Damel Lat Dior — Martyr of Cayor

1861–1886 · Thiès

Lat Dior Ngoné Latyr Diop was the Damel — the king — of Cayor. For twenty-five years, he fought French colonisation and won several battles. He refused to let a railway be built across his lands, for that rail meant domination. He died in battle at Dekheulé on 26 October 1886. He remains one of the most admired figures in Senegalese history.

Sources

• Persée — Vincent Monteil, « Lat Dior, Damel du Kayor, et l'islamisation des Wolofs » (1963)
• Persée — Oumar Ba, « La Pénétration française au Cayor » (Archives du Sénégal, rec. 1977)
• Le Quotidien — Dekheulé, 137 ans après

Kingdom fact sheet : Le royaume du Cayor.

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