Who is Senghor?

He is regarded by many as one of the most important African intellectuals of the 20th century. Léopold Sédar Senghor was born on 9 October 1906 in the city of Joal, some 110 kilometres south of Dakar, capital of Senegal.

What did Ahmed Senghor do for Senegal?

Elected on the Socialist ticket, Senghor founded the Senegalese Democratic Bloc in 1948 and, as that party’s candidate, was reelected by a wide margin in the 1951 elections for the French National Assembly. Five years later he became mayor of Thiès, Senegal’s railroad centre, and was reelected deputy.

Where did Senghor write his poetry?

Residing part-time in France, he wrote poems of resistance in French which engaged his Catholic spirituality even as they celebrated his Senegalese heritage. Senghor is the author of several collections of poetry, including Chants d’ombre (1945), Nocturnes (1961), and The Collected Poetry (1991, translated by Melvin Dixon).

What did Senghor do in the Negritude movement?

Senghor became Negritude’s foremost spokesman. In 1947 he helped establish the journal Présence Africaine, which published the works of African writers, and in 1948 he edited an anthology of French-language poetry by black Africans that became a seminal text of the Negritude movement.

Who was Basile Senghor?

His father, Basile Diogoye Senghor (pronounced: Basile Jogoy Senghor), was a businessman and merchant belonging to the bourgeois Serer people. Basile Senghor was said to be a wealthy person and owned thousands of cattle and vast lands, some of which were given to him by his cousin the king of Sine.

What honours did Senghor receive?

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 arts and letters. He also received academic palms and the Grand-Croix of the l’Ordre du lion du Sénégal.