Léopold Sédar Senghor Academy

Léopold Sédar Senghor Academy

The International Léopold Sédar Senghor Academy was founded by Cheikh Tidiane Gaye. It is a free, apolitical, non-denominational, and non-profit institution. The Academy is an independent body for study and research that respects the Italian Constitution and aims to promote writing in all its forms and to enhance Senghor's thought. The statutory activities include:

• Organization and management of cultural, artistic, or recreational activities of social interest, promoting and disseminating culture and the practice of volunteering, and other initiatives of a social and cultural nature such as literary reviews and awards;
• Extracurricular training aimed at preventing school dropout, ensuring academic and educational success, preventing bullying, and addressing educational poverty.
• Promoting the culture of legality, peace among peoples, non-violence, and unarmed defense;
• Promoting the publication of materials resulting from the association's projects, including literary works, newsletters (print, web, or radio), flyers, essays, books, manuals, CDs or DVDs, or other forms of dissemination;
• Supporting projects and micro-projects for disadvantaged populations worldwide;
• Establishing study seminars, conferences, film forums, screenings, workshops, summer schools, conventions, and various types of training courses (integration, multiculturalism, anthropology, philosophy, literature, etc.);
• Submitting proposals to entities and public administrations, entering into agreements, memorandums of understanding, or other types of contracts, promoting and encouraging collaboration with entities, institutions, and volunteer associations that share the association's goals;
• Offering opportunities for aggregation, engagement, and civil and moral growth, as well as social, cultural, educational, and recreational integration.

True culture is both taking root and uprooting oneself. It means putting down roots in the deepest part of one's native land, in its spiritual heritage. But it also means uprooting oneself, opening up to the rain and the sun, to the enriching contributions of foreign civilizations…



Leopold Sedar Senghor
(born in Joal, 1906 and died in Verson, 2001)
Senegalese poet, ideologue of negativity
First president of the Republic of Senegal, in office between 1960 and 1980