“No, woman; it was your son who said, “Our world is opening up” (87)

Chapters seven and eight highlight the intergenerational struggle in God's Bits of Wood.In Chapter seven we see Niakoro and her husband, Fa Keita arguing over a statement that their son(Bakayoko) had said. Bakayoko's mother says that because of the strike the "world is falling apart" and in response Fa Keita says “No, woman; it was your son who said, “Our world is opening up”. These statements while addressing the obvious issue of the European’s impact on the African society, also bring up the topic that is a motif in the book; The struggle between the older generation versus the younger ones. Yes, it is true and clear that the Europeans caused civil conflicts and attempted to impose their own "progressive" cultural elements into African culture, which in turn may be causing some to feel as though the “world” is going to “fall apart” because for elders like Niakoro, to watch the younger generations submit to an Eastern European way of life is heartbreaking. To know that the culture that they have been keeping  alive for years and passing on to their children as a precious gift is now being left behind. To the elders, this is potentially the worst thing that could happen, for it is those traditions that Niakoro and the other elders clung to so tightly. Meanwhile, for the younger generation they see the new way of life, the books, the education as an opportunity to broaden their horizons and expand there knowledge. They are also offered an alternative to their native culture, whereas the older generation only has their strong rooted beliefs to think about, the new wave of ideology is just coming across as corruption to a culture they held so high in their esteems for so long. But to the youth they are just learning the ways of their own people when an external force is trying to push them away from what they were taught to believe by their parents and peers. So although Fa Keita’s words may have held optimism and an open minded outlook towards his son's cause, for people like Niakoro this influence is hardly a positive one. Either way, both statements hold elements of truth in them simply because of the reality of the situation. Personally, I would have to side with the elders on this one though. The younger generations may feel like their rebellious actions are right, but the word from the wise seems to make more sense in the given situation because it is more realistic as opposed to optimistic.