The Sembène mss., 1956-2008, consists of the correspondence, photographs, writings, professional files, film scripts, and related material of filmmaker and author Ousmane Sembène.
Born in Ziguinchor on January 1, 1923, Ousmane Sembène worked as a fisherman and docker in Dakar as well as Marseille following his move to France in 1947, when he also became involved in PCF (French Communist Party). His years of experience in this profession inspired his first novel, Le Docker Noir, and his subsequent exposure to the French trade union movement and PCF influenced his cinematic and literary works as well as his political and professional activism. Sembène's career as a filmmaker began in 1963 with the production of Borom Sarret, releasing his first of many films in Wolof in 1968 with Mandabi. In the 1970's, Sembène co-founded and edited Kaddu, the first monthly newspaper entirely in Wolof, cementing his role as an advocate for his native language. Also an active advocate for African filmmakers in the international film community, Sembène co-founded a number of professional organizations, including FEPACI (Pan-African Federation of Film Professionals) and FESPACO (Pan-African Film Festival in Ougadougou or African Film Week), in addition to actively participating in many others. Sembène continued to produce films and write novels until his death in 2007, winning a number of prizes and bringing attention and prestige to Senegalese cinematography. He is survived by his three sons: Alain, Moussa, and Mactar.
