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Senegalese Literature
Senegalese literature is written or literary work (novels, poetry, plays and films) which has been produced by writers born in the West African state. Senegalese literary works are mostly written in French, the language of the colonial administration. However, there are many instances of works being written in Arabic and the native languages of Wolof, Pulaar, Mandinka, Diola, Soninke and Serer. Oral traditions, in the form of Griot storytellers, constitute a historical element of the Senegalese canon and have persisted as cultural custodians throughout the nation’s history. A form of proto-Senegalese literature arose during the mid 19th century with the works of David Abbé Boilat, who produced written ethnographic literature which supported French Colonial rule. This genre of Senegalese literature continued to expand during the 1920s with the works of Bakary Diallo and Ahmadou Mapaté Diagne. Earlier literary examples exist in the form of Qur’anic texts which led to the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Senegal
Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Renndaandi Senegaali); Arabic: جمهورية السنغال ''Jumhuriat As-Sinighal'') is a country in West Africa, on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. Senegal is bordered by Mauritania to the north, Mali to the east, Guinea to the southeast and Guinea-Bissau to the southwest. Senegal nearly surrounds the Gambia, a country occupying a narrow sliver of land along the banks of the Gambia River, which separates Senegal's southern region of Casamance from the rest of the country. Senegal also shares a maritime border with Cape Verde. Senegal's economic and political capital is Dakar. Senegal is notably the westernmost country in the mainland of the Old World, or Afro-Eurasia. It owes its name to the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mariama Bâ
Mariama Bâ (April 17, 1929 – August 17, 1981) was a Senegalese author and feminist, whose two French-language novels were both translated into more than a dozen languages. Born in Dakar, she was raised a Muslim. Her frustration with the fate of African women is expressed in her first novel, ''Une si longue lettre'' (1979; translated into English as ''So Long a Letter''). In this semi-autobiographical epistolary work, Bâ depicts the sorrow and resignation of a woman who must share the mourning for her late husband with his second, younger wife. This short book was awarded the first Noma Award for Publishing in Africa in 1980. Biography Bâ was born in Dakar, Senegal, in 1929, into an educated and well-to-do Senegalese family of Lebu ethnicity. Her father was a career civil servant who became one of the first ministers of state. He was the Minister of Health in 1956 while her grandfather was an interpreter in the French occupation regime. After her mother's death, Bâ was lar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alioune Badara Bèye
Alioune Badara Bèye (born 28 September 1945 in Saint-Louis, Senegal) is a Senegalese civil servant, novelist, playwright, poet, and publisher. In relation to his role as President of L'Association des écrivains du Sénégal (The Senegal Writers' Association), Bèye was the general coordinator of the Festival Mondial des Arts Nègres (Black Arts World Festival) in Dakar Dakar ( ; ; wo, Ndakaaru) (from daqaar ''tamarind''), is the capital and largest city of Senegal. The city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar metropolitan area is estimated at 3.94 million in 2 ... on 14 December 12009. Works *''Dialawali, terre de feu'' ("Dialawali, Land of Fire"), 1980 (theatre) *''Le sacre du cedo'' ("Cedo Coronation") 1982 (theatre) *''Maba, laisse le Sine'' ("Maba, leaves the Sine"), 1987 (theatre) *''Nder en flammes'' ("Nder in Flames"), 1988 (theatre) *''Demain, la fin du monde: un avertissement à tous les dictateurs du monde'' ("Tomorr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cheikh Aliou Ndao
Sheikh (pronounced or ; ar, شيخ ' , mostly pronounced , plural ' )—also transliterated sheekh, sheyikh, shaykh, shayk, shekh, shaik and Shaikh, shak—is an honorific title in the Arabic language. It commonly designates a chief of a tribe or a royal family member in Arabian countries, in some countries it is also given to those of great knowledge in religious affairs as a surname by a prestige religious leader from a chain of Sufi scholars. It is also commonly used to refer to a Muslim religious scholar. It is also used as an honorary title by people claiming to be descended from Hasan ibn Ali and Husayn ibn Ali both patrilineal and matrilineal who are grandsons of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. The term is literally translated to " Elder" (is also translated to "Lord/Master" in a monarchical context). The word 'sheikh' is mentioned in the 23rd verse of Surah Al-Qasas in the Quran. Etymology and meaning The word in Arabic stems from a triliteral root connected wi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Birago Diop
Birago Diop (11 December 1906 – 25 November 1989) was a Senegalese poet and storyteller whose work restored general interest in African folktales and promoted him to one of the most outstanding African francophone writers."Biography of Birago Diop" , African Success. A renowned , diplomat and leading voice of the literary movement, Diop exemplified the "African renaissance man". Early life Son of Ismael and Sokhna Diop, Birago Diop was born on 11 December 1906 in |
Léopold Sédar Senghor
Léopold Sédar Senghor (; ; 9 October 1906 – 20 December 2001) was a Senegalese poet, politician and cultural theorist who was the first president of Senegal (1960–80). Ideologically an African socialist, he was the major theoretician of Négritude. Senghor 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 Prime Minister of Senegal, arresting him on suspicion of fomenting a coup and imprisoning him for 12 years. Senghor established an authoritarian single-party state in Senegal where all rival political parties were prohibited. Senghor was also the founder of t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ousmane Sembène
Ousmane Sembène (; 1 January 1923 or 8 January 1923 – 9 June 2007), often credited in the French style as Sembène Ousmane in articles and reference works, was a Senegalese film director, producer and writer. The ''Los Angeles Times'' considered him one of the greatest authors of Africa and he has often been called the "father of African film". Descended from a Serer family through his mother from the line of Matar Sène, Ousmane Sembène was particularly drawn to Serer religious festivals especially the ''Tuur festival''. Gadjigo, Samba, "Ousmane Sembène: The Making of a Militant Artist", Indiana University Press, (2010), p 16,(Retrieved : 10 August 2012) Early life The son of a fisherman, Ousmane Sembène was born in Ziguinchor in Casamance to a Lebou family. From childhood he was exposed to the Serer religion especially the ''Tuur festival'', in which he was made "cult servant". Although the ''Tuur'' demands offerings of curdled milk to the ancestral spirits (Pangool), S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Boubacar Boris Diop
Boubacar Boris Diop (born 26 October 1946) is a Senegalese novelist, journalist and screenwriter. His best known work, ''Murambi, le livre des ossements'' (translated into English as ''Murambi: The Book of Bones''), is the fictional account of a notorious massacre during the Rwandan genocide of 1994. He is also the founder of '' Sol'', an independent newspaper in Senegal, and the author of many books, political works, plays and screenplays. ''Doomi Golo'' (2003) is one of the only novels ever written in Wolof; it deals with the life of a Senegalese Wolof family. The book was published by Papyrus Afrique, Dakar. He was awarded the 2022 Neustadt International Prize for Literature. Life and career Boubacar Boris Diop was born in Dakar in 1946. He taught literature and philosophy in several Senegalese high schools. He became technical advisor at the Cultural Ministry of Senegal. He began working as a journalist and writer, writing for local newspapers, the Swiss newspaper ''N ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cheikh Hamidou Kane
Cheikh Hamidou Kane (born 2 April 1928) is a Senegalese writer best known for his 1961 novel ''L'Aventure ambiguë'' (''Ambiguous Adventure''), about the interactions of western and African cultures. Its hero is a Fulani boy who goes to study in France, where he loses touch with his Islamic faith and his Senegalese roots. The novel was awarded the Grand prix littéraire d'Afrique noire in 1962. Biography Born in Matam, Senegal, Kane had a traditional Muslim education, before going to Paris, France, to study law at the Sorbonne, subsequently receiving degrees in law and philosophy from the École Nationale de la France d'Outre-Mer. In 1959, he returned to Senegal and served in the government. He also worked in Lagos, Nigeria, and in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, as an official of UNICEF. His autobiographical novel L'Aventure ambiguë was published in 1961, winning the Grand Prix Littéraire d'Afrique Noire the following year. His next novel, ''Les gardiens du temple'', was published in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
