America is a liberal capitalist country, an imperialist country which simply wants to call the shots. But if America is calling the shots in Senegal at present, it’s because those who govern Senegal allow this to happen. So we find ourselves with a society on its knees, waiting for America to provide. Never, ever, ever, in the space of ten years, have I felt so humiliated by my society as now. They give us ‘gifts’: a few thousand dollars worth of rice—mere chicken-feed. A society can’t live on handouts. A society that has its own culture can confront all sorts of calamities and adversities with its head held high. I always say, if I were a woman, I’d never marry an African. Women should marry real men, not mentally deficient ones.

[Fìrinne Nì Chréacháin interviewed Sembène in African Affairs, vol. 91, no. 363 (1992)]