Abstract
This article uses Wolof idioms related to Senegalese migration to France such as dem ci kaaw bi (to go to the cave/France) and dem Jolof (to go back to Jolof/Senegal) in order to read Fatou Diome's Le ventre de l'Atlantique (The Belly of the Atlantic). It argues that the novel mimics the polysemy of these terms and coins a new one: toog Jolof (to stay/remain in Senegal) as an alternative to clandestine migration.
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Marame Gueye
Marame Gueye is Associate Professor of African and African Diaspora Literatures at ECU. Her research interests are on the verbal art of African women, female representation in Senegalese popular culture, Hip Hop, and immigration.