The Four Communes — citizens ahead of their time

1848–1916 · Saint-Louis / Gorée / Dakar / Rufisque

Saint-Louis, Gorée, Dakar and Rufisque were colonial Senegal's four great towns, known as the Four Communes. Their inhabitants held a unique status: they were full French citizens, with the right to vote and to elect representatives in Paris. Extended to all in 1916 thanks to Blaise Diagne, this status made the Senegalese of these towns the most politically active Africans of the colonial era.

Sources

• Persée — Henri-Jacques Légier, « Institutions municipales et politique coloniale, les Communes du Sénégal » (Outre-Mers, 1968)
• BlackPast — Four Communes of Senegal (1887-1960)

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