Xala

Businessmen gather to commemorate a Senegalese man being appointed president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry for the first time. For 10 years, the men in this group have waited and struggled “to capture this last bastion of the colonial era from their adversaries” (1). They call their newly-formed group the “Businessmen’s Group.” The group’s purpose is to prevent foreign interests from interfering with their affairs. They assert their control over manufacturing, the wholesale trade, public works contracts, cinemas, and most other businesses and industries in the country. In his speech to the group, the group’s president expresses his gratitude toward the government and the country’s president for making the country’s economic independence possible. He closes the meeting by reminding everyone to attend the wedding of their colleague El Hadji Abdou Kader Beye. He then invites El Hadji to speak.

El Hadji announces that he has, in fact, already married his third wife at a local mosque. He invites the gentlemen in the group to accompany him to the reception. A convoy of expensive cars awaits the men outside. El Hadji invites the president to take the car at the head of the line. El Hadji then excuses himself, saying that he has to go retrieve his first two wives.