mawdo, Aissatous now ex-husband, and the
High Priest of their district, that Modous has
remarried. We see where Modou has has
taken the easy way out and has sent these
three men to relay the message if his recent
nuptials.
 In this monologue, we see the level of
inconsideration for the women affected by
polygamy as Ramatoulaye is thanked for her
years of service ...Modou te remercie. Il dit
que la fatalite decide des etres et des autres.
Dieu lui a destine une deuxieme femme ...
pg. 73 paragraph 2. we see here that
polygamy, my many, and certainly the
proponents of it, consider it to be sanctioned
by God and supported by the religion of
Islam.
 Although the text presents the example of
the two main characters and their
experiences with polygamy, it is important to
note that both experienced and reacted to it
and strikingly different ways. For Mawdo, it
was an act an cowardice to please a
controlling manipulative mother, whereas for
Modou it was a choice.
 Also the manner in which the men dealt with
the situation was also different. Whereas
Mawdo Fall informed his first wife of his
marriage and professed his love for her and
his desire for her to remain with him pg.64,
Modou did the opposite, choosing to marry
his young bride, perhaps in an effort to
reclaim his youth, and abandonned his first
family in order to begin another.
 The womens reaction also differed
tremendously. Aissatou chose to divorce her
husband and seek a life for herself and her
four sons elsewhere, while Ramatoulaye
refused to divorce Modou. Both women
represent the different mentalities of both the
old and the new emerging face of Africa. The
one, accepting and embracing modern or
Western values while the other chose to hold
on to her traditional values and customs.
 In the novel, we see where the role of mother
impacts tremendously on the decision-making of
the two women. Again, the womens manner of
dealing with the situation was different.
Ramatoulaye was concerned about starting over,
after having had 12 children for Modou. Without
a doubt, she was cognizant of the challenges of
remarrying after having had 12 children.
Additionally she worried about the impact this
would have on her children. Partir?
Recommencer a zero?...apres avoir mis au monde
douze enfants...? P. 78 paragraph 3.
 For Aissatou it was a decision which she
made despite the encouragement of others to
do otherwise, to remain with Mawdo for the
sake of her sons. on ne brule pas un arbre
qui porte des fruits.... Des garcons ne
peuvent reussir sans leurs pere pg.64
paragraph 1. although Aissatou was being
discouraged from leaving her husband for the
sake of her children, Aissatou chose to leave
as she believed that this decision was best for
her four boys.
 From chapters 22-25 Ramatoulaye speaks to
the challenges and difficulties which she
faces of raising 12 children of varying ages
on her own. From the early pregnancy of her
middle child Aissatou to the smoking of her
twin girls, Ramatoulaye is forced to find a
balance between traditional values and the
influence of western culture.
 Ramatoulaye mentions on several occasions how
her grandmother had warned her that all
children, even when born of the same parents
were different. While she is dealing with
Aissatous pregnancy and the smoking incident
with the twins, she is questions her role as a
mother and whether or not she had given her
children too much liberty. Pg 154. Ramatoulaye
wonders if perhaps at fault by allowing them to
go out on their own without a chaperone or by
allowing them to wear pants- in other words-
was she neglectful ih her role as mother because
of her acceptance of certain aspects of western
tradition?
 Traditionally, in many African societies
women were seen in terms of their roles of
wives and mothers. Ramatoulaye and
Aissatou however, represented the
emergence of a new class of women. Both
were educated and were poised on the
threshold between the Old and New Africa.
Aissatou was a translator and Ramatoulaye
was a school teacher.
 In chapter 7 Ramatoulaye reminds Aissatou of
their school days and the white headmistress
who wanted them to have futures that were
out of the ordinary, exceptional for African
women. She gives a very vivid description of
the school and the rituals they observed:
evening songs and prayers. The transition of
African society from French Western Africa to
an independent Republic allowed them access
to an education, different customs and
morals.
 And allowed them to appreciate multiple
civilizations without renouncing theirs.
Ramatoulaye reflects on how the principal
believed in the options of the New Africa, in
order to promote the condition of the black
woman. Through the reflections of
Ramatoulaye, Mariama Ba gives us insight
into the social and political condition of
African society and the importance\role of
education as an instrument of social change.
 it is important to note that although both
Ramatoulaye and Aissatou were educated
women, they were still affected by the social
constraints placed on them. in chapter 16
THE reader gets an idea of how women were
treated in a society predominantly dominated
by men. Financial matters, the paying of bills
and fixing things around the house were seen
as a mans domain. Pg.98
 However, by the time we get to page 99, we
see that Ramatoulaye has begun to embrace
her new role, that is, playing the role of both
male and female in her household. je
survivais. Je me debarrasais de ma timidite
pour affronter seule les salles de cinema...
Ramatoulaye has become bold against the
questioning stares of person who think it
strange for a woman of her age to be out in
public without a male companion!
 Mariama Ba uses the novel to describe the
importance of social class and status in Africa
at the time. It was important to maintain very
strict social boundaries and so it was socially
unacceptable for persons of different classes
to marry. It was therefore a surprise when
Mawdo Ba, a descendant of Royal Blood and
a recent graduate from medical school,
decided to marry the daughter of a jeweller.
 Quoi, un Toucouleur qui convole avec une
bijoutiere? Jamais, il namassera argent pg.
40. Aissatou was not considered good
enough for Mawdo and it was for this reason
that his mother plotted to destroy their
marriage, so that the Royal Blood could
return to its source. les enfants de la petite
Nabou, les griots diront eux, en les exaltant:
Le sang est retournes a sa source pg.63
paragraph 3
 The importance of the theme of friendship is
very evident throughout the text. The novel
itself takes the form of a letter that the
narrator is writing to her best friend
informing her of her husbands death. In this
letter, she shares many intimate details of not
only her husbands infidelity and betrayal, but
also everything she went through as a result
of this abandonment.
 Ramatoulaye establishes the longevity of their
friendship from the very first page of the text
when she declares ... Ton existence dans ma
vie nest point par hasard. Nos grands-
meresdont les concession etaient separees
par une tapade echangeaient journellement
des messages. pg.11
On several occasions Ramatoulaye refers to
her as mon amie chapter 4 pg. 26
 And is invoked on pg. 12 as amie, amie,
amie.
On page 38 Ramatoulaye refers to their
friendship as a bond which has become
stronger over time. She shares a myriad of
information with Aissatou which take place
over time in the same way that most women
share intimate details about their lives with
their bff
 Les personnages feminins sont plus
sympathiques a cause de leur role maternel.
Discutez.
Le caractere de la femme traditionnelle est
plus attirant que celui de la femme moderne.
Discutez.
Comment lauteur traite-t-il le theme de la
liberte des femmes dans votre texte?
Examinez le role de la femme comme grand-
mere ou comme objet sexuel.
 La femme dans une societe traditionnelle fait
face a des problemes insolubles. Discutez.
Examinez les rapports entre femme dans le
texte etudie.