Today, Friday, 9th October, the Léopold Sédar Senghor Foundation will launch the “120/25” commemorative programme to honour the 120th anniversary of the poet-president’s birth and the 25th anniversary of his passing.
Centred on the theme “Rootedness and Openness,” the event will bring together intellectuals, artistes, and officials to examine the contemporary relevance of Senghor’s thought through lectures, poetry recitals, and slam poetry performances.
One hundred and twenty years after his birth in Joal on 9th October, 1906, Léopold Sédar Senghor remains a major figure in contemporary thought. As the first president of Senegal, a co-founder of the Négritude movement, a member of the Académie française, and a pioneer of the Francophonie, he advocated throughout his life for a balance between being rooted in African values and remaining open to the “rendezvous of giving and receiving”. Through this dual anniversary — which also marks a quarter-century since his death in 2001 — the Senghor Foundation aims to re-examine the significance of this legacy and offer new perspectives to current and future generations.
To bring this day of tribute to a dynamic close, a musical and slam poetry performance based on Senghor’s work will be presented.
Organised in partnership with the Ministry of Culture, Crafts, and Tourism, the National Assembly, the Socialist Party, and IDEAS, the event will take place at the foundation’s headquarters.
Le Quotidien