Xala Paperback – August 1, 1997

I had to purchase this book for a class, but I was surprised to discover how much I enjoyed reading it. It's a fairly short book, and a quick read, but it's also an enjoyable tale. I will admit that it has some very post-colonial ideals embedded in the narrative about economic freedom, but that isn't so overwhelming as to turn the story into a parable.

A very short novel full of quotidian detail, easy to visualize, perfectly engaging. Characters pull you in immediately. Humor/satire but not only. A grand development of plot. Provides insight into Dakar culture, domestic relationships, with some historical atmosphere. For those who are living in Dakar, highly recommended. Sembene is considered a master.

Sembene writes a compelling story about the problems of double patriarchy and blending the new and old. A short read, but an amazing one. Every part has a purpose and all the characters have depth and purpose in the story. Much better than the film representation and overall fantastic.

This is the story of a middle class, middle-aged Muslim businessman with two wives and 11 children who decides to marry a third woman who is barely out of her teens. On the night of their lavish wedding, he can’t perform, and his life spirals out of control from there. He becomes obsessed with finding a “cure,” seeking any and all help regardless of the cost to him or his family. In the end, the story was less about the main character’s sexual impotence (“xala”) that drives him to the brink of ruin than about his broader impotence over everything in his life — his business, his relationships, his wealth, etc. His efforts to regain his bedroom prowess are really a metaphor for reestablishing any sense of control at all. I dropped a couple of stars from my review because of a bizarre closing sequence (no spoilers here) that were a complete tonal shift from the rest of the story’s comic pathos to something completely surreal — Monty Python meets Salvador Dali. It’s possible I missed a deeper meaning in there, in which case I welcome others readers’ explanations.

I had to buy this short, satirical piece in college when I took an African literature class. I remember being irritated that a 110 page book was almost half that number in price. But that was college bookstores for you. So I swallowed my distaste for the price, bought it, and fully intended on returning it. I didn't. I read it with vigor then, and I read it with vigor now. Xala, pronounced "hala," is a beautifully written, hilariously engaging story that doesn't hold back despite being written in the 70s.El Hadji Abdou Kader Beye, or El Hadji for short, is a black Muslim living the "high life" of business practices in Francophone Africa. The story begins with El Hadji celebrating his latest business achievement with his coworkers while also celebrating the fact that he is about to be wed to a beautiful young woman who will become his third wife. His first two wives, one who is deeply religious and has a father tied to the original feelings of African roots, and one who is used to being the favorite and is quite promiscuous in their relationship, are obviously not too thrilled with the idea, but suffer it peacefully. When the wedding festivities are over, El Hadji finds himself stricken by the xala, or impotence. He cannot consummate the marriage! The following story details El Hadji's desperate attempts to cure himself using non-traditional and traditional means while precariously balancing his wives's lifestyles and all the while bleeding his business account dry.The story is a contest between "old" African and colonized Africa. Between the "forward" progress of businessmen and industrial commerce and the more traditional laborer mentality of tribalism and helping one's family and village. Between the beggars in the streets and the wealthy elite. Between being African and putting on a suit and tie and "pretending" to be European. About being a man for your country or a man for the system. With all these heavy handed remarks, the story should be serious, but it isn't until the very end, where the satire fails and the allegory is revealed as being the dangerous thing it is.A great read that is witty, entertaining, and simultaneously appalling when it comes to understanding the full context of the situation of the mentalities and strenuous differences in class and culture in colonized Africa. Maybe not worth $45 from a college bookstore just based on the weight of the paper alone, but Amazon.com will hook you up.

My partner read this book over ten years ago for a Cultural Studies class, and it joined our shared bookshelf shortly afterwards. I had been curious about it. The color and the cover appealed to me. I read the description on the back cover, but I never read the book until recently. What a shame. I enjoyed this book so much.Xala is Wolof for “temporary sexual impotence.” The main character in this book is El Hadji Abdoukader Beye. He is about to marry his third wife, but he discovers on the night of the wedding that he has been... inflicted... with the xala. He becomes set on finding out who cursed him with the xala and finding a way to have the curse removed. He is so focused on this that he doesn’t notice other important things happening in his life.I loved the author’s writing style. I found it to be funny and a bit ahead of its time. The characters were interesting. The story was important because it focused on so much more than the xala, such as family, wealth, and class.

and I was not impressed by it. The depth of the issues was not tackled in a deep soul seaching way. Much as the movie was done more that 20 years ago, the issues are the same today. It is sad that in such a polygamist setting the voices of the women was not actually heard effectively. The Male character was not given a chance to develop and give a good justfication for taking a second wife or even a third wife, instead it was just presented as greed... simple selfish greed, which i found utterly simplistic and patronizing. I am sure there is more to this story than that. Its nevertheless kind of refreshing.