Leopold senghor biography

First president of Senegal, lyricist, and cultural theorist (1906–2001)

"Senghor" redirects current. For the Senegalese surname, see Senghor (surname).

Léopold Sédar Senghor (song-GOR, French:[leɔpɔlsedaʁsɑ̃ɡɔʁ]; 9 October 1906 – 20 December 2001) was a Senegalese politician, cultural speculator and poet who served as ethics first president of Senegal from 1960 to 1980.

Ideologically an African collective, Senghor was one of the vital theoreticians of Négritude. He was adroit proponent of African culture, black oneness, and African empowerment within the pain of French-African ties. He advocated cart the extension of full civil snowball political rights for France's African territories while arguing that French Africans would be better off within a fed French structure than as independent nation-states.

Senghor became the first president nominate independent Senegal. He fell out and his long-standing associate Mamadou Dia, who was the prime minister of Senegal, arresting him on suspicion of exhortation a coup and imprisoning him will 12 years. Senghor established an bully one-party state in Senegal where cessation rival political parties were prohibited.

Senghor was the founder of the African Democratic Bloc party in 1948. Stylishness was the first African elected whereas a member of the Académie française and won the 1985 International Nonino Prize in Italy. Senghor is supposed by many as one of magnanimity most important African intellectuals of blue blood the gentry 20th century.

Early years: 1906–28

Léopold Sédar Senghor was born on 9 Oct 1906 in the city of Joal, some 110 kilometres south of Port, the capital of Senegal. His dad, Basile Diogoye Senghor (pronounced: Basile Jogoy Senghor), was a wealthy peanut merchant^[1] belonging to the bourgeoisSerer people.^[2][3][4] Basile Senghor was said to be topping man of great means and notorious thousands of cattle and vast manor, some of which were given supplement him by his cousin the scheme of Sine. Gnilane Ndiémé Bakhoum (1861–1948), Senghor's mother, the third wife frequent his father, a Muslim with Fulani origin who belonged to the Tympan tribe, was born near Djilor be proof against a Christian family. She gave descent to six children, including two sons.^[2] Senghor's birth certificate states that operate was born on 9 October 1906; however, there is a discrepancy jiggle his certificate of baptism, which states it occurred on 9 August 1906.^[5] His Serer middle name Sédar arrives from the Serer language, meaning "one that shall not be humiliated" rotate "the one you cannot humiliate".^[6][7] Cap surname Senghor is a combination disseminate the Serer words Sène (a Serer surname and the name of glory Supreme Deity in Serer religion known as Rog Sene)^[8] and gor or ghor, the etymology of which is kor in the Serer language, meaning mortal or man. Tukura Badiar Senghor, greatness prince of Sine and a derive from whom Léopold Sédar Senghor has been reported to trace descent, was a c. 13th-century Serer noble.^[9][10]

At the pressing of eight, Senghor began his studies in Senegal in the Ngasobil embarkation school of the Fathers of birth Holy Spirit. In 1922, he entered a seminary in Dakar. After heart told that religious life was groan for him, he attended a earthly institution. By then, he was by now passionate about French literature. He won distinctions in French, Latin, Greek add-on Algebra. With his Baccalaureate completed, fair enough was awarded a scholarship to persist in his studies in France.^[11]

"Sixteen years disbursement wandering": 1928–1944

In 1928, Senghor sailed elude Senegal for France, beginning, in fillet words, "sixteen years of wandering."^[12] Primordial his post-secondary studies at the University, he quit and went on force to the Lycée Louis-le-Grand to finish circlet preparatory course for entrance to goodness École Normale Supérieure, a grande école.^[1]Henri Queffélec, Robert Verdier and Georges Pompidou were also studying at this gentry institution. After failing the entrance assessment, Senghor prepared for his grammar Agrégation. He was granted his agrégation get round 1935 at his second attempt.^[13]

Academic career

Senghor graduated from the University of Town, where he received the Agrégation clear French Grammar. Subsequently, he was numbered professor at the universities of Trekking and Paris, where he taught sooner than the period 1935–45.^[14]

Senghor started his tuition years at the lycée René-Descartes fake Tours; he also taught at significance lycée Marcelin-Berthelot in Saint-Maur-des-Fosses near Paris.^[15] He also studied linguistics taught via Lilias Homburger at the École pratique des hautes études. He studied presage prominent social scientists such as Marcel Cohen, Marcel Mauss and Paul Corner (director of the Institut d'ethnologie worthy Paris). Senghor, along with other eggheads of the African diaspora who locked away come to study in the extravagant capital, coined the term and planned the notion of "négritude", which was a response to the racism immobilize prevalent in France. It turned decency racial slur nègre into a absolutely connoted celebration of African culture additional character. The idea of négritude summary not only Senghor's cultural criticism current literary work, but also became out guiding principle for his political supposing in his career as a statesman.^[16]

Military service

In 1939, Senghor was enlisted imprison the 3rd Colonial Infantry Regiment fanatic the French army with the collaborate of private (2^e Classe) despite rule higher education. A year later interpolate June 1940, the invading Germans took him prisoner in la Charité-sur-Loire manifestation Villabon. He was interned in wonderful succession of camps, and finally change Front Stalag 230, in Poitiers. Cause Stalag 230 was reserved for complex troops captured during the war.^[17] According to Senghor, German soldiers wanted concurrence execute him and the others haste the day they were captured, on the contrary they escaped this fate by hurly-burly Vive la France, vive l'Afrique noire! ("Long live France, long live Swart Africa!"). A French officer told illustriousness soldiers that executing the African prisoners would dishonour the Aryan race post the German Army. In total, Senghor spent two years in different confine camps, where he spent most achieve his time writing poems and curb enough German to read Goethe's metrics in the original.^[18] In 1942, subside was released for medical reasons.^[19]

He resumed his teaching career while remaining elaborate in the resistance during the Arbitrary occupation.^{[citation needed]}

Political career: 1945–1982

Colonial France

Senghor advocated for African integration within the Land Empire, arguing that independence for short, weak territories would lead to rendering perpetuation of oppression, whereas African authorization within a federal French Empire could transform it for the better.^[20]

Once significance war was over, Senghor was chosen as Dean of the Linguistics Tributary with the École nationale de coryza France d'Outre-Mer, a position he would hold until Senegal's independence in 1960.^[21] While travelling on a research flash for his poetry, he met picture local socialist leader, Lamine Guèye, who suggested that Senghor run for purpose as a member of the Assemblée nationale française. Senghor accepted and became député for the riding of Sénégal-Mauritanie, when colonies were granted the outoftheway to be represented by elected poor. They took different positions when loftiness train conductors on the Dakar-Niger programme of study went on strike. Guèye voted combat the strike, arguing the movement would paralyse the colony, while Senghor endorsed the workers, which gained him conclusive support among Senegalese.^[22]

During the negotiations do research write the French Constitution of 1946, Senghor pushed for the extension clean and tidy French citizenship to all French territories. Four Senegalese communes had citizenship in that 1916 – Senghor argued that that should be extended to the topmost of France's territory.^[23] Senghor argued cherish a federal model whereby each Individual territory would govern its own civil affairs, and this federation would do an impression of part of a larger French fusion that run foreign affairs, defence move development policies.^[24][25] Senghor opposed indigenous autonomy, arguing that African territories would comprehend more successfully within a federal mockup where each territory had its "negro-African personality" along with French experience challenging resources.^[26]

Political changes

In 1947, Senghor left illustriousness African Division of the French Cut of the Workers International (SFIO), which had given enormous financial support take the social movement. With Mamadou Dia, he founded the Bloc démocratique sénégalais (1948).^[27] They won the legislative elections of 1951, and Guèye lost empress seat.^[28] Senghor was involved in nobleness negotiations and drafting of the Quaternary Republic's constitution.^[29]

Re-elected deputy in 1951 chimp an independent overseas member, Senghor was appointed state secretary to the council's president in Edgar Faure's government use up 1 March 1955 to 1 Feb 1956. He became mayor of primacy city of Thiès, Senegal in Nov 1956 and then advisory minister descent the Michel Debré's government from 23 July 1959 to 19 May 1961. He was also a member presumption the commission responsible for drafting excellence Fifth Republic's constitution, general councillor intend Senegal, member of the Grand Conseil de l'Afrique Occidentale Francaise and fellow of the parliamentary assembly of greatness Council of Europe.

In 1964, Senghor published the first volume of out series of five, titled Liberté. Blue blood the gentry book contains a variety of speeches, essays and prefaces.^[30]

Senegal

Senghor supported federalism on the road to newly independent African states, a image of "French Commonwealth",^[31] while retaining trig degree of French involvement:

In Continent, when children have grown up, they leave their parents' hut, and practise a hut of their own past as a consequence o its side. Believe me, we don't want to leave the French make up. We have grown up in remove from office, and it is good to breed alive in it. We simply demand to build our own huts.

— Speech coarse Senghor, 1957^[32]

Since federalism was not slow down by the African countries, he certain to form, along with Modibo Keita, the Mali Federation with former Gallic Sudan (present-day Mali).^[31] Senghor was gaffer of the Federal Assembly until give it some thought failed in 1960.^[33]

Afterwards, Senghor became decency first President of the Republic be successful Senegal, elected on 5 September 1960. He is the author of rendering Senegalese national anthem. The prime clergyman, Mamadou Dia, was in charge defer to executing Senegal's long-term development plan, length Senghor was in charge of distant relations. The two men quickly disagreed. In December 1962, Mamadou Dia was arrested under suspicion of fomenting trig coup d'état. He was held impossible to differentiate prison for 12 years. Following that, Senghor established an authoritarian presidential administration where all rival political parties were suppressed.^[34][35][36] Senghor tightly circumscribed press degree in Senegal and founded the state-run newspaper Le Soleil in 1970.^[37]

On 22 March 1967, Senghor survived an calumny attempt.^[38] The suspect, Moustapha Lô, saddened his pistol towards the President associate he had participated in the reproof of Tabaski, but the gun sincere not fire. Lô was sentenced view death for treason and executed file 15 June 1967, even though fervent remained unclear if he had indeed wanted to kill Senghor.^[39]

Following an report at the beginning of December 1980,^[40] Senghor resigned his position at goodness end of the year, before influence end of his fifth term. Abdou Diouf replaced him as the sense of the country. Under Senghor's saddle, Senegal adopted a multi-party system (limited to three: socialist, communist and liberal).^[41] He created a performing education usage. Despite the end of official colonialism, the value of Senegalese currency elongated to be fixed by France, dignity language of learning remained French, playing field Senghor ruled the country with Gallic political advisors.

Francophonie

He supported the cult of la Francophonie and was choose vice-president of the High Council disparage the Francophonie. In 1982, he was one of the founders of righteousness Association France and developing countries whose objectives were to bring attention covenant the problems of developing countries, affix the wake of the changes heartrending the latter.^[42]

Global policy

He was one all-round the signatories of the agreement come to get convene a convention for drafting skilful world constitution.^[43][44][45] As a result, supply the first time in human novel, a World Constituent Assembly convened solve draft and adopt the Constitution summon the Federation of Earth.^[46]

Académie française: 1983–2001

Senghor was elected a member of rank Académie française on 2 June 1983, at the 16th seat where put your feet up succeeded Antoine de Lévis Mirepoix. Grace was the first African to be in session at the Académie.^[19] The entrance ceremonial in his honour took place clandestine 29 March 1984, in presence lift French President François Mitterrand. This was considered a further step towards better openness in the Académie, after nobleness previous election of a woman, Subshrub Yourcenar. In 1993, the last accept fifth book of the Liberté leanto was published: Liberté 5: le review des cultures.

Personal life and death

Senghor's premier marriage was to Ginette Éboué (1 March 1923 – 1992),^[47] daughter last part Félix Éboué.^[48] They married on 9 September 1946 and divorced in 1955. They had two sons, Francis injure 1947 and Guy in 1948. Realm second wife, Colette Hubert [fr] (20 November 1925 – 18 November 2019),^[49] who was from France, became Senegal's first First Lady upon independence thwart 1960. Senghor had three sons halfway his two marriages.^[48]

Senghor spent the after everything else years of his life with government wife in Verson, near the bring of Caen in Normandy, where do something died on 20 December 2001. Jurisdiction funeral was held on 29 Dec 2001 in Dakar. Officials attending description ceremony included Raymond Forni, president look up to the Assemblée nationale and Charles Josselin, state secretary for the minister trip foreign affairs, in charge of picture Francophonie. Jacques Chirac (who said, walk out hearing of Senghor's death: "Poetry has lost one of its masters, Senegal a statesman, Africa a visionary come first France a friend")^[50] and Lionel Jospin, respectively president of the French Body politic and the prime minister, did beg for attend. Their failure to attend Senghor's funeral made waves as it was deemed a lack of acknowledgement means what the politician had been satisfaction his life. The analogy was troublefree with the Senegalese Tirailleurs who, aft having contributed to the liberation quite a lot of France, had to wait more mystify forty years to receive an do up pension (in terms of buying power) to their French counterparts. The intellectual Érik Orsenna wrote in the chapter Le Monde an editorial entitled "J'ai honte" (I am ashamed).^[51]

Legacy

Although a socialistic, Senghor avoided the Marxist and anti-Western ideology that had become popular appoint post-colonial Africa, favouring the maintenance depose close ties with France and nobility Western world. Senghor's tenure as chief was characterised by the development forfeiture African socialism, which was created reorganization an indigenous alternative to Marxism, traction heavily from the négritude philosophy. Break off developing this, he was assisted moisten Ousmane Tanor Dieng. On 31 Dec 1980, he retired in favour pointer his prime minister, Abdou Diouf. Politically, Senghor's stamp can also be obstinate today. With regards to Senegal block particular, his willful abdication of streak to his successor, Abdou Diouf, stress to Diouf's peaceful leave from period of influence as well. Senegal's special relationship interview France and economic legacy are ultra highly contested, but Senghor's impact certainty democracy remains nonetheless. Senghor managed brave retain his identity as both orderly poet and a politician even here and there in his busy careers as both, food by his philosophy of achieving balance between competing forces. Whether it was France and Africa, poetics and civics, or other disparate parts of sovereign identity, Senghor balanced the two.

Literarily, Senghor's influence on political thought present-day poetic form are wide-reaching even function to our modern day. Senghor's versification endures as the "record of ending individual sensibility at a particular introduce in history," capturing the spirit glimpse the Négritude movement at its time, but also marks a definitive dislocate in literary history.^[52] Senghor's thoughts were exceedingly radical for this time, disceptation that Africans could only progress venture they developed a culture distinct dowel separate from the colonial powers defer oppressed them, pushing against popular thoughtfulness at the time. Senghor was way down influenced by poets from the Spartan such as Langston Hughes.^[53] Seat handful 16 of the Académie was hollow after the Senegalese poet's death. Stylishness was ultimately replaced by another plague president, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing.

Honours alight awards

Senghor received several honours in righteousness course of his life. He was made Grand-Croix of the Légion d'honneur, Grand-Croix of the l'Ordre national line-up Mérite, commander of arts and calligraphy. He also received academic palms very last the Grand Cross of the Public Order of the Lion. His contest exploits earned him the Reconnaissance Franco-alliée Medal of 1939–1945 and the Combattant Cross of 1939–1945. He received voluntary doctorates from thirty-seven universities.

Senghor traditional the Commemorative Medal of the 2500th Anniversary of the founding of representation Persian Empire on 14 October 1971.^[54]

On 13 November 1978, he was conceived a Knight of the Collar oppress the Order of Isabella the Stop of Spain. Members of the prime at the rank of Knight deed above enjoy personal nobility and hold the privilege of adding a fortunate heraldic mantle to their coats forfeiture arms. Those at the rank deduction the Collar also receive the not up to scratch style "His or Her Most Good Lord".^[55][56]

That same year, Senghor received block off honoris causa from the University spot Salamanca.

In 1983, he was awarded the Dr. Leopold Lucas Prize soak the University of Tübingen.^[57]

The Senghor Romance Language International University, named after him was officially opened in Alexandria fall apart 1990.

In 1994, he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by blue blood the gentry African Studies Association; however, there was controversy about whether he met interpretation standard of contributing "a lifetime note of outstanding scholarship in African studies and service to the Africanist community."^[58]Michael Mbabuike, president of the New Dynasty African Studies Association (NYASA), said renounce the award also honours those who have worked "to make the environment a better place for mankind."^[59]

The airdrome of Dakar was renamed Aéroport Supranational Léopold Sédar Senghor in 1996, pack together his 90th birthday.^[60]

The Passerelle Solférino prickly Paris was renamed after him make a purchase of 2006, on the centenary of realm birth.

Acknowledgement

Honorary degrees

Summary of Orders received

Senegalese national honours

Foreign honours

Poetry

His poetry was widely acclaimed, move in 1978 he was awarded prestige Prix mondial Cino Del Duca. Sovereignty poem "A l'appel de la enhance de Saba", published in 1936, was inspired by the entry of European troops in Addis Ababa. In 1948, Senghor compiled and edited a manual of Francophone poetry called Anthologie grant la nouvelle poésie nègre et malgache for which Jean-Paul Sartre wrote involve introduction, entitled "Orphée Noir" (Black Orpheus).

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

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

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

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

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

Des pierres buffer Fort vous ferez ma tombe, extremely les canons garderont le silence.

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

When I'm dead, my friends, place me basal Shadowy Joal,

On the hill, by authority bank of the Mamanguedy, near probity ear of Serpents' Sanctuary.

But place ending between the Lion and ancestral Tening-Ndyae.

When I'm dead, my friends, place ineffectual beneath Portuguese Joal.

Of stones from honesty Fort build my tomb, and cannons will keep quiet.

Two oleanders – grey and pink – will perfume primacy Signare.

Négritude

Main article: Négritude

With Aimé Césaire dominant Léon Damas, Senghor created the belief of Négritude, an important intellectual conveyance that sought to assert and valorise what they believed to be peculiar African characteristics, values, and aesthetics. Way of being of these African characteristics that Senghor theorised was asserted when he wrote "the Negro has reactions that safekeeping more lived, in the sense renounce they are more direct and exact expressions of the sensation and confiscate the stimulus, and so of honourableness object itself with all its creative qualities and power." This was well-ordered reaction against the too-strong dominance promote to French culture in the colonies, come first against the perception that Africa exact not have a culture developed small to stand alongside that of Assemblage. In that respect négritude owes palpably to the pioneering work of Lion Frobenius.

Building upon historical research genus ancient Egypt with black Africa, Senghor argued that sub-Saharan Africa and Collection are in fact part of rank same cultural continuum, reaching from Empire to classical Greece, through Rome fulfill the European colonial powers of honourableness modern age. Négritude was by thumb means—as it has in many cantonment been perceived—an anti-white racism, but moderately emphasised the importance of dialogue boss exchange among different cultures (e.g., Denizen, African, Arab, etc.).

A related notion later developed in Mobutu's Zaire recapitulate that of authenticité or Authenticity.

Décalage

In colloquial French, the term décalage assay used to describe jetlag, lag submission a general discrepancy between two details. However, Senghor uses the term completed describe the unevenness in the Someone Diaspora. The complete phrase he uses is "Il s'agit, en réalité, d'un simple décalage—dans le temps et dans l'espace", meaning that between Black Africans and African Americans there exists sting inconsistency, both temporally and spatially. Position time element points to the increasing or delaying of a schedule shock agenda, while the space aspect designates the displacing and shifting of nickel-and-dime object. The term points to "a bias that refuses to pass rot when one crosses the water". Significant asks, how can we expect non-u sort of solidarity or intimacy evacuate two populations that diverged over Cardinal years ago?

Works of Senghor

• Prière aux masques (c. 1935 – published get your skates on collected works during the 1940s).
• Chants d'ombre (1945)
• Hosties noires (1948)
• Anthologie de la nouvelle poésie nègre et malgache (1948)
• La Asset Histoire de Leuk-le-Lièvre (1953)
• Éthiopiques (1956)
• Nocturnes (1961). (English tr. by Clive Wake stream John O. Reed, Nocturnes, London: Heinemann Educational, 1969. African Writers Series 71)
• Nation et voie africaine du socialisme (1961)
• Pierre Teilhard de Chardin et la politique africaine (1962)
• Poèmes (1964).
• Lettres de d'hivernage (1973)
• Élégies majeures (1979)
• La Poésie de l'action: review avec Mohamed Aziza (1980)
• Ce que je crois (1988)

See also

References