Léopold Sédar Senghor
First president of Senegal, poet, and cultural theorist (1906–2001) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Léopold Sédar Senghor (/sɒŋˈɡɔːr/; French: [sɑ̃ɡɔʁ]; 9 October 1906 – 20 December 2001) was a Senegalese poet, politician, and cultural theorist who was the first president of Senegal (1960–1980).
Léopold Sédar Senghor | |
---|---|
1st President of Senegal | |
In office 6 September 1960 – 31 December 1980 | |
Prime Minister | Mamadou Dia Abdou Diouf |
Preceded by | Office created |
Succeeded by | Abdou Diouf |
Personal details | |
Born | (1906-10-09)9 October 1906 Joal, French West Africa (present-day Senegal) |
Died | 20 December 2001(2001-12-20) (aged 95) Verson, France |
Political party | Socialist Party of Senegal |
Spouse(s) |
Ginette Éboué
(m. 1946; div. 1956); his death |
Alma mater | University of Paris |
Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Signature | |
Military service | |
Allegiance | France |
Branch/service | French Colonial Army |
Years of service | 1939–1942 |
Rank | Private 2e Classe |
Unit | 59th Colonial Infantry Division |
Battles/wars | World War II |
Ideologically an African socialist, Senghor was one of the major theoreticians of Négritude. He was a proponent of African culture, black identity, and African empowerment within the framework of French-African ties. He advocated for the extension of full civil and political rights for France's African territories while arguing that French Africans would be better off within a federal French structure than as independent nation-states.
Senghor became the first president of independent Senegal. He fell out with his long-standing associate Mamadou Dia, who was the prime minister of Senegal, arresting him on suspicion of fomenting a coup and imprisoning him for 12 years. Senghor established an authoritarian one-party state in Senegal where all rival political parties were prohibited.
Senghor was the founder of the Senegalese Democratic Bloc party in 1948. He was the first African elected as a member of the Académie française and won the 1985 International Nonino Prize in Italy. Senghor is regarded by many as one of the most important African intellectuals of the 20th century.