Ousmane Sembene

Novelist

Birthday January 1, 1923

Birth Sign Capricorn

Birthplace Ziguinchor, Senegal

DEATH DATE Jun 9, 2007 (84)

#185767 Most Popular

About

Senegalese author and film director whose masterpiece novel, God's Bits of Wood, was inspired by real-life events. His later, politically-themed works include The Last of the Empire and Niiwam and Taaw.

Before Fame

He was drafted into the Senegalese corps of the French Army, and he fought in World War II.

Trivia

He received a prestigious award at the 1979 Moscow International Film Festival.

Family Life

The son of a fisherman, he was raised primarily by his maternal grandmother.

Associated With

He and civil rights leader Dorothy Day were both committed to social change.