Daouda LOUM, Diome FAYE  & Ndeye Fatou DIOUF

Abstract

Abstract : In Benito Cereno (1855), a story of slaves revolt set on sea, Herman Melville typifies various social facts related to late eighteenth-century Senegal, particularly the atmosphere in the Kajoor kingdom. Through the characters, Babo and Atufal, and their respective roles in the mutiny, Melville personifies the geographical and historical realities in Kajoor under the influence of Islam and the hegemony of Lat-Soukabe Fall and the Geudj dynasty. The leadership of the two Senegalese figures and its impacts highlight the threatening administrative organization in Kajoor marked by the alliance between the aristocracy, religious figures, and the Jammi Buur. From Melville’s perspective, that collaboration, in the same way as the Senegalese duo, weakens the colonial power and influence, and constitutes the wind announcing movements toward decolonization. In rendering the strategies of Babo and Atufal in the mutiny on board, Melville reflects the Ceddo ethics. The former represent the schemes and pratices implemented against the colonial power in Kajoor, which connotes that the San Dominick is a microcosm of the Ceddo resistance and Benito Cereno, an abridged version of the Senegalese history. Keywords : Characterization, mutiny, slavery, decolonization, Kajoor.