It all began with a library book. It was May, 1975 and I had recently arrived in Senegal, learning Wolof and studying at the University of Dakar. I was fascinated with language, culture, and education. I was especially interested in a book on semiology – the study of cultural signs – one that I needed for a paper I was writing for my university course in African studies. But at the library of the Institut Fondamental de l’Afrique Noire (IFAN) where I often went to study, that book had been checked out for several weeks.
Seeing my disappointment, the librarian suggested that I find the person who had last checked it out – someone whose office was located at the back of IFAN where the Director of the Radiocarbon-14 Dating Laboratory worked long hours every day.
I didn’t realize that when I entered his office and greeted him by saying “Na nga def ?” in Wolof (How are you?), I was crossing a threshold that would, in many ways, transform my life and my life’s work.
For those of you not familiar, Dr. Cheikh Anta Diop is one of the most recognizable names of the past decades in Senegal and across Africa. Today, the university I attended bears his name – The Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar. A giant among African thinkers and leaders when I met him in 1975, he was famous for revolutionizing the understanding of the African origin of civilization and Africa’s great contributions to the world.
Cheikh Anta was an Egyptologist and brilliant in many fields. Even as he was upending the field of Africa’s history, he also excelled in chemistry, physics, linguistics, and philosophy.
And there I found myself, standing in his office. We chatted for two hours and after he realized I had a great interest in national language education, he agreed to meet again. In what became mentoring sessions in his office from 1975 to 1986 when he passed away, I learned so much on Wolof language and African culture and history, the impact of colonization, the power of national languages, and the need for an education that promoted African peoples’ aspirations, all the while preserving their personalities, values, and worldview.
“Molly, the people know so much. But they often don’t realize the importance of their culture, their past history, and their deep wisdom.”
One of the most important and influential threads of our discussions revolved around how, by understanding language, one could gain a sense of the intelligence and wisdom that already exists in local communities. “Molly, the people know so much. But they often don’t realize the importance of their culture, their past history, and their deep wisdom.” He believed that to foster African-inspired democracy and local leadership, development must be educational for all involved, always rooted in and growing out of existing cultural practices, language, and local knowledge. Unfortunately, he said, this African wisdom was and remains almost completely invisible to the outside world. It was a source of intelligence and potential, but one totally denied and deliberately unrecognized by the colonial mindset.
Cheikh Anta’s words to me, in retrospect, offer a foundation for all that has come in the 50 years since: “Listen carefully…and support the people to build upon what they already know, value, and envision for their future.”
It was those meetings with Cheikh Anta Diop that influenced my decision to remain in Senegal for these 50 years and to found Tostan in 1991 to continue to promote education in national languages. His influence was profound and multidimensional.
I look forward to sharing more in future posts – including his vision of an African-inspired education that would meet people where they are and spread organically from within across geographies and generations – as captured in the Wolof word he loved so much, “tostan” – a name he felt embodied the way that development should be done in Africa.
Over the years, I have noticed that many people outside of Africa have not heard of Cheikh Anta Diop. As we reflect on “50 years Together” I would invite everyone to learn more about his life and work – and to share his story with others who may not be familiar. Some resources are below as a starting point.
Learn more
1. Kemtiyu – a critically praised film about Cheikh Anta’s life: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11313104/
2. Cheikh Anta’s influence on my story and how it intertwined with other influences is also included in the book However Long the Night by Aimee Molloy – Amazon.com: However Long the Night: 9780062132765: Molloy, Aimee
3. Cheikh Anta Diop L’Humain Derrière le Savant by Aoua Bocar Ly-Tall
