History

Although Romance in Marseilles is a story with a generally personal focus, the thematic implications of the main narrative are historical in scope, as they explore the modern-day legacies of colonialism and oppression. For example, Lafala’s own childhood is based in colonial roots, as he was subjected to colonial interference from a young age. When he was a boy in Senegal, he was separated from his family by European missionaries: “As a kid boy, the missionaries brought him from the bush to the town where they lived and taught” (3). He was raised in this colonial setting, and he eventually became a sailor and left Senegal. This key element of Lafala’s childhood emphasizes the persistence of colonial interference, which persists in various forms—social, political, and economic—even today. Much of the novel’s thematic construction stems from the direct acknowledgement of the legacies of...