Happy Independence Day, Senegal!

Hi everyone,

nice to share these few lines with you again. Today we are talking about how Senegal became an independent nation.

The area that is now Senegal was first home to many different tribes like the Jolof tribe. Arabic people also migrated to this part of Africa, and that is why many people here also speak Arabic and practice Islam. Many Europeans settled in this part of Africa starting in the 1400s, like the Portuguese Navigators, the French, and the British. The British controlled the area that became The Gambia, and the French had control over the areas that became Senegal.

After the second World War, many European colonies in Africa began to fight for their independence. Senegal and French Sudan (previously called the Republic of Mali) joined together in 1959 and were called the Mali Federation. They did this so that they had more power to fight against France. The Mali Federation earned their freedom from France on April 4th, 1960. Then, on August 20th, Senegal separated from French Sudan. Senegal’s first president, Léopold Sédar Senghor (pictured above) was elected that same year as well.

Independence celebrations usually take place every year on the 4th of April. Senegal’s independence day is a public holiday because it is a very important celebration and really interesting. It is usually celebrated with a march-past (pictured right) by the military, police band, fire service, Red Cross Society, and others. There are also dancing performances and competitions done by the majorettes (pictured below) from two or three schools. I have never gone to watch the march-past but usually I watch it live on tv.

Thank you for reading this to know more about our beautiful country. See you on my next post, bye!

With Love,

Touty