Felwine Sarr (born 11 September 1972) is a

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

ese academic, musician and writer of novels and cultural essays, born in Sine Saloum, Niodior Arrondissement. He studied

economics Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...

and taught this subject at the

Gaston Berger University Gaston Berger University (GBU), or L'Université Gaston Berger (UGB), located some outside Saint-Louis, was the second university established in Senegal (the first being Cheikh Anta Diop University). Originally the University of Saint-Louis, it ...

(Senegal) until his move in 2020 as Anne-Marie Bryan Distinguished Professor in the Department of Romance Studies at

Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...

in the United States.

Biography

Born on 11 September 1972, Felwine Sarr conducted his primary and secondary education in Senegal, and then went to France where he obtained an

agrégation In France, the () is the most competitive and prestigious examination for civil service in the French public education A state school, public school, or government school is a primary school, primary or secondary school that educates all stu ...

in economics. In 2011, he became dean of the economics and management faculty of the University Gaston Berger of Saint-Louis, Senegal, and head of the new faculty of Civilizations, Religions, Arts and Communication (CRAC) of the same university, for which he also was in charge of the implementation. His lectures and academic research focus on

postcolonial theory Postcolonialism (also post-colonial theory) is the critical academic study of the cultural, political and economic consequences of colonialism and imperialism, focusing on the impact of human control and exploitation of colonized people and th ...

, economic policies, development, economy, econometrics,

epistemology Epistemology is the branch of philosophy that examines the nature, origin, and limits of knowledge. Also called "the theory of knowledge", it explores different types of knowledge, such as propositional knowledge about facts, practical knowle ...

and the history of religious ideas. Further, he has been vice-chairman of the Board of Directors of OSIWA (

Open Society Initiative for West Africa The Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) is an organization in West Africa. OSIWA was established in 2000 as a part of the global network of Soros Foundations. OSIWA claims to promote "open societies where democracy, good governance, th ...

) since 2014 and is also the editor of the ''Journal of African Transformation''. He is from a family of musicians, including Saliou Waa Guendoum Sarr and Sahad Sarr.

Publications and musical career

Apart from being an academic, Sarr is also a writer and was awarded the

Grand Prix of Literary Associations The Grand Prix of Literary Associations (GPLA) were launched in 2013 in Cameroon, in partnership with Brasseries du Cameroun and sponsorship by Castel Beer. The GPLA are defined as bilingual English-and-French literary prizes, some being awar ...

in 2016 (Research Category) for his essay entitled ''Afrotopia'' (Philippe Rey, 2016).Source
Camer.be
In this essay, he argues for a conceptual

decolonization of knowledge Decolonization of knowledge (also epistemic decolonization or epistemological decolonization) is a concept advanced in decolonial scholarship that critiques the perceived hegemony of Western knowledge systems. It seeks to construct and legitimi ...

and a reappropriation of the metaphors of their own future by Africans. In a presentation of the English translation of this work, Duke University's Trinity College of Arts and Sciences commented as follows: "Sarr elaborates Africa's unique philosophies and notions of communal value and economy deeply rooted in its ancient traditions and landscape". Further, Sarr has published the novels ''Dahij'' (2009), ''105 Rue Carnot'' (2011), and ''Médiations Africaines'' (2012). As a musician, he has published three musical compositions: ''Civilisation ou Barbarie'' (2000), ''Les Mots du Récit'' (2005), and ''Bassai'' (2007). With the writers Boubacar Boris Diop and Nafissatou Dia, he cofounded the publishing house Jimsaan. Since 2014, he has been vice-president of the board of directors at

OSIWA The Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) is an organization in West Africa. OSIWA was established in 2000 as a part of the global network of Soros Foundations. OSIWA claims to promote "open societies where democracy, good governance, th ...

(Open Society Initiative for West Africa). Felwine Sarr is also editor of the ''Journal of African Transformation'' (

CODESRIA The Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA, French: ''Conseil pour le développement de la recherche en sciences sociales en Afrique'') is Pan-African research organisation headquartered in Dakar, Senegal. The ...

UNECA The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA or ECA; , CEA) was established in 1958 by the United Nations Economic and Social Council to encourage economic cooperation among its member states (the nations of the Africa, African contin ...

). In October 2016, Sarr and Cameroonian philosopher

Achille Mbembe Joseph-Achille Mbembe (; born 1957), is a Cameroon, Cameroonian historian and political theorist who is a research professor in history and politics at the Wits Institute for Social and Economy Research at the University of the Witwatersrand. He ...

founded Ateliers de la Pensée (Workshops of Thought), which have brought together intellectuals and artists from Africa and its

diaspora A diaspora ( ) is a population that is scattered across regions which are separate from its geographic place of birth, place of origin. The word is used in reference to people who identify with a specific geographic location, but currently resi ...

in Dakar and Saint-Louis to discuss contemporary problems from an African perspective. In 2018, Sarr and French art historian

Bénédicte Savoy Bénédicte Savoy ( ; born 22 May 1972) is a French art historian, specialising in the critical enquiry of the provenance of works of art, including looted art and other forms of illegally acquired cultural objects. Savoy is professor of modern ...

were asked by the president of France,

Emmanuel Macron Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron (; born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as President of France and Co-Prince of Andorra since 2017. He was Ministry of Economy and Finance (France), Minister of Economics, Industr ...

, to investigate the state of African cultural heritage in French state-owned

museum A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...

s. Their ''

Report on the restitution of African cultural heritage ''The Restitution of African Cultural Heritage. Toward a New Relational Ethics'' (in French: ''Rapport sur la restitution du patrimoine culturel africain. Vers une nouvelle éthique relationnelle'') is a report written by Senegalese academic and ...

'' (in French: ''Rapport sur la restitution du patrimoine culturel africain'') was presented to Macron in November 2018 and published online in an official French version and an English translation.

Awards and recognitions

* 2010, Abdoulaye Fadiga prize for research in economics. * 2016,

(Research Category). * 2018, ''Nicolás Guillén Outstanding Achievement for Philosophical Literature Award'' of the

Caribbean Philosophical Association The Caribbean Philosophical Association (CPA) is a philosophical organization founded in 2002 at the Center for Caribbean Thought at the University of the West Indies, in Mona, Jamaica. The founding members were George Belle, B. Anthony Bogues, ...

*2020, Third place in the annual ranking of the "Most influential People in the international Art World", established by ''

ArtReview ''ArtReview'' is an international contemporary art magazine based in London, founded in 1948. Its sister publication, ''ArtReview Asia'', was established in 2013. History Launched as a fortnightly broadsheet in February 1949 by a retired country ...

'' magazine. *2021, ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'' magazine listed him and Bénédicte Savoy among the 100 Most Influential People.

Bibliography

Novels

* * * * * *

Nonfiction

* ''Afrotopia'' (awarded the

2016—Research Category) * ''Habiter le monde'' Memoire d'encrier 2018—Research Category) * ''

'' ()

Discography

* 2000: ''Civilisation ou barbarie'' * 2005: ''Les mots du récit'' * 2007: ''Bassaï''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sarr, Felwine 1972 births Living people Senegalese economists Senegalese musicians Senegalese novelists 21st-century Senegalese writers