Narrating Fatherhood and Masculinities in Senegal: The Case of Naffissatou Diallo in <em>A Dakar Childhood</em>

Abstract

Fatherhood and masculinity are interconnected concepts that define and shape gender systems in Africa. Ideologies of manhood and the place of men in society are deeply rooted in socio-cultural ideologies that give prominence to men in various African communities. Men are valued as decision-makers and breadwinners—providing food and shelter for their families. However, the performativity of masculinity obscures femininity and other gendered subjects, which inadvertently fosters gender hierarchies in Africa. I will focus on Naffisatou Diallo’s autobiography, A Dakar Childhood (1982), where Diallo succinctly depicts the role of father-hood and masculinity in pre-independence Senegal by craftily narrating her father’s role not just in child-raising, but also in the functionality of the family unit. I argue that Diallo’s narration of the father-daughter relationship goes beyond child-rearing to reveal intricate gender division and disparity that shape the stratification of Senegalese society. Being male and masculine is a valued social construct that inevitably functions to delegitimize other gendered subjects like women and children in Senegal.