Sembène drew on many of these experiences for his French-language first novel, Le Docker Noir (The Black Docker, 1956), the story of Diaw, an African stevedore who faces racism and mistreatment on the docks at Marseille.
Sembène menimba banyak dari pengalaman-pengalamannya ini untuk novel pertamanya dalam bahasa Prancis, Le Docker Noir (The Black Docker, 1956), kisah tentang Diaw, seorang stevedore Afrika yang menghadapi rasialisme dan perlakuan buruk di dok-dok kapal di Marseille.