The Senegalese state acquired the library of Léopold Sédar Senghor, containing several hundred signed works, including some written by Jacques Prévert or Louis Aragon. This purchase paves the way for a transfer of the books to Dakar.
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The transaction, the amount of which has not been communicated, follows two weeks of negotiations between the heiress of Léopold Sédar Senghor and the State of Senegalrepresented by its ambassador in France, El Hadji Magatte Seye. Half April, an auction had been suspended in Normandyin the north-west of France, at the request of the Senegalese authorities.
This acquisition is very good news for Jean-Gérard Bosio, cultural and diplomatic advisor to Léopold Sédar Senghor for 35 years. “It is a congratulations to be given to the government of Senegal and its head of state for having decided to do everything to find, reacquire and reconstruct what we call Senghor heritage,” he believes.
“ This new team of leaders is thus pursuing these major issues of the State of Senegal and will also be able, we hope, to preserve and transmit this history, these creations, these visions, these Senghor philosophies which are all messages of education for a youth. I believe that there is this need to offer the youth of a country the teachings of the elders and the products of the works of beauty that they have provided », adds Jean-Gérard Bosio.
“ Today there is an extraordinary moment when this can be done, to receive and exhibit works in a lasting way. I believe that this is a pretty fantastic opportunity that the government of Senegal, the men of Senegal will seize. For us, Senghorians, this is our wish and our advice », he concludes.
This acquisition is also very good news for Céline Labrune-Badiane, historian and member of the research group on Léopold Sédar Senghor. A group made up of researchers from Cheick Anta Diop University in Dakar and the École Normale Supérieure. “ We feared the dispersion of this library, certain works of which relate to the emergence of the negritude movement “, she explains.
However, the upcoming return of this heritage to Senegal arouses mixed reactions among the Senegalese, according to her: “ Seen from Senegal, it is a little difficult to understand why Senghor left all of his heritage in France. The fact that the Senegalese state has to buy it back generates a little bitterness. Especially since the memory of Senghor is not completely at peace, in particular because of his very close links with France. But there is also this idea that it is a heritage that belongs to Senegal “.
Last October, the Senegalese State had already acquired objects from Léopold Sédar Senghor for 240,000 euros: medals, official decorations or even gold fountain pens. “ There is still a lot of work to be done to bring together Senghorian heritage, which is scattered, mainly between France and Senegal. », Recalls Céline Labrune-Badiane, who hopes that the latest acquisitions will open a new dynamic to ensure its preservation. The researcher hopes that digitized copies of the archives still present in the former house of Léopold Sédar Senghor, in Verson in Normandy, will be transmitted to Senegal, “because it is a whole part of the history of Senegal from the 60s to the 80s that can be traced through these archives.