Blaise Diagne
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Blaise Diagne (13 October 1872 – 11 May 1934) was a Senegalese and French political leader and
mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
of
Dakar Dakar ( ; ; wo, Ndakaaru) (from daqaar ''tamarind''), is the capital and largest city of Senegal. The city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar metropolitan area is estimated at 3.94 million in 2 ...
. He was the first person of West African origin elected to the
French Chamber of Deputies Chamber of Deputies (french: Chambre des députés) was a parliamentary body in France in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries: * 1814–1848 during the Bourbon Restoration and the July Monarchy, the Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of ...
, and the first to hold a position in the French government.


Background

Born in
Gorée (; "Gorée Island"; Wolof: Beer Dun) is one of the 19 (i.e. districts) of the city of Dakar, Senegal. It is an island located at sea from the main harbour of Dakar (), famous as a destination for people interested in the Atlantic slave trad ...
to a Senegalese Lebu father—Niokhor Diagne—a cook and sailor, and a Manjack mother of
Guinea-Bissau Guinea-Bissau ( ; pt, Guiné-Bissau; ff, italic=no, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫 𞤄𞤭𞤧𞤢𞥄𞤱𞤮, Gine-Bisaawo, script=Adlm; Mandinka: ''Gine-Bisawo''), officially the Republic of Guinea-Bissau ( pt, República da Guiné-Bissau, links=no ) ...
origin—Gnagna Anthony Preira. Diagne was adopted as a child by the Crespin family who were of mixed race origin from Gorée and
St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
, and Christians. They baptised him as "Blaise". He studied in
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
before joining the French customs service in 1892. He served in Dahomey (modern day
Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north ...
),
French Congo The French Congo (french: Congo français) or Middle Congo (french: Moyen-Congo) was a French colony which at one time comprised the present-day area of the Republic of the Congo and parts of Gabon, and the Central African Republic. In 1910, ...
(now
Republic of the Congo The Republic of the Congo (french: République du Congo, ln, Republíki ya Kongó), also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply either Congo or the Congo, is a country located in the western coast of Central Africa to the w ...
),
Réunion Réunion (; french: La Réunion, ; previously ''Île Bourbon''; rcf, label= Reunionese Creole, La Rényon) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas department and region of France. It is located approximately east of the island ...
,
Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...
, and
French Guiana French Guiana ( or ; french: link=no, Guyane ; gcr, label=French Guianese Creole, Lagwiyann ) is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France on the northern Atlantic ...
. In September 1899, while in Réunion, Diagne became a
freemason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...
, joining a lodge affiliated with the Grand Orient de France.


Political career

Diagne was elected to the
Chamber of Deputies of France Chamber of Deputies (french: Chambre des députés) was a parliamentary body in France in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries: * 1814–1848 during the Bourbon Restoration and the July Monarchy, the Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of ...
in 1914 as the representative for the
Four Communes The Four Communes (French: ''Quatre Communes'') of Senegal were the four oldest colonial towns in French West Africa. In 1848 the French Second Republic, Second Republic extended the rights of full French citizenship to the inhabitants of Saint-L ...
. During World War I, Diagne helped the French to conscript Senegalese citizens into the regular French Army. The Four Communes were subsequently ensured citizenship status in France. He was reelected several times, serving until his death in 1934. From 1914 to 1917 he caucused with the Marxist-socialist
Section française de l'Internationale ouvrière The French Section of the Workers' International (french: Section française de l'Internationale ouvrière, SFIO) was a political party in France that was founded in 1905 and succeeded in 1969 by the modern-day Socialist Party. The SFIO was foun ...
, forerunner of the French Socialist Party, before affiliating with the Independents led by
Georges Mandel Georges Mandel (5 June 1885 – 7 July 1944) was a French journalist, politician, and French Resistance leader. Early life Born Louis George Rothschild in Chatou, Yvelines, he was the son of a tailor and his wife. His family was Jewish, originally ...
. In 1914 after recently becoming the newly elected deputy of Senegal, Blaise Diagne was critical in the government intervention in an outbreak of plague which struck Dakar. In 1916 Diagne convinced the French parliament to approve a law () granting full citizenship to all residents of the so-called
Four Communes The Four Communes (French: ''Quatre Communes'') of Senegal were the four oldest colonial towns in French West Africa. In 1848 the French Second Republic, Second Republic extended the rights of full French citizenship to the inhabitants of Saint-L ...
in Senegal: Dakar, Gorée, Saint-Louis, and Rufisque. This extension of citizenship occurred during World War I when the French needed to recruit its African population into the military. As part of Diagne's deal with the French to grant citizenship, he helped them organize military recruitment in Senegal. This measure constituted a considerable element of the French colonial policy of a "
civilizing mission The civilizing mission ( es, misión civilizadora; pt, Missão civilizadora; french: Mission civilisatrice) is a political rationale for military intervention and for colonization purporting to facilitate the Westernization of indigenous pe ...
" (). He was a leading recruiter for the French army during
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, when thousands of black West Africans fought on the Western Front for France. After the war, Diagne embarked on an administrative career in addition to his responsibilities as a parliamentary deputy. From October 1918 to January 1920 he served as Commissioner General of the Ministry of the Colonies with supervision of military personnel from the colonies and workers from France's African possessions. He represented France in the International Labor Office, the secretariat of the
International Labour Organization The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is the first and o ...
, in 1930. From January 1931 to February 1932 he was Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies, a junior level
cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filing ...
position. From 1920 to 1934 he served as mayor of Dakar. He died in
Cambo-les-Bains Cambo-les-Bains (; eu, Kanbo) is a town in the traditional Basque province of Labourd, now in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France. It lies on the south-western bank of the river Nive. Cambo-les-Bains station has rail ...
in 1934.


Legacy

He was a pioneer of African electoral politics and an advocate of equal rights for all, regardless of race. He encouraged African accommodation of French rule and the adoption of French cultural and social norms. Though he was ahead of his time in 1914, by the later years of his life, African colonial politics had passed him by. He continued to advocate an African role in France while most Western-educated African elites embraced African nationalism and worked for eventual independence from the colonial powers.
African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
historian and
Pan-Africanist Pan-Africanism is a worldwide movement that aims to encourage and strengthen bonds of solidarity between all Indigenous and diaspora peoples of African ancestry. Based on a common goal dating back to the Atlantic slave trade, the movement ext ...
W. E. B. Du Bois faulted him harshly for a perceived lack of commitment to African interests "...Diagne is a Frenchman who is accidentally black. I suspect Diagne rather despises his own black Wolofs." It is alleged that he was not buried in the Muslim cemetery of Soumbedioune in Dakar because of his freemasonry. However, a large boulevard () and a high school () in Dakar were named in his honor, as well as Senegal's new international airport,
Blaise Diagne International Airport Blaise Diagne International Airport (french: link=no, Aéroport international Blaise Diagne, ) is an international airport near the town of Diass in Thiès Region, Senegal, east of downtown Dakar. It serves as the main airport for Dakar, replac ...
in
Ndiass Ndiass is a village and rural community in the M'bour Department in the Thies Region of Senegal. It is located southeast of Dakar. According to PEPAM (Programme d'eau potable et d'assainissement du Millénaire), Ndiass has a population of 4794. ...
, outside of Dakar. His son Raoul was the first black man to play professional football in France and had great success playing for
Racing Club de France Racing Club de France, also known as RCF, is a French omnisport club that was founded on 20 April 1882 under the name Racing Club. Racing Club changed its name to Racing Club de France (RCF) on 21 November 1885. The club is located at the Bois d ...
in the late 1930s, winning the French title in 1936 and the French cup in 1936, 1939, and 1940. His like-named grandson was born in Paris in 1954 to his son Adolphe (1907–1985, a French medical officer). The younger Blaise became mayor of the French village of
Lourmarin Lourmarin (; oc, Lormarin) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. Its inhabitants are called ''Lourmarinois''. Geography Lourmarin is located in the French region of Provence, ...
in the Lubéron mountains of
Provence Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bor ...
in 2001 and was reelected in 2008. According to him the memory of his grandfather was scarcely mentioned within the family, "but my parents have always been very discreet about this family history" (french: Mais mes parents ont toujours été très discrets sur cette histoire familiale). His mother and grandmother were both French "white" women. When interviewed in 2005, the younger Blaise said he had not traveled to Senegal since 1960 and thought he "has nothing to bring there".Corinne Deriot,
'
, ', 5 December 2005


See also

*
List of mayors of Dakar The following is a list of mayors of the city of Dakar, Senegal. Senegal was under French colonial rule until April 1960. * Jean Alexandre, circa 1887 * Charles De Margueritte Monfort, circa 1892 * Jean Alexandre, circa 1896 * Fernand Marsat, 1898 ...
*
Timeline of Dakar The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Dakar, Senegal. Prior to 20th century * 1857 ** Gorée merchants settle in Dakar. ** French build fort on Dakar Point. * 1862 – "Master plan for Dakar is drafted by Émile Pinet-La ...


References and sources

;References ;Sources * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Diagne, Blaise 1872 births 1934 deaths People from Dakar Serer politicians People of French West Africa Republican-Socialist Party politicians French Section of the Workers' International politicians Members of the 11th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic Members of the 12th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic Members of the 13th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic Members of the 14th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic Members of the 15th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic Mayors of Dakar French Freemasons Aix-Marseille University alumni French people of Senegalese descent French people of Bissau-Guinean descent Senegalese people of Bissau-Guinean descent