Colonization, Identity, and Ambition in Two Novels

This study focuses on the identity crisis in two African texts written in French: *Une vie de boy* by Ferdinand Oyono and *L'ex-père de la nation* by Aminata Sow Fall.My two main questions are: How does the Black character struggle to assert himself during the colonial period? And how does the Black character in power find himself unable to set a good example of true democracy after independence? In the first chapter, I examine Toundi's life in the European quarter and the anxieties he experiences because of his job as the commander's servant. In the second chapter, I examine Sow Fall's text by addressing the crisis of leadership under Madiama and his government, as well as the continued colonial presence in government sectors despite independence. The main objective of this study is to compare how the two authors address this issue of identity among Black characters during the colonial period and after independence.