Belonging to an aristocratic family, Senghor studied in Senegal and obtained his baccalaureate. At the age of 22, he came to France for the first time to continue his studies in Paris, where he met Aimé Césaire. Passionate about French letters, he became a professor of classics and was the first African to obtain the aggregation. He was then enlisted in the French army during the Second World War, was captured by the Germans and almost shot. He wrote many poems during his detention. At the end of the war, he entered politics under the communist banner and became a member of the National Assembly. Supporting the Francophonie, he made the link between decolonized black Africa and France. From 1960, Léopold Sédar Senghor returned to Senegal where he was elected President of the Republic. He resigned in 1980 in favor of his Prime Minister.
1906 - 2001
Status
Politician
Writer