Senegal
Contemporary Francophone Literature and the Arts
Since gaining independence in 1960, Senegal has developed an international aura incommensurable with its demographic size and economic potential. This reputation is largely the result of purposeful cultural diplomacy put into place by the first President of Senegal, the poet Leopold Sedar Senghor. Consistent with his status as one of the founders and advocates of Negritude, Senghor built his political project around promoting the image of Senegal as an Agora known for its celebration of traditional African values as well as the humanistic values that resulted from the encounter between Africa and the West. What has the impact of Senghor’s legacy been on the literary and artistic landscape of contemporary Senegal? What are the most vibrant forms of literary and artistic expression in Senegal today? What are the major paradigms in Senegalese literature and art, and how are they shifting from Senghor’s models?
This experience was life changing as a scholar, teacher, and human being.
Dr. Nakeisha Ferguson
Assistant Professor of Marketing
University of St. Thomas
Senegalese Political Opposition Rapper Movement – Y-en A Marre – featured in 9/19/11 NYTimes. (2011 Senegal IFDS participants met with Y-en A Marre as part of their seminar activities.)