Léopold Sédar Senghor

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Léopold Sédar Senghor
In office September 6, 1960 – December 31, 1980
Preceded by	French Government
Succeeded by	Abdou Diouf

Born	October 9, 1906 Joal, Senegal
Died	December 20, 2001 Normandy, France
Political party	Senegalese Democratic Bloc

Léopold Sédar Senghor (October 9, 1906 – December 20, 2001) was a Senegalese poet, author and politician who served as the first president of Senegal (1960–1980). Senghor also happened to be the first African to sit as a member of l'Académie française. He was also the founder of the political party called the Senegalese Democratic Bloc.

1 Biography
2 Poetry
3 Negritude
4 Personal politics
5 Works of Senghor
6 Legacy
7 Summary
8 See also
9 Reference
10 External Links (in French)

[edit] Biography

[edit] 1906-1928: Childhood

Léopold Sédar Senghor was born on 9 October 1906 in the small coastal city of Joal, south of Dakar, Senegal. Basile Diogoye Senghor, Leopold's father, was a businessman belonging to the Bourgeois tribe Serer, a minority group in Senegal. Gnilane Ndiémé Bakhou, Leopold's mother, and the third wife of his father, was Muslim of Peul origin belonging to the Tabor tribe. She gave birth to six children, including two sons. Senghor had also inherited from the Serers, apart his first name, his two last names: his father's name, Senghor and the Serere's name Sedar (meaning "One that shall not be humiliated"). Senghor began his studies in Senegal with the Peres du Saint Esprit Ngasobil and then in Dakar at a Seminary and the Laic School. By then, he was already passionate about French literature. With his Baccalaureate completed, he was awarded a scholarship to continue his studies in France.

[edit] 1928-1944: 16 years of errance

Senghor set foot in France in 1928. This would mark the beginning of "sixteen years of erring," according to his writing. Starting his post-secondary studies at the Sorbonnes, he quickly quit and went on to Louis-Le-Grand to finish his prep course for entrance at the Ecole Normale Superieure. He was there while Paul Guth, Henri Queffélec, Robert Verdier and Georges Pompidou were also studying at this establishment. After failing at the entry contest, he decides to prepare his grammar Aggregation. He was granted his aggregation in 1935 after a first failed try.

He graduated from the University of Paris, where he received the Agrégation in French Grammar. Subsequently, he was designated professor at the Universities of Tours and Paris, during the period 1935-1945.

Senghor started his teaching years at the Lycee Rene-Descartes in Tours and taught with the Lycee Marcelin Berthelot in Saint-Maur-des-Fosses within the Parisean region. Besides his teaching career, Senghor attended Negro-African Linguistics classes taught by Lilias Homburger at the Ecole pratique des hautes etudes as well as those by Marcel Cohen, Marcel Mauss and Paul Rivet conducted at the Institut d'ethnologie de Paris.

In 1939, Senghor was enrolled as a French army officer within the 59th Colonial Infantry division. A year later he was made prisoner by the Germans in la Charite-sur-Loire. He was interned in different camps but finally interred in Front Stalag 230, in Poitiers. This later camp was reserved for colonial troops capture during the war. German soldiers wanted to execute him and the other black POWs the same day they were captured, but they escaped this fate by yelling "Vive la France, vive l'Afrique noire!" The soldiers decided against executing them after being told by a French officer that this entirely racist act would dishonour the Aryan race and the German Army. In total, Senghor spent two years in different prison camps, where he spent most of his time writing poems. In 1942 he was released for medical reasons. He resumed his teaching career while staying involved in the resistance with the Front national universitaire.

[edit] 1945: the political man

[edit] Colonial France

Once the war was over, he took over the position of Dean of the Linguistics Department with the Ecole nationale de France d'outre-mer, a position he would hold until Senegal's independence in 1960. While travelling on a research trip for his poetry, the local socialist leader, Lamine Gueye, suggested that he should become a member of the Assemblee nationale francaise. Senghor accepted and became député for the circonscription of Senegal-Mauritanie, when colonies were granted the right to be represented by elected individuals. One occasion when Senghor showed his difference from Lamine Gueye, was when the train conductors on the line Dakar-Niger went on strike. The latter voted against the strike arguing the movement would paralyse the colony, while Senghor supported the workers, gaining him great support among Senegalese.

In 1946, Senghor married the AEF governor's daughter with whom he had two sons: Francis (1947-) and Guy (1948-1983).

The following year he left the African Division of the French Section of the International ouvriere that had given enormous financial support to the social movement. With Mamadou Dia, Senghor founded the Bloc démocratique sénégalais (1948). They would win the legislative elections of 1951, and Lamine Gueye lost his seat.

Re-elected depute in 1951 as an independent overseas member, he was state secretary to the Council's president in Edgar Faure's government from 1 March 1955 to 1 February 1956. He became mayor of the city of Thies, Senegal in November 1956 and then advisory minister in the Michel Debre's government from 23 July 1959 to 19 May 1961. He was also a member of the commission responsible for drafting the Fifth Republic's constitution, general councillor for Senegal, member of the Grand Conseil de l'Afrique Occidentale Francaise and member for the parliamentary assembly of the European Council.

Meanwhile, he would divorce his first wife and remarry in 1957 with Colette Hubert, a French national from Normandy with whom he had a son, Philioppe Maguilien (-1981). He published in 1964 the first volume of a series of five titled Liberté. The book contains a variety of speeches, allocutions, essays and prefaces.

[edit] In Senegal

Senghor was a supporter of federalism for newly independent African states, a type of "French Commonwealth". Federalism not being favoured by the African countries, he decided to form, along with Modibo Keita, the Mali Federation with former French Sudan (actual Mali). Senghor was president of the Federal Assembly until its failure in 1960. Afterwards, Senghor became the first President of the Republic of Senegal, elected on 5 September 1960. He is the author of the Senegalese national anthem, le Lion rouge (the red lion). The Prime Minister, Mamadou Dia was in charge of executing the long-term development plan of Senegal while Senghor was in charge of foreing relations. The two men quickly disagreed. In December 1962, Mamadou Dia was arrested and suspected of fomenting a coup. He would remain in jail for twelve years. Following this, Senghor created a presidential regime. In 22 March 1967, Senghor escaped an attempt on his life. The suspect was sentenced to death.

He resigned his position before the end of his fifth term in December 1980. Abdou Diouf replaced him at the head of the country. Under his presidence, Senegal started a multy-party regime (limited to three: socialist, communist and liberal) as well as a performing education system. Senghor is often seen as a democrat; however, he violently crushed several student protest movements.

[edit] The Francophonie

He supported the creation of the la Francophonie and was elected vice-president of the High Council of the Francophonie.

In 1982, he was one of the founders of the Association France and developing countries whose objectives were to bring attention to the problems of developing countries, in the wake of the changes affecting the later.

[edit] 1983: Académie française

He was elected a member of l'Académie française on 2 June 1983, at the 16th seat where he succeeded to the Duke of Levis-Mirepoix. He was the first African to sit at the Academie.

[edit] 2001: Funerals

In 1993, the last and fifth book of the Liberte series was published: Liberte 5: le dialogue des cultures.

He spent the last years of his life with his wife in Verson, Normandy where he passed away on 20 December 2001. His funerals were held on 29 December 2001 in Dakar. Officials attending the ceremony included Raymond Forni, president of the Assemblée nationale and Charles Josselin, state secretary for the minister of foreing affairs, in charge of the Francophonie. Jacques Chirac and Lionel Jospin, respectively president of the French Republic and Prime Minister did not attend. Their failure to attend Senghor's funerals made wave as it was deemed a lack of aknowledgement for what the politician had been in his life. The analogy was made with the Senegalese Tirailleurs who, after having contributed to the liberation of France, had to wait more than forty years to receive an equal pension (in terms of buying power) to their French counterparts. The scholar Erik Orsenna wrote in the newspaper le Monde an editorial titled: "J'ai honte" (I am ashamed).

Seat number 16 of the Academie was vacant after the senegalese poet's death. He was ultimately replaced by another former president, Valery Giscard d'Estaing.

Senghor received several honours in the course of his life. He was made Grand-Croix of the Légion d'honneur, Grand-Croix of the l'Ordre national du mérite, commander of the arts and letters. He also received academic palms and the Grand-Croix of the l'Ordre du lion du Sénégal. His war exploits would give him the medal of Reconnaissance franco-alliée 1939-1945 and the combattant cross 1939-1945. He was named honorary doctor of thirty-seven universities.

The International University of French Language in Alexandrie was officially open in 1990 and was named after him.

The airport of Dakar, Dakar-Yoff-Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport, is named after him.

"Je ne suis pas sûr de mourir. Et si c'était ça l'enfer ? (I'm not sure that I will die. Maybe this is hell?)" said Senghor in 1996 at the time of post-retirement life.

[edit] Poetry

His poetry was widely acclaimed, and in 1978 he was awarded the Prix mondial Cino Del Duca. His poem A l'appel de la race de Saba published in 1936 was inspired by the entry of italian troops in Abbis Abeba.

[edit] Negritude

With Aimé Césaire and Léon Damas, Senghor created the concept of Négritude, an important philosophical movement that sought to distance African culture from European influences. In 1948, Senghor compiled and edited a volume of francophone poetry called Anthologie de la nouvelle poésie nègre et malgache for which Jean-Paul Sartre wrote an introduction, entitled "Orphée Noir" (Black Orpheus).

[edit] Personal politics

Senghor's tenure as president was characterized by the development of African socialism, which was created as an indigenous alternative to Marxism, drawing heavily from the négritude philosophy. In developing this, he was assisted by Ousmane Tanor Dieng. On December 31, 1980, he retired in favor of his prime minister, Abdou Diouf.

For his epitaph was a poem he had written, namely:

Quand je serai mort, mes amis, couchez-moi sous Joal-l'Ombreuse.

Sur la colline au bord du Mamanguedy, près l'oreille du sanctuaire des Serpents.

Mais entre le Lion couchez-moi et l'aïeule Tening-Ndyae.

Quand je serai mort mes amis, couchez-moi sous Joal-la-Portugaise.

Des pierres du Fort vous ferez ma tombe, et les canons garderont le silence.

Deux lauriers roses-blanc et rose-embaumeront la Signare.

[edit] Works of Senghor

Chants d'ombre (1945)
Hosties noires (1948)
Anthologie de la nouvelle poésie nègre et malgache (1948)
Ethiopiques (1956)
Nocturnes (1961)
Lettres de d'hivernage (1973)
Elégies majeures (1979)
La poésie de l'action : conversation avec Mohamed Aziza (1980)
Ce que je crois (1988)

[edit] Legacy

Although a socialist, Senghor avoided the Marxist and anti-Western ideology that had become popular in post-colonial Africa, favouring the maintenance of close ties with France and the western world. This is seen by many as a contributing factor to Senegal's political stability- it remains one of the few African nations never to have had a coup, and to have always had a peaceful transfer of power.

[edit] Summary

Léopold Sédar Senghor (1906-2001) A Senegalese “George Washington”

Léopold Sédar Senghor was a poet, author, politician, and most importantly: a leader. Senghor was the first president of Senegal, and the first African to be a member of the l'Académie Française (The group that decides the grammar rules of French). Leopold is loved by Senegalese like Americans admire George Washington. In 1939, Senghor joined the French Army. A year later, he was captured by the Germans. In the two years he was imprisoned, mostly he wrote poetry. In 1942, Leopold was released due to medical reasons, though he supported the French Resistance. He got married and had two sons (Francis and Guy) before getting divorced and remarrying in 1957. When Senegal got its independence from France in 1960, Leopold Senghor was elected president. He escaped an assassination attempt, and governed Senegal wisely after its independence up until 1980, when he resigned. As he got older, Leopold became more and more respected. Senegalese look at him as the “father” of their country.

[edit] See also

List of African writers

[edit] Reference

Sources from this article were taken from the equivalent French article fr:Léopold Sédar Senghor

[edit] External Links (in French)

Presidents of Senegal
Léopold Sédar Senghor • Abdou Diouf • Abdoulaye Wade

Preceded by: (none)	President of Senegal 6 September 1960 – 31 December 1980	Succeeded by: Abdou Diouf

Preceded by: Antoine de Lévis Mirepoix	Seat 16 Académie française 1983–2001	Succeeded by: Valéry Giscard d'Estaing

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