Cheikh Anta Diop was born on December 29, 1923 in Caytou (Senegal). He died on February 4, 1986 in Dakar (Senegal).
Cheikh Anta Diop is an anthropologist, historian and Senegalese politician. He holds his international fame of the theses he has developed against the idea that Africa has no past.
Born in Caytou, Senegal, in 1923, Cheikh Anta Diop began learning at the Koranic school before joining the French school Diourbel in Senegal. He continues his studies in Dakar where his projects for the recognition of Africa are born. He arrived in Paris in 1946 with the idea of becoming an aeronautical engineer. He studies mathematics and philosophy. In 1948, he published his first articles on African languages. In 1951, the young man prepares a thesis. He shows that black Africans populated ancient Egypt. According to him, West Africa would have benefited from Egyptian culture and linguistics. He then published “Negro Nations and Culture” in 1954, which made a great noise. He uses the many disciplines – social and scientific – he has learned to prove his vision and the importance of the place of Africans in history.
Sheikh Anta Diop has also invested politically, especially for the emancipation of African countries and their independence. He supports the creation of a federal state in Africa. In 1950, he joined the African Democratic Rally. He then opposes Senegalese President Léopold Sédar Senghor by founding political parties, a newspaper and a union. He died in 1986. The following year, the University of Dakar was renamed University Cheikh-Anta-Diop.
