Senghor: Writings on Politics

Léopold Sédar Senghor (1906–2001) was a poet, philosopher, and the first president of Senegal. Yohann C. Ripert is Associate Professor of French and Francophone Studies at Stetson University.

“Demonstrating the resilience and currency of Léopold Sédar Senghor’s singular genius, this important collection represents the key philosophical, poetic, and existential moments in the long life of the poet-president and pillar of the Négritude movement. The translation of these essays into English could not have come at a better time, when the challenges of democracy and sustainable development are at the center of debates in Africa.” - Manthia Diawara, author of African Film: New Forms of Aesthetics and Politics “Léopold Sédar Senghor’s prose, political and philosophical essays, and social commentary have been long neglected. This volume provides insight into Senghor’s political thought and his political life as president of newly independent Senegal - the poet as statesman. Scholars of African and African Diaspora studies, colonialism and postcolonialism, and Francophone studies will overwhelming welcome this book.” - Donna Jones, author of The Racial Discourses of Life Philosophy: Négritude, Vitalism, and Modernity

• Translator's Introduction / Yohann C. Ripert ix1. The Problem of Culture in French West Africa 12. What the Black Man Brings 133. Marxism and Humanism 314. Negro-American Poetry 475. For a Federalist Solution 656. Like the Manatees Go Drink at the Source 777. Balkanization of Federation 878. From Fodéba Keita African Ballet 919. From Federation to the Civilization of the Universal 9710. Negritude Is a Humanism of the Twentieth Century 10511. Francophonie as Culture 11512. For a Senegalese Tapestry 12713. The Problematic of Negritude 131Acknowledgments 151Bibliography 153​Index