Migration and Hospitality: Francis Bebey's "Je suis venu chercher du travail"

The topic of migration has frequently been addressed through the image of the stranger and the themes of acceptance, rejection, or exile. This article explores the representation of the migrant in Francis Bebey's song "Je suis venu chercher du travail" (1970). By depicting the migrant as a stranger, the song carries both positive and negative ideologies. Grounded in the discourse analysis of hospitality, this article investigates the emphasis placed on the encounter between the host and the stranger, the ways in which the poet constructs alterity, and how that alterity thwarts the potential of constructing one's own identity.