Senghor spent his childhood in Giroro's grandmother's house. 1914 ——1922 studied Catholic teachings and French at the "Father of the Holy Spirit" boarding school of Nga Zobil Catholic Church. 1922—— 1928 studied at Rona Vincens High School and Francis Lieberman Theological Seminary. 1928, senghor won a scholarship to study in France. After completing the preparatory course at Louis legrand Middle School in Paris (that is, Louis the Great High School), he studied at Paris Teachers College. French social elites such as Paul Gus (literary historian), Henry Guy Filek (writer), George Jean Pompidou (former French president) and Robert Odil (leader of the French Socialist Party) are all of them. 193 1 got a bachelor's degree in literature and studied French literature at the University of Paris in the same year. 1933, qualified as a French secondary school teacher and applied for French nationality. 1934 obtained a master's degree in language and literature with excellent results in French, Latin, Greek and algebra. 1935 graduated from the Faculty of Arts of the University of Paris and became the first African-American in France who was qualified to teach French in a university.
From 65438 to 0935, senghor taught Chinese in Descartes Public Middle School in Tours. 1938 10 year 10 month, he was transferred to the Marcelin-Berthelot public middle school in St. Moore-Defosses (also known as St. Moderforth) to teach. In addition to teaching in middle schools, he also teaches linguistics at the Paris Institute of Advanced Studies and Practice led by the famous linguist Lilias Homburger and the Paris Institute of Ethnology where the famous sociologists Marcel Cohen, marcel mauss and Paul Levitt are located. 1936 Join the French branch of Workers International (French Socialist Party).
1939 after the outbreak of world war ii, senghor was drafted into the army and became a private soldier, serving in the 23rd and 3rd colonial infantry regiments of the French foreign legion. 1June, 940, captured by the Germans in the Battle of the Royal River. In the prison camp, he studied German and Greek, continued to study black characteristics and writing, and participated in organizing anti-Nazi activities in the prison camp. From 65438 to 0942, senghor was released for health reasons and continued to teach in Paris. At the same time, he joined the French National Front for Education and participated in the Free French Resistance Movement led by General Charles de Gaulle. After the war, he was awarded the French Union Medal.
Influenced by some black politicians and scholars in France, senghor came into contact with the progressive student movement during his stay in France. In order to counter the prevailing "white racial superiority theory" at that time, he launched the "black identity" movement with Aimee sezer, a black student from Martinique, Leon Damace from French Guiana and others, and founded the Black College Student Newspaper, which published a declaration criticizing the colonial system and safeguarding black dignity.
It was Cecil who put forward the concept of "black identity" and senghor who expounded it theoretically. According to senghor, the so-called "black character" refers to an inherent unique emotion shared by black people all over the world, which represents black people's new consciousness and self-confidence, as well as their outstanding outlook on life. They advocate restoring the dignity of blacks and promoting their values, and think that "being black is a kind of pride". Senghor said that "black identity" is "Africa's cultural heritage" and "a synthesis of African black civilization values" including culture, economy, society and politics.
As a Chinese teacher in French middle schools and universities, senghor often publishes poems and essays that reflect the aspirations of African people. He mainly used poetry as a weapon to criticize and attack western colonialism and white racism. In his poem new york, he pointed out that in this big city of the United States, except for the black areas, there are "hypocrisy bought with money" everywhere, and western civilization is just a "dead world under machines and cannons", which can only be saved by the vitality of black talent. Senghor, like other poets who praise the black characteristics, praises all black things and the traditional spirit of Africa. In the poem "Woman in Black", he praised African women for "covering the whole body like the skin color of life" and "touching people's hearts like lightning hitting an eagle". In the dramatic poem Sharjah, he enthusiastically praised a South African Zulu hero who made outstanding achievements in the anti-colonial struggle. "Black identity" is not only reflected in senghor's cultural criticism and literary works, but also becomes the guiding principle of his political thought as a professional politician in the future.
After the war, while engaging in political activities, senghor continued to write poems aimed at promoting "black identity". His poems have been published successively, such as Song of Ghosts, Sacrifice of Blacks, Selected Poems of Blacks and Madagascar, etc. The Song of Ghosts published by 1945 has attracted the attention of the literary and art circles in Paris. Encouraged by senghor and others, a group of African intellectuals took part in the "black identity" movement. They use magazines and publishing houses such as Africa Existence to publish black papers, novels and poems to express their nostalgia for their homeland and condemn racism and colonialism.
Most of senghor's poems are memories and praises of ancient African civilization, and expose and accuse the hypocrisy of European civilization. In particular, a large number of poems created after World War II severely condemned the evil of colonialism, and at the same time eulogized the beautiful traditional spirit of Africa and looked forward to the arrival of a world without racial discrimination. These wonderful poems written in French with African cultural characteristics have expanded the influence of black poetry in the world and communicated the feelings between Africa and the people of the world, thus making the "black" political and cultural movement go to the world and revolutionary practice.
1945 In September, when senghor returned to Senegal for a holiday, he decided to participate in the upcoming French Constituent Assembly election at the request of the Socialist Union of Senegal. Since then, he has started his career as a professional politician. 1945 65438+1October-1946165438+1October, and was re-elected as a member of the French Constitutional Assembly for two consecutive terms. 1946165438+10 was elected as a member of the French national assembly in October. 1948—— 1958 professor and head of the language department of the French National Institute for Overseas Studies.
In his initial campaign platform, senghor took "breaking the slave chains" and "abolishing the indigenous laws" as the general goal, and only asked for improving the situation of the colonial people, but did not put forward the task of ending the colonial system. Later, in the National Assembly, he proposed a "federal republic plan" to allow the colonies to exercise internal autonomy, which was rejected. 1948 withdrew from the French socialist party and established the Senegalese democratic group (the predecessor of the Senegalese socialist party), the Senegalese branch of the African Democratic Union. At the same time, he joined other African members of the French National Assembly to form a group of African parliamentarians, once again put forward the plan of a "federal republic", demanding that the constitution be amended and an autonomous republic not separated from the French Federation be established. However, this plan was rejected again.
1 955 March1——1956 February1Served as the State Secretary in charge of scientific research in the Prime Minister's Office in the government of Edgar Foley, and participated in the work of UNESCO as the representative of France. 1956 10 was elected mayor of Tis, Senegal. 1July 23rd, 959 —— 196 1 May, 200819th, served as the Minister's Advisor to the Municipal Government of Michel Debray. He is also a member of the Drafting Committee of the Constitution of the Fifth Republic of France, the Chairman of the Senegalese Parliamentary Group, the Grand Council of French West Africa and the Parliament of Council of Europe. From 65438 to 0957, the leaders absorbed several small parties and merged with the Senegalese Action Socialist Party led by Lamine Gay to form the Senegalese Progressive Union, with senghor as the general secretary.
At the end of 1950s, the struggle of African people for independence and liberation was increasingly high. Due to the independence demand of the French colonial people, the French government threw out the "fundamental law" of overseas territories and announced that it would give the French colonies the status of "semi-autonomous Republic" within the French Federation. The "semi-autonomous Republic" has the right to establish territorial parliaments and administrative committees, with the governor as the prime minister and the African as the vice president. According to this "fundamental law", the colonies in French West Africa established territorial councils in March 1957, and the political party headed by senghor won the national election. However, senghor is not interested in this "victory" because it still means that military, diplomatic, financial and economic power is in the hands of the French. In order to gain full autonomy, under the impetus and leadership of senghor, nine political parties in French Africa jointly formed the African Federal Party in March 1958, and held its first congress in July of the same year.
1958, senghor was elected to the constitutional committee of the government of Charles de Gaulle. When considering the draft constitution, he proposed an amendment to determine the principle of autonomy for overseas territories. After many negotiations with Charles de Gaulle, this amendment was submitted to a referendum. In September of the same year, senghor called on all voters to vote for "Charles de Gaulle Constitution" in the referendum proposed by French President Charles de Gaulle, and supported French colonies to join the French Community, so that Senegal became an autonomous republic within the community. However, the Constitution of the Fifth Republic did not stop the independence movement of the illegal colonial people in the West. Guinea became completely independent for the first time in 1958, which greatly inspired the people of Senegal and French Sudan (now the Republic of Mali). At the strong demand of the people, Senegal and the French Sultan established the "Federation of Mali" in April 1959, with senghor as the Speaker of the Federal Parliament. In June 5438+February of the same year, the Federated States of Mali put forward the requirement of "independence within the Community", which forced France to amend the clause in the original Constitution that the member States of the Community should not declare independence. 1In June, 960, Mali was recognized as an independent country within the Community. 1960 In August, the Federation of Mali disintegrated and Senegal and Mali became independent.
1960 On August 25th, the Republic of Senegal was proclaimed. On September 6th of the same year, senghor was unanimously elected as President of the Republic and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. Since then, 1963, 1968, 1973 and 1978 have been re-elected as the president for four times. 1962 65438+February18-65438+1February 26, 970 concurrently served as the prime minister, minister of national defense and minister of public security. 1 May 1979 to1May 1980 served as Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States, and from April 28, 0980 to July, 0980 served as Chairman of the Organization of African Unity. 1976 12. The Senegalese Progressive Alliance was renamed the Senegalese Socialist Party and joined the Socialist International. Senghor was elected as the international vice-president and general secretary of the Senegalese Socialist Party. 1980 65438+Feb. 3 1 Resign from the position of president and retire early. 198 1 1 resigned as the general secretary of the socialist party and completely withdrew from the national political arena.
Senghor and Tunisian President and Chairman of the Socialist Constitutional Party of Tunisia Habib Bourguiba initiated the establishment of the African Socialist International (1988+0 was renamed the African Social Democratic Union in June). 198 1 In February, senghor was elected as the Chairman of the First Congress of the African Socialist International. 19811February "second big",1986 April "third big" re-election, 1988 1988 resigned as chairman at the fourth international congress of the African socialist party. 1982 12 was the honorary chairman of the socialist party of Senegal. 1983 vice chairman of the French higher Committee. After retiring, senghor moved to his wife's hometown of Normandy to spend his old age, and devoted himself to literary creation and language research.
200 1 12 On February 20th, senghor died at the age of 95 at his home near Caen, basse-normandie, and was buried in a Catholic cemetery in Dakar.
Senghor has been married twice in her life. On September 1946, he married Miss Ginette Eboue. Félix éboué, his father-in-law, was the first outstanding black politician. He served as the governor of Martinique, Guadeloupe, overseas province of Chad and French equatorial Africa. 1956 divorced, 1957 married French white lady Collette huber. Senghor has three sons, namely, Ginette Eboue, the eldest son Francis alfin (born on July 20th, 947/kloc-0), the second son Guy Wali (born on September 28th, 948/kloc-0) and the youngest son Collette huber (born on 1948).