Father Boilat — first Senegalese priest

1853 · Saint-Louis

David Boilat was born in Saint-Louis in 1814. Ordained a priest in Rome in 1840, he is one of the first Catholic priests of sub-Saharan Africa. In 1853, he published his Esquisses sénégalaises — a detailed and illustrated portrait of the Senegalese society of his time. It is one of the most precious documents for understanding 19th-century Senegal.

Sources

• Persée — Esquisses sénégalaises de l'abbé Boilat

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