Cheikh Anta Diop
Historian and scientist (1923 – 1986)
Family : Place of birth : Caytou (Baol) ; Date of birth : 29 December 1923 ; Mother : Magatte Diop ; Father : Massamba Sassoum Diop
Education : He attended his village Qur’anic school, then a French school. In 1945 he earned his baccalauréat in mathematics and philosophy in Dakar. From 1946 he studied physics and chemistry in Paris, and philosophy under Gaston Bachelard at the Sorbonne (philosophy degree in 1948), and followed Frédéric Joliot-Curie’s courses. He defended his thesis in 1960 under Marcel Griaule.
Action : A scholar, he set up in 1966 the radiocarbon dating laboratory of IFAN in Dakar, the first of its kind in Africa, which he directed until 1986. A nationalist and defender of African federalism, he returned to Senegal in 1960 and founded the Rassemblement national démocratique in 1976. He published Nations nègres et culture in 1954 and Civilisation ou Barbarie in 1981.
Trials : His theories on ancient Egypt have given rise to many scientific debates.
Legacy : He died on 7 February 1986 and rests at Caytou, as he wished, beside his grandfather. In 1987 the University of Dakar took his name.