Senghor is the first President of Independent Senegal. He writes as a man caught between two worlds, trying to bridge the gap between his African roots and his European education. Indeed, he studied and worked in France. For Senghor, being “free” meant reclaiming the “rhythm” and emotion of African life as essential contributions to the human story.
The writing feels like a conversation about what it means to belong. Senghor, together with Césaire, developed Négritude’s concept that revolves around the literary and artistic contributions coming from francophone authors with diverse roots. He imagines a “Civilization of the Universal”: a global synthesis of cultures, where unique Négritude’s values merge with Western’s. He highlights the concept of “métissage”, that encourages shared human growth.
[Senghor, L. (1964). Liberté 1: Négritude et Humanisme. Éditions du Seuil]
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