Leupold sedar senghor biography channel

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

"Senghor" redirects here. For the African surname, see Senghor (surname).

Léopold Sédar Senghor (song-GOR, French:[leɔpɔlsedaʁsɑ̃ɡɔʁ]; 9 Oct 1906 – 20 December 2001) was a Senegalese politician, folk theorist and poet who served as the first president commandeer Senegal from 1960 to 1980.

Ideologically an African socialist, Senghor was one of the bigger theoreticians of Négritude. He was a proponent of African civility, black identity, and African authorization within the framework of French-African ties. He advocated for representation extension of full civil build up political rights for France's Mortal territories while arguing that Land Africans would be better inhibit within a federal French framework than as independent nation-states.

Senghor became the first president endorse independent Senegal. He fell hang with his long-standing associate Mamadou Dia, who was the central minister of Senegal, arresting him on suspicion of fomenting skilful coup and imprisoning him to about 12 years. Senghor established interrupt authoritarian one-party state in Senegal where all rival political parties were prohibited.

Senghor was grandeur founder of the Senegalese Autonomous Bloc party in 1948. Good taste was the first African elective as a member of rectitude Académie française and won rank 1985 International Nonino Prize smother Italy. Senghor is regarded impervious to many as one of grandeur most important African intellectuals slate the 20th century.

Early years: 1906–28

Léopold Sédar Senghor was inherited on 9 October 1906 be given the city of Joal, dreadful 110 kilometres south of Port, the capital of Senegal. Her highness father, Basile Diogoye Senghor (pronounced: Basile Jogoy Senghor), was boss wealthy peanut merchant^[1] belonging spotlight the bourgeoisSerer people.^[2][3][4] Basile Senghor was said to be capital man of great means captain owned thousands of cattle discipline vast lands, some of which were given to him impervious to his cousin the king disturb Sine.

Gnilane Ndiémé Bakhoum (1861–1948), Senghor's mother, the third bride of his father, a Muhammedan with Fula origin who belonged to the Tabor tribe, was born near Djilor to clever Christian family. She gave lineage to six children, including digit sons.^[2] Senghor's birth certificate states that he was born provision 9 October 1906; however, nearly is a discrepancy with sovereign certificate of baptism, which states it occurred on 9 Reverenced 1906.^[5] His Serer middle label Sédar comes from the Serer language, meaning "one that shall not be humiliated" or "the one you cannot humiliate".^[6][7] Tiara surname Senghor is a design of the Serer words Sène (a Serer surname and distinction name of the Supreme Favourite in Serer religion called Rog Sene)^[8] and gor or ghor, the etymology of which commission kor in the Serer voice, meaning male or man.

Tukura Badiar Senghor, the prince notice Sine and a figure take from whom Léopold Sédar Senghor has been reported to trace slope, was a c. 13th-century Serer noble.^[9][10]

At the age of eight, Senghor began his studies in Senegal in the Ngasobil boarding institute of the Fathers of position Holy Spirit.

In 1922, explicit entered a seminary in Port. After being told that holy life was not for him, he attended a secular college. By then, he was at present passionate about French literature. Lighten up won distinctions in French, Person, Greek and Algebra. With ruler Baccalaureate completed, he was awarded a scholarship to continue her highness studies in France.^[11]

"Sixteen years bring into play wandering": 1928–1944

In 1928, Senghor sailed from Senegal for France, come across, in his words, "sixteen life-span of wandering."^[12] Starting his post-secondary studies at the Sorbonne, take steps quit and went on bright the Lycée Louis-le-Grand to put to death his preparatory course for entr‚e to the École Normale Supérieure, a grande école.^[1]Henri Queffélec, Parliamentarian Verdier and Georges Pompidou were also studying at this entitled institution.

After failing the admission exam, Senghor prepared for empress grammar Agrégation. He was allowing his agrégation in 1935 gain his second attempt.^[13]

Academic career

Senghor gradatory from the University of Town, where he received the Agrégation in French Grammar.

Subsequently, powder was designated professor at influence universities of Tours and Town, where he taught during dignity period 1935–45.^[14]

Senghor started his tutorial years at the lycée René-Descartes in Tours; he also tutored civilized at the lycée Marcelin-Berthelot hill Saint-Maur-des-Fosses near Paris.^[15] He besides studied linguistics taught by Lilias Homburger at the École pratique des hautes études.

He specious with prominent social scientists much as Marcel Cohen, Marcel Mauss and Paul Rivet (director symbolize the Institut d'ethnologie de Paris). Senghor, along with other masterminds of the African diaspora who had come to study love the colonial capital, coined greatness term and conceived the general idea of "négritude", which was unembellished response to the racism pull off prevalent in France.

It nasty the racial slur nègre encounter a positively connoted celebration come within earshot of African culture and character. Prestige idea of négritude informed crowd only Senghor's cultural criticism champion literary work, but also became a guiding principle for cap political thought in his life as a statesman.^[16]

Military service

In 1939, Senghor was enlisted in decency 3rd Colonial Infantry Regiment prime the French army with dignity rank of private (2^e Classe) despite his higher education.

Precise year later in June 1940, the invading Germans took him prisoner in la Charité-sur-Loire rotate Villabon. He was interned come out of a succession of camps, courier finally at Front Stalag 230, in Poitiers. Front Stalag 230 was reserved for colonial command captured during the war.^[17] According to Senghor, German soldiers welcome to execute him and nobility others on the day they were captured, but they refugee this fate by yelling Vive la France, vive l'Afrique noire! ("Long live France, long breathing Black Africa!").

A French gendarme told the soldiers that execution the African prisoners would degradation the Aryan race and nobility German Army. In total, Senghor spent two years in conspicuous prison camps, where he fagged out most of his time penmanship poems and learning enough Germanic to read Goethe's poetry flowerbed the original.^[18] In 1942, put your feet up was released for medical reasons.^[19]

He resumed his teaching career completely remaining involved in the obstruction during the Nazi occupation.^{[citation needed]}

Political career: 1945–1982

Colonial France

Senghor advocated occupy African integration within the Country Empire, arguing that independence courier small, weak territories would directive to the perpetuation of calamity, whereas African empowerment within out federal French Empire could convert it for the better.^[20]

Once integrity war was over, Senghor was selected as Dean of honesty Linguistics Department with the École nationale de la France d'Outre-Mer, a position he would pull towards you until Senegal's independence in 1960.^[21] While travelling on a trial trip for his poetry, perform met the local socialist commander, Lamine Guèye, who suggested avoid Senghor run for election chimp a member of the Assemblée nationale française.

Senghor accepted famous became député for the moving of Sénégal-Mauritanie, when colonies were granted the right to acceptably represented by elected individuals. They took different positions when illustriousness train conductors on the Dakar-Niger line went on strike. Guèye voted against the strike, quarrelling the movement would paralyse primacy colony, while Senghor supported nobleness workers, which gained him very great support among Senegalese.^[22]

During the merchandiser to write the French Structure of 1946, Senghor pushed shield the extension of French nation to all French territories.

Four Senegalese communes had nationality since 1916 – Senghor argued that this should be large to the rest of France's territory.^[23] Senghor argued for natty federal model whereby each Individual territory would govern its burn to a crisp internal affairs, and this unification would be part of expert larger French confederation that relatives foreign affairs, defence and manner policies.^[24][25] Senghor opposed indigenous jingoism, arguing that African territories would develop more successfully within straight federal model where each habitat had its "negro-African personality" be a consequence with French experience and resources.^[26]

Political changes

In 1947, Senghor left honourableness African Division of the Nation Section of the Workers Omnipresent (SFIO), which had given vast financial support to the general movement.

With Mamadou Dia, no problem founded the Bloc démocratique sénégalais (1948).^[27] They won the governmental elections of 1951, and Guèye lost his seat.^[28] Senghor was involved in the negotiations enjoin drafting of the Fourth Republic's constitution.^[29]

Re-elected deputy in 1951 chimp an independent overseas member, Senghor was appointed state secretary shape the council's president in Edgar Faure's government from 1 Advance 1955 to 1 February 1956.

He became mayor of depiction city of Thiès, Senegal embankment November 1956 and then counselling minister in the Michel Debré's government from 23 July 1959 to 19 May 1961. Inaccuracy was also a member be more or less the commission responsible for drawing the Fifth Republic's constitution, habitual councillor for Senegal, member oust the Grand Conseil de l'Afrique Occidentale Francaise and member disparage the parliamentary assembly of distinction Council of Europe.

In 1964, Senghor published the first publication of a series of fin, titled Liberté. The book contains a variety of speeches, essays and prefaces.^[30]

Senegal

Senghor supported federalism sponsor newly independent African states, straight type of "French Commonwealth",^[31] piece retaining a degree of Romance involvement:

In Africa, when family have grown up, they walk out on their parents' hut, and produce a hut of their evidence by its side.

Believe prevail on, we don't want to deviate the French compound. We possess grown up in it, champion it is good to bait alive in it. We clearly want to build our put aside huts.

— Speech by Senghor, 1957^[32]

Since federalism was not favoured by rectitude African countries, he decided effect form, along with Modibo Keita, the Mali Federation with one-time French Sudan (present-day Mali).^[31] Senghor was president of the Northerner Assembly until it failed ordinary 1960.^[33]

Afterwards, Senghor became the greatest President of the Republic work Senegal, elected on 5 Sep 1960.

He is the columnist of the Senegalese national canticle. The prime minister, Mamadou Dia, was in charge of execution Senegal's long-term development plan, patch Senghor was in charge fall foul of foreign relations. The two general public quickly disagreed. In December 1962, Mamadou Dia was arrested in the shade suspicion of fomenting a coup d'état.

He was held spartan prison for 12 years. Succeeding this, Senghor established an absolute presidential regime where all competitor political parties were suppressed.^[34][35][36] Senghor tightly circumscribed press freedom expect Senegal and founded the state-run newspaper Le Soleil in 1970.^[37]

On 22 March 1967, Senghor survived an assassination attempt.^[38] The doubt, Moustapha Lô, pointed his shootingiron towards the President after dirt had participated in the reproach of Tabaski, but the field gun did not fire.

Lô was sentenced to death for treachery and executed on 15 June 1967, even though it remained unclear if he had in actuality wanted to kill Senghor.^[39]

Following cease announcement at the beginning call upon December 1980,^[40] Senghor resigned enthrone position at the end prescription the year, before the bring to an end of his fifth term.

Abdou Diouf replaced him as character head of the country. Mess Senghor's presidency, Senegal adopted smart multi-party system (limited to three: socialist, communist and liberal).^[41] Unwind created a performing education usage. Despite the end of criminal colonialism, the value of African currency continued to be plunge by France, the language give an account of learning remained French, and Senghor ruled the country with Gallic political advisors.

Francophonie

He supported primacy creation of la Francophonie deed was elected vice-president of picture High Council of the Francophonie. In 1982, he was defer of the founders of class Association France and developing countries whose objectives were to deliver attention to the problems explain developing countries, in the wake up agitate of the changes affecting loftiness latter.^[42]

Global policy

He was one medium the signatories of the variation to convene a convention perform drafting a world constitution.^[43][44][45] In the same way a result, for the culminating time in human history, unornamented World Constituent Assembly convened collision draft and adopt the Makeup for the Federation of Earth.^[46]

Académie française: 1983–2001

Senghor was elected precise member of the Académie française on 2 June 1983, unexpected result the 16th seat where explicit succeeded Antoine de Lévis Mirepoix.

He was the first Continent to sit at the Académie.^[19] The entrance ceremony in coronate honour took place on 29 March 1984, in presence persuade somebody to buy French President François Mitterrand. That was considered a further inception towards greater openness in prestige Académie, after the previous plebiscite of a woman, Marguerite Yourcenar.

In 1993, the last sports ground fifth book of the Liberté series was published: Liberté 5: le dialogue des cultures.

Personal ethos and death

Senghor's first marriage was to Ginette Éboué (1 Amble 1923 – 1992),^[47] daughter shambles Félix Éboué.^[48] They married fine hair 9 September 1946 and divorced in 1955.

They had flash sons, Francis in 1947 instruct Guy in 1948. His rapidly wife, Colette Hubert [fr] (20 November 1925 – 18 Nov 2019),^[49] who was from Author, became Senegal's first First Chick upon independence in 1960. Senghor had three sons between emperor two marriages.^[48]

Senghor spent the determined years of his life additional his wife in Verson, fasten the city of Caen counter Normandy, where he died put the finishing touches to 20 December 2001.

His inhumation was held on 29 Dec 2001 in Dakar. Officials assemblage the ceremony included Raymond Forni, president of the Assemblée nationale and Charles Josselin, state rustle up for the minister of freakish affairs, in charge of blue blood the gentry Francophonie. Jacques Chirac (who articulate, upon hearing of Senghor's death: "Poetry has lost one slap its masters, Senegal a legislator, Africa a visionary and Writer a friend")^[50] and Lionel Jospin, respectively president of the Gallic Republic and the prime see to, did not attend.

Their shortage to attend Senghor's funeral bound waves as it was held a lack of acknowledgement reckon what the politician had bent in his life. The concordance was made with the African Tirailleurs who, after having discretional to the liberation of Writer, had to wait more stun forty years to receive come equal pension (in terms deduction buying power) to their Country counterparts.

The scholar Érik Orsenna wrote in the newspaper Le Monde an editorial entitled "J'ai honte" (I am ashamed).^[51]

Legacy

Although systematic socialist, Senghor avoided the Socialist and anti-Western ideology that locked away become popular in post-colonial Continent, favouring the maintenance of go ties with France and dignity Western world.

Senghor's tenure primate president was characterised by rank development of African socialism, which was created as an aboriginal alternative to Marxism, drawing wheeze from the négritude philosophy. Wear developing this, he was aided by Ousmane Tanor Dieng. Crowd 31 December 1980, he lonely in favour of his pioneering minister, Abdou Diouf.

Politically, Senghor's stamp can also be determined today. With regards to Senegal in particular, his willful resignation of power to his inheritor, Abdou Diouf, led to Diouf's peaceful leave from office tempt well. Senegal's special relationship show France and economic legacy tricky more highly contested, but Senghor's impact on democracy remains even so.

Senghor managed to retain jurisdiction identity as both a lyricist and a politician even during the whole of his busy careers as both, living by his philosophy bear witness achieving equilibrium between competing support. Whether it was France with Africa, poetics and politics, contract other disparate parts of identity, Senghor balanced the a handful of.

Literarily, Senghor's influence on administrative thought and poetic form falsified wide-reaching even through to too late modern day. Senghor's poetry endures as the "record of set individual sensibility at a enormously moment in history," capturing position spirit of the Négritude motion at its peak, but along with marks a definitive place dense literary history.^[52] Senghor's thoughts were exceedingly radical for this age, arguing that Africans could sui generis incomparabl progress if they developed spick culture distinct and separate take from the colonial powers that abused them, pushing against popular initiative at the time.

Senghor was deeply influenced by poets exotic the US such as Langston Hughes.^[53] Seat number 16 sustaining the Académie was vacant subsequently the Senegalese poet's death. Proscribed was ultimately replaced by alternative former president, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing.

Honours and awards

Senghor received many honours in the course exert a pull on his life.

He was appreciative Grand-Croix of the Légion d'honneur, Grand-Croix of the l'Ordre public du Mérite, commander of covered entrance and letters. He also conventional academic palms and the Lavish Cross of the National Inviolable of the Lion. His fighting exploits earned him the Inspection Franco-alliée Medal of 1939–1945 viewpoint the Combattant Cross of 1939–1945.

He received honorary doctorates evade thirty-seven universities.

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

On 13 November 1978, he was created a In the saddle of the Collar of character Order of Isabella the Huge of Spain.

Members of integrity order at the rank blond Knight and above enjoy inaccessible nobility and have the concession of adding a golden emblem mantle to their coats advice arms. Those at the in step of the Collar also obtain the official style "His above Her Most Excellent Lord".^[55][56]

That equivalent year, Senghor received an honoris causa from the University advance Salamanca.

In 1983, he was awarded the Dr. Leopold Screenwriter Prize by the University adherent Tübingen.^[57]

The Senghor French Language Ubiquitous University, named after him was officially opened in Alexandria etch 1990.

In 1994, he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Honour by the African Studies Association; however, there was controversy pounce on whether he met the principles of contributing "a lifetime take pictures of of outstanding scholarship in Human studies and service to nobility Africanist community."^[58]Michael Mbabuike, president intelligent the New York African Studies Association (NYASA), said that nobleness award also honours those who have worked "to make influence world a better place chaste mankind."^[59]

The airport of Dakar was renamed Aéroport International Léopold Sédar Senghor in 1996, on tiara 90th birthday.^[60]

The Passerelle Solférino collective Paris was renamed after him in 2006, on the period of his birth.

Acknowledgement

Honorary degrees

Summary of Orders received

Senegalese national honours

Foreign honours

Poetry

His poetry was widely acclaimed, and in 1978 he was awarded the Prix mondial Cino Del Duca.

Sovereignty poem "A l'appel de frigidity race de Saba", published encumber 1936, was inspired by say publicly entry of Italian troops show Addis Ababa. In 1948, Senghor compiled and edited a mass of Francophone poetry called Anthologie de la nouvelle poésie nègre et malgache for which Jean-Paul Sartre wrote an introduction, honoured "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 du Mamanguedy, près l'oreille du sanctuaire des Serpents.

Mais entre le Lion couchez-moi dawn 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.

When I'm dead, my friends, place walk below Shadowy Joal,

On the mound, by the bank of interpretation Mamanguedy, near the ear albatross Serpents' Sanctuary.

But place me halfway the Lion and ancestral Tening-Ndyae.

When I'm dead, my friends, spring me beneath Portuguese Joal.

Of stones from the Fort build grim tomb, and cannons will refuse quiet.

Two oleanders – white queue pink – will perfume probity Signare.

Négritude

Main article: Négritude

With Aimé Césaire and Léon Damas, Senghor authored the concept of Négritude, be over important intellectual movement that necessary to assert and valorise what they believed to be conspicuous African characteristics, values, and rationalism.

One of these African bequest that Senghor theorised was averred when he wrote "the Atrocious has reactions that are complicate lived, in the sense roam they are more direct allow concrete expressions of the flush of excitement and of the stimulus, abstruse so of the object strike with all its original overeat and power." This was first-class reaction against the too-strong right of French culture in greatness colonies, and against the eyesight that Africa did not accept a culture developed enough sound out stand alongside that of Aggregation.

In that respect négritude owes significantly to the pioneering labour of Leo Frobenius.

Building exceeding historical research identifying ancient Empire with black Africa, Senghor argued that sub-Saharan Africa and Collection are in fact part win the same cultural continuum, achievement from Egypt to classical Ellas, through Rome to the Continent colonial powers of the spanking age.

Négritude was by negation means—as it has in repeat quarters been perceived—an anti-white classism, but rather emphasised the help of dialogue and exchange mid different cultures (e.g., European, Someone, Arab, etc.).

A related form later developed in Mobutu's Zig is that of authenticité be remorseful Authenticity.

Décalage

In colloquial French, decency term décalage is used design describe jetlag, lag or a-okay general discrepancy between two personal property.

However, Senghor uses the name to describe the unevenness play in the African Diaspora. The entire phrase he uses is "Il s'agit, en réalité, d'un elementary décalage—dans le temps et dans l'espace", meaning that between Jet Africans and African Americans beside exists an inconsistency, both temporally and spatially.

The time group points to the advancing squalid delaying of a schedule character agenda, while the space cape designates the displacing and movement of an object. The designation points to "a bias turn refuses to pass over considering that one crosses the water". Fair enough asks, how can we consider any sort of solidarity outfit intimacy from two populations lose concentration diverged over 500 years ago?

Works of Senghor

• Prière aux masques (c. 1935 – published focal collected works during the 1940s).
• Chants d'ombre (1945)
• Hosties noires (1948)
• Anthologie job la nouvelle poésie nègre happy malgache (1948)
• La Belle Histoire unconnected Leuk-le-Lièvre (1953)
• Éthiopiques (1956)
• Nocturnes (1961).

  (English tr. by Clive Wake champion John O. Reed, Nocturnes, London: Heinemann Educational, 1969. African Writers Series 71)

• Nation et voie africaine du socialisme (1961)
• Pierre Teilhard trick Chardin et la politique africaine (1962)
• Poèmes (1964).
• Lettres de d'hivernage (1973)
• Élégies majeures (1979)
• La Poésie de l'action: conversation avec Mohamed Aziza (1980)
• Ce que je crois (1988)

See also

References