| Birago Diop | |
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Sketch of Birago Diop |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Birago Ismaël Diop |
| Born | December 11, 1906 Ouakam, Senegal |
| Origin | Wolof |
| Died | November 10, 1989 Dakar, Senegal |
| Occupations | Poet, Story teller, Veterinary, Diplomat |
| Website | http://neveu01.chez-alice.fr/ |
Birago Diop (December 11, 1906 - November 10, 1989) was a Senegalese poet and story-teller, whose work restored the general interest in African folktales and promoted him into one of the most outstanding African francophone writers [1]. A renowned veterinarian, diplomat and leading voice of the Négritude literary movement[2], Diop exemplified the "African renaissance man".
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Son of Ismael and Sokhna Diop, Birago was born on December 11, 1906 in Ouakam, a city just outside of Dakar. His mother raised him with his two older brothers, Massyla and Youssoupha, in the absence of his father, who, for unknown reasons, disappeared two months before Birago was born. In his childhood, he was exposed to many folktales, which he later used in his literary work[3].
In 1920, he earned a scholarship to attend the French-speaking school Lycée Faidherbe in Saint-Louis, which was then Senegal's capital. During this time, he became fascinated with the poems and style of writing of Victor Hugo, Charles Baudelaire, Edgar Allan Po and several others and began writing his own[3]. In the late 1920s, he served as a nurse in a military hospital and later went on to study veterinary medicine at the University of Toulouse in France.
Although he was mostly recognized for his poems and folktales, Birago Diop also worked as a veterinary surgeon for the French colonial government in several West African countries. Throughout his civil service career in 1934[2], he collected and reworked Wolof folktales, and also wrote poetry, memoirs, and a play. He also served as the first Senegalese ambassador in Tunisia from 1960 to 1964.
During his time in France as a veterinary student, Birago met numerous African, African American and Caribbean Students [1], one of whom was Léopold Sédar Senghor, who later became Senegal's first president after its independence. Inspired by these young black intellectuals, artists and poets, Diop drafted his earliest poems in L'étudiant noir (the black student)- a student review that established the idea of the Négritude movement which protested against the assimilation theory in favor of African cultural values[4].
During his work as the head of the government's cattle-inspection service for several regions in Senegal and Mali[2], he was introduced to several fascinating tribal folktales, most of which he committed to memory. These served as the main inspiration for much of his literary work. Indeed, most of his poems and tales have their roots in oral African traditions. Generally recited to a group at night by a professional teller, called a griot, folktales were repeated in several different places by the people who heard them. These ceremonies commonly consisted of songs and dances in addition to these folktales. Although the tales served as entertainment, they also had a greater purpose of teaching younger generations about the beliefs and values of their ancestors[5]. Therefore, through his mastery of the French language combined with his experience and fondness for the African cultures, Birago Diop was able to spread the values and beliefs of his ancestors throughout the world.
In the early 1940s, during World War II, Birago Diop was forced to return to France for two years[1]. Homesick, he began writing down adaptions of folktales as advised by his fellow Negritude writers [2]. The following excerpt illustrating his homesickness can be found in 'The Humps':
When Diop finally returned to Africa, he served as a director of zoological technical services in Ivory Coast and Upper Volta (modern day Burkina Faso). His first literary piece did not come about until 1947[2], which he named Les Contes D'Amadou Koumba. The work, totaling three volumes, managed to earn him the Grand prix littéraire award[6]. Each volume contained a collection of short stories from animal-centered tales he directly transcribed from the griot Amadou Koumba's accounts[2]. These tales provided a combination of humor, fantasy and realism where men, supernatural beings and animals act as characters [1].
As soon as Senegal gained its independence, Birago was nominated the first Senegalese ambassador in Tunisia. Upon accepting this position, he claimed to have "broken his pen",suggesting that he was ready to give up writing altogether and focus on his diplomatic career. It was not until the mid 1970s towards the end of his life, that his "pen was mended". He published la plume raboutée in 1978, followed by À rebrousse-temps (1982), À rebrousse-gens (1982), and Senegal du temps de...(1986)[6].
Birago Diop died on November 29th, 1989 in Dakar at the age of 83[4] as the husband of Marie-Louise Pradére for many years, and father of two children, Renée and Andrée[2]. His legacy includes the titles of novelist, diplomat, a founder of the Negritude movement and veterinarian. Even now, decades after his death, his stories and poems still remain - sharing his dreams and ideals, whispering the great tales of the African values and culture, never to be forgotten.