Senegal – History

Predominant religion at present time – Muslim/Islam

French/European Colonialism

From middle of 17th century to at least middle of 19 th century, when Europeans referred to the “African Trade”, they meant trade with West Africa, specifically the coast from Senegal to the Congo.

Value of this trade increased continuously. For example by latter part of 18 th century worth $10 million a year

Based on exportation of one commodity, African slaves for service on American plantations

Between 1650 – 1830 6 million slaves were taken (average of 44,000 people per year)

1817 following the peace settlement after the Napoleonic wars, French were able to return to Senegal, where they had been strongly established a century earlier

Occupied St. Louis and Goree [See info on Goree Island]

African labor could no longer be exported

Attempted to employ the labor locally on plantations to grow the same crops as in the West Indies (failed within 5 years)

Authoritarianism was justified by the belief that assimilation of African masses to French culture and civilization wasn’t feasible any time soon

Africans were Muslim or tribal – unsuitable as French citizens

The best hope was association with France as subjects (obligations of citizenship without the rights)

Acquisition of citizenship requirements:

• Education in French schools
• Performing military service
• Minimum of civilian French employment
• Agreeing to be monogamous
• Forswear traditional or Islamic law and custom

[Note: Little impact before 1940’s because French influence was scattered. Then assimilation was successful among upper classes; among lover classes resistance was much stronger.]

Negritude: The black man need not be an inferior replica of the white; he had his own distinctive culture and history behind him. If he and his kind could unite, and absorb what they needed from white culture and not let it absorb them, the African nation would be reborn and could equal or excel anything the whites could do.

Principal apostle of negritude – Leopold Senghor [See Leopold Senghor]

Attacked by Ousmane as idle talk by African elites and has little meaning in real life; too much on Blackness

Ousmane was more interested in popular (anti-colonial) resistance movement (eventually led to independence)

Independence – Senegal grew to be the base for federal services in West Africa

Ultimately, though Senegal needed as much aid as it could get to maintain the top-heavy super-structure inherited from the old French West Africa Federation

Wolof – 36 % of Senegal’s population

Traditionally agricultural

Language is spoken by 80% of population (major unifying force for Senegal)

[See Family Relations]