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Saturday, September 14, 2019
Leopold Sedar
Leopold Sedar Senghor (9 October 1906 ââ¬â 20 December 2001) Leopold Sedar Senghor was born in Joal,à Afrique Occidentale Francaiseà (French West Africa now Republic of Senegal), to a Serer (third largest ethnic group in Senegal) Father and Roman Catholic mother. In 1928 Senghor traveled to Paris to continue his studies on a partial scholarship. He became the first black African to become anà agrege, the top qualification for a teacher in the French education system, and became a professor of African languages and civilization at theà Ecole Nationale de la France d'Outre-Mer.When Senegal achieved independence in 1960, Senghor was elected its first president. He retired from the presidency on 31 December 1960. Senghor retired to France, became the first black African member of the French Academy in 1984, and published his memoir,à (ââ¬ËThat Which I Believe: Negritude, Frenchness, and Universal Civilization') in 1988. He died at Verson, France, on 20 December 2001. Phi losophy: Leopold Sedar Senghor believes that every African shares certain distinctive and innate characteristics, values and aesthetics.Negritude is the active rooting of an Black identity in this inescapable and natural African essence. (The major premise of Negritude is therefore that oneââ¬â¢s biological make-up (race) defines oneââ¬â¢s outer (skin color) as well as inner (spirit/essence) traits. It is a concept which holds that there is a ââ¬Ëshared culture and subjectivity and spiritual essenceââ¬â¢ among members of the same racial group. Instead of rejecting the (colonialist) theory that race defines oneââ¬â¢s being; Negritude rejects the assumption that the African is inherently inferior to the ââ¬Å"white manâ⬠.To Senghor, this makes Negritude a weapon against colonialism and an ââ¬Ëinstrument of liberationââ¬â¢. To Senghor, the African essence is externalized in a distinctive culture and philosophy. This claim is supported by Senghorââ¬â¢s asse rtion that Negritude ââ¬â the rooting of identity in oneââ¬â¢s natural essence ââ¬â is ââ¬Ëdiametrically opposed to the traditional philosophy of Europeââ¬â¢ (the colonizer). To Senghor, European philosophy is ââ¬Ëessentially static, objectiveâ⬠¦ It is founded on separation and opposition: on analysis and conflictââ¬â¢.In contrast, African philosophy is based on ââ¬Ëunityââ¬â¢, balance, negotiation and an appreciation of ââ¬Ëmovement and rhythmââ¬â¢. Senghorââ¬â¢s idea of ââ¬Å"Negritudeâ⬠posits an essence for blacks who are intuitive, sensual, and creative. In other words, he argues that blacks have a unique essence, with out which the ââ¬Å"civilization of the Universalâ⬠would be incomplete. (This is reminiscent of Du Boisââ¬â¢ belief that Blacks have a particular value to add to world history). This essence, according to Senghor, is opposite from the white essence, which is based in reason and objectivity.
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