L
Thought & scienceSénégal

Léopold Sédar Senghor

1906 – 2001

Poet, theorist of Négritude, first president of Senegal

Léopold Sédar Senghor was a poet, academician and the first president of independent Senegal (1960-1980).

With Aimé Césaire, he theorized Négritude, a movement to reclaim the cultural values of the Black world. The first African elected to the Académie française, he embodies the dialogue of cultures and a continent's pride.