IFAN (I.F.A.N., Institut fondamental d'Afrique noire or Fundamental Institute of
Black Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa is, geographically, the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lies south of the Sahara. These include West Africa, East Africa, Central Africa, and Southern Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the African co ...
) is a cultural and scientific institute in the nations of the former
French West Africa
French West Africa (french: Afrique-Occidentale française, ) was a federation of eight French colonial territories in West Africa: Mauritania, Senegal, French Sudan (now Mali), French Guinea (now Guinea), Ivory Coast, Upper Volta (now Burki ...
. Founded 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 ...
,
Senegal
Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 ...
in 1938 as the Institut français d’Afrique noire (French Institute of Black Africa), the name was changed only in 1966. It was headquartered in what is now the building of the
IFAN Museum of African Arts Ifan may refer to:
People
*Ifan (given name), list of people with this name
* Ifan Evans (born 1983), Welsh rugby union player
* Wil Ifan
* The nickname of Riefian Fajarsyah of a former Seventeen member, disbanded by 2018 Sunda Strait tsunam ...
. Since its founding, its charge was to study the language, history, and culture of the peoples ruled by
French colonialism
The French colonial empire () comprised the overseas colonies, protectorates and mandate territories that came under French rule from the 16th century onward. A distinction is generally made between the "First French Colonial Empire", that existe ...
in Africa.
Early history
IFAN first formed from a combination of three forces: the French colonial "
Civilizing mission
The civilizing mission ( es, misión civilizadora; pt, Missão civilizadora; french: Mission civilisatrice) is a political rationale for military intervention and for colonization purporting to facilitate the Westernization of indigenous pe ...
", the desire for more efficient
Indirect rule
Indirect rule was a system of governance used by the British and others to control parts of their colonial empires, particularly in Africa and Asia, which was done through pre-existing indigenous power structures. Indirect rule was used by variou ...
through the understanding of African cultures, and research into the resources of the French dominion in Africa. Governors General
Ernest Roume
Ernest Nestor Roume (12 July 1858 – 16 April 1941) was a French colonial administrator and a governor of French West Africa from 15 March 1902 to 15 December 1907, and governor of French Indochina from 1915-1916.
References
Further reading
*Pa ...
(1902–1908) and
William Ponty (1908–1914) oversaw a reorganization of the French higher educational system in the colonies, and placing
Georges Hardy in charge, moved the colonial administration into a model which used elements from both a "Direct",
Assimilationist
Cultural assimilation is the process in which a minority group or culture comes to resemble a society's majority group or assume the values, behaviors, and beliefs of another group whether fully or partially.
The different types of cultural assi ...
policy and an
Indirect, rule by African proxy policy. The first required educational resources be created provided for the small minority of "''assimilated''" Africans, while the later required French colonial administrators be educated in the workings of African societies. To these ends, Hardy oversaw the creation of the
École normale supérieure William Ponty
École William Ponty was a government teachers' college in French West Africa, in what is now Senegal. The school is now in Kolda, Senegal, where it is currently known as École de formation d’instituteurs William Ponty. It is associated with t ...
(under the administration of
Joseph Clozel), the publication ''Bulletin de l'Enseigement en AOF'', and the ''Comite d'etudes historiques et scientifiques de l'AOF'' (1918). This last, immensely successful as a scientific journal, inaugurated what one historian has called an era of "..knowledge and control."
These imperial (or at best
paternalist
Paternalism is action that limits a person's or group's liberty or autonomy and is intended to promote their own good. Paternalism can also imply that the behavior is against or regardless of the will of a person, or also that the behavior expres ...
) scientific tools were turned on their head in a number of ways. First, the African higher education system (and the École William Ponty in particular) became the incubator for the political leaders of the independence movement. The study of African cultures, though invaluable to modern historians, did little to legitimize French rule through their
Chefs du Canton, but it did provide Francophone West Africans (such as
Léopold Senghor
Leopold may refer to:
People
* Leopold (given name)
* Leopold (surname)
Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters
* Leopold (''The Simpsons''), Superintendent Chalmers' assistant on ''The Simpsons''
* Leopold Bloom, the protagonist o ...
) with the materials to bolster their sense of cultural importance, as demonstrated in the
Negritude movement. Finally, Europeans and Africans who opposed colonial rule came together in the years after the founding of IFAN in Dakar. IFAN was first conceived as an integration of various French colonial research systems in the early 1930s, and the vision was one of putting science to the service of the colonial project.
Jules Brévié
Joseph-Jules Brévié (12 March 1880 – 28 July 1964) was a French colonial administrator who became governor-general of French West Africa from 1930 to 1936, and then governor-general of French Indochina from 1937 to 1939. He promoted liberal an ...
, governor of
French West Africa
French West Africa (french: Afrique-Occidentale française, ) was a federation of eight French colonial territories in West Africa: Mauritania, Senegal, French Sudan (now Mali), French Guinea (now Guinea), Ivory Coast, Upper Volta (now Burki ...
from 1930 to 1936, wrote that "colonization needs scholars, impartial and disinterested researchers with broad vision, outside of the urgency and fire of action. He wanted a methodical research program into colonial history and African culture, and lobbied for an official scientific institute to undertake geographical, ethnographic and historical research.
The Popular Front government, in 1936, converted the ''Comite d'etudes historiques et scientifiques de l'AOF'' into the Dakar-based IFAN, and placed naturalist
Théodore Monod
Théodore André Monod (9 April 1902 – 22 November 2000) was a French naturalist, humanist, scholar and explorer.
Exploration
Early in his career, Monod was made professor at the ''Muséum national d'histoire naturelle'' and founded the '' Inst ...
at its head.
From the opening of the institute in 1938, Monod sought to promote Africans into positions of authority in IFAN, such as ethnologist
Amadou Hampâté Bâ
Amadou Hampâté Bâ ( ff, 𞤀𞤸𞤥𞤢𞤣𞤵 𞤖𞤢𞤥𞤨𞤢𞥄𞤼𞤫 𞤄𞤢𞥄, Ahmadu Hampaate Baa, 1900/1901 – 15 May 1991) was a Malian writer, historian and ethnologist. He was an influential figure in twentieth-cent ...
. With the end of the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, an influx of African intellectuals and French radicals (such as
Jean Suret-Canale
Jean Suret-Canale (27 April 1921 – 23 June 2007) was a French historian of Africa, Marxist theoretician, political activist, and World War II French Resistance fighter.
Suret-Canale was born to father Victor Suret-Canale (1883–1958), an engrav ...
) found homes in IFAN and its branches, some taking part in political agitation through organisations like the
Senegalese Popular Front, the
RDA, and the
Communist Study Groups Communist Study Groups (in French: ''Groupes d'Etudes Communistes''), was a communist group in colonial French West Africa/French Equatorial Africa. GEC was founded in 1943, under the influence of the French Communist Party. GEC formed branches in ...
of the 1940s.
As independence loomed in the 1950s, IFAN became an increasingly African institution. It formed a parallel
National Archives to the Archives of the Governor General in Dakar, with Monod and the IFAN answering directly to the
Minister of Overseas France
The Minister of the Overseas (french: Ministre des Outre-mer) is the official in charge of the Ministry of the Overseas in the Government of the French Republic, responsible for overseeing Overseas France. The office was titled Minister of ...
- a rare degree of autonomy under the
AOF AOF may stand for:
* Academy of Finance, the finance-based high school education program sponsored by the National Academy Foundation.
* ''Afrique Occidentale Française'' ( French West Africa), a former grouping of French colonies.
* Aggregate Obj ...
system. By independence IFAN had offices in
Saint-Louis,
Abidjan
Abidjan ( , ; N'Ko script, N’ko: ߊߓߌߖߊ߲߬) is the economic capital of the Ivory Coast. As of the Demographics of Ivory Coast, 2021 census, Abidjan's population was 6.3 million, which is 21.5 percent of overall population of the country, ...
,
Bamako
Bamako ( bm, ߓߡߊ߬ߞߐ߬ ''Bàmakɔ̌'', ff, 𞤄𞤢𞤥𞤢𞤳𞤮 ''Bamako'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Mali, with a 2009 population of 1,810,366 and an estimated 2022 population of 2.81 million. It is located on t ...
,
Cotonou
Cotonou (; fon, Kútɔ̀nú) is a city in Benin. Its official population count was 679,012 inhabitants in 2012; however, over two million people live in the larger urban area.
The urban area continues to expand, notably toward the west. The ci ...
,
Niamey
Niamey () is the capital and largest city of Niger. Niamey lies on the Niger River, primarily situated on the east bank. Niamey's population was counted as 1,026,848 as of the 2012 census. As of 2017, population projections show the capital di ...
,
Ouagadougou
Ouagadougou ( , , ) is the capital and largest city of Burkina Faso and the administrative, communications, cultural, and economic centre of the nation. It is also the country's largest city, with a population of 2,415,266 in 2019. The city's n ...
, associated centers in
Douala
Douala is the largest city in Cameroon and its economic capital. It is also the capital of Cameroon's Littoral Region (Cameroon), Littoral Region. Home to Central Africa's largest port and its major international airport, Douala International Ai ...
and
Lomé
Lomé is the capital and largest city of Togo. It has an urban population of 837,437 , and permanent scientific research stations in
Atar
Atar, Atash, or Azar ( ae, 𐬁𐬙𐬀𐬭, translit=ātar) is the Zoroastrian concept of holy fire, sometimes described in abstract terms as "burning and unburning fire" or "visible and invisible fire" (Mirza, 1987:389). It is considered to b ...
,
Diafarabé
Diafarabé is a village and rural commune of the Cercle of Ténenkou in the Mopti Region of Mali. The commune is at the southern boundary of the '' cercle''. It covers an area of approximately 980 square kilometers and extends on both sides of ...
, and
Mont-Nimba. The 1940s and 50s saw more such projects undertaken, such as the 1943 ''Office of Colonial Scientific Research'' (Now the ORSTOM Soil Research Centre in Dakar-Hann) and the
University of Dakar
Cheikh Anta Diop University (french: Université Cheikh Anta Diop or UCAD), also known as the Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar, is a university in Dakar, Senegal. It is named after the Senegalese physicist, historian and anthropologist Cheikh ...
in 1957. Each of these institutions, begun as colonial instruments, evolved with the coming of independence into African tools to meet African needs.
Independence
By independence in 1960 IFAN had branches across French West Africa, in all the cities which were to become the capitals of independent states. The Dakar IFAN was transferred to
Cheikh Anta Diop University
Cheikh Anta Diop University (french: Université Cheikh Anta Diop or UCAD), also known as the Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar, is a university in Dakar, Senegal. It is named after the Senegalese physicist, historian and anthropologist Cheikh ...
in 1960, and Monod was kept on as director until 1965. In 1986 it was officially renamed "''IFAN Cheikh Anta Diop''", and maintains budgets, administration and staff independent of the university. It is today one of the most prestigious centers for the study of African culture in the world. As the main cultural research center of the colonies of French West Africa, it contains important collections from across Francophone Africa. Most branches of IFAN, notably in
Conakry
Conakry (; ; sus, Kɔnakiri; N’ko: ߞߐߣߊߞߙߌ߫, Fula: ''Konaakiri'' 𞤑𞤮𞤲𞤢𞥄𞤳𞤭𞤪𞤭) is the capital and largest city of Guinea. A port city, it serves as the economic, financial and cultural centre of Guinea. Its p ...
(
Guinea
Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...
),
Abidjan
Abidjan ( , ; N'Ko script, N’ko: ߊߓߌߖߊ߲߬) is the economic capital of the Ivory Coast. As of the Demographics of Ivory Coast, 2021 census, Abidjan's population was 6.3 million, which is 21.5 percent of overall population of the country, ...
(
Cote d'Ivoire
Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...
), and
Bamako
Bamako ( bm, ߓߡߊ߬ߞߐ߬ ''Bàmakɔ̌'', ff, 𞤄𞤢𞤥𞤢𞤳𞤮 ''Bamako'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Mali, with a 2009 population of 1,810,366 and an estimated 2022 population of 2.81 million. It is located on t ...
(
Mali
Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mali ...
), became the basis for national archives and research centers. Some still retain the "IFAN" title. The IFAN of
Soudan Francais became the
National Museum of Mali
The National Museum of Malí (french: Musée national du Mali) is an archaeological and anthropological museum located in Bamako, the capital of Mali. It presents permanent and temporary exhibits on the history of Mali, as well as the musical inst ...
, while IFAN of
French Guinea
French Guinea (french: Guinée française) was a French colonial possession in West Africa. Its borders, while changed over time, were in 1958 those of the current independent nation of Guinea.
French Guinea was established by France in 1891, ...
became the ''Institut National de Recherche et Documentation'': the National Library, Archives and Museum of
Guinea
Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...
.
Publishing
IFAN publishes a number of academic journals. ''Mémoire de l'IFAN'' and ' (abbreviated ''BIFAN'') mostly deal with
linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Linguis ...
,
anthropology
Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of behavi ...
, history and
archeology
Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...
.
[See the bibliographical essay on pp.304-305 of ]
Peter Duignan, Lewis H. Gann, Victor Witter. ''Colonialism in Africa'', 1870-1960. Cambridge University Press (1975)
The Centre de Linguistique Appliquée de Dakar, in conjunction with IFAN, has published extensive work on the
Languages of Africa
The languages of Africa are divided into several major language families:
* Niger–Congo or perhaps Atlantic–Congo languages (includes Bantu and non-Bantu, and possibly Mande and others) are spoken in West, Central, Southeast and Southern ...
, notably the multi-volume ''Lexique Wolof-Français''. Other sections of IFAN have published collections on everything from the fish to the dance of the West African region.
References
External links
*
Ucad.org: ''BIFAN'' archives— ''at
Cheikh Anta Diop University
Cheikh Anta Diop University (french: Université Cheikh Anta Diop or UCAD), also known as the Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar, is a university in Dakar, Senegal. It is named after the Senegalese physicist, historian and anthropologist Cheikh ...
''.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Institut Fondamental D'afrique Noire
African studies
French West Africa
Cheikh Anta Diop University
Arts organisations based in Senegal
Arts organizations established in 1938
1938 establishments in Senegal