Hyena: The Ultimate Symbol of Neocolonialism

Had the title of my post been the definition of hyena it would not be too farfetched. In almost every scene of “Hyenas”, Diop Mambety achieves the frustration and despair that Senegal had to go through after independence. The consequent establishment of neocolonialism was the only option the country had for a decent chance in survival. The unifying theme here is that just like Western intervention Linguere Ramatou offers to liberate the people from their poverty and starvation only under her own terms. Ipso facto, unless her conditions are taken into account, she like the Western world will not rescue the poor starving Senegalese versus perceiving herself (or the Western world) as the source for the state of the Senegalese people.

In the article “Decolonization, Independence, and the Failure of Politics,” on page 163 Keller describes how the African colonies under French conquest were asked if they wanted to adopt independence but did not accept the offer because they were politically and economically too vulnerable. Neocolonialism in a way is giving choices to Africa, that like Ramatou really doesn’t offer solutions rather new ways of being under foreign subordination. In a way,Colobane was a prey to Ramatou’s whims and desires; it happened not to be the resources that the village elder and the professors confirmed Senegal had, and could be tapped into provided they were given a jumpstart. This is to say that Ramatou could represent the Western world’s agenda in colonizing Africa, be it the Cold War framework and superpower relations or valuable African resources, whatever it may be that it needs to achieve its purposes. Also the crumbling of the politics that the Mayor of Colobane had in mind with Dramaan’s election and all represents the idea that in the face of Western opposition, no productive politics can occur in an African country because of the constricts that are forced on the people. Apparently every person in the town of Colobane chose their comfort over justice, their security over morality; Dramaan was killed by the people of Colobane not because they believed he deserved it, but because their needs were more important than his life. The townspeople borrowed from Ramatou to buy goods they could not afford from Dramaan’s store. This credit in reality comes from the World Bank, and the parallel is that African countries were at independence deep in debt to the World Bank because they borrowed more than they could actually afford to pay. The death of Dramaan then was meant to be their only means to retrieving their free-debt status.

I think the last scene infuses Mambety’s beliefs about the political and economic system that now resides in Senegal. Dramaan, quite happily, walks into his death at the hands of the people whom he believes would have to assume the responsibility for murdering him. However the people of Colobane do not look like their normal selves in that last scene. They are dressed in what seems to be potato or rice sacks depicting their ravishness. They have a cold stare, and their hairs all resemble Ramatou’s. They are devoid of any human character and the only point of unity is that they are all hungry and greedy. Just like hyenas, they devour Dramaan who supposedly was the substance of the rags remaining on the dry sand.