The President of the Republic, His Excellency Bassirou Diomaye Faye, inaugurated this morning the monument in memory of Lat Joor Ngone Latyr Joop, a national hero and symbol of national sovereignty.
In his speech, President Faye praised the commendable initiative of the Thiès municipal council, which enabled the erection of this majestic monument. "Lat Dior is a central figure in our national pantheon, a hero whose feats in the anti-colonial resistance remain etched in our collective memory," he declared.
The Damel of Kajoor, known for his tenacity against colonial France, led a fierce struggle with limited means, in a context where European imperial powers were vying for control of Africa.
President Faye emphasized that this monument could have found its place anywhere in Africa, but nowhere better than in Thiès, where it resonates with the eponymous avenue of the hero.
The Head of State recalled Lat Dior's categorical refusal to compromise on the sovereignty of his kingdom, even in the face of the colonial railway construction. His heroic death at Dekheulé, with weapons in hand, perfectly illustrates the motto of the valiant: "They kill us, but they do not dishonor us."
The ceremony also highlighted the efforts of artists, playwrights, and poets who have contributed to immortalizing the exploits of Lat Dior and other heroic figures in Senegalese history. "Nation-building is about continuously immortalizing these exemplary lives," President Faye emphasized, calling for the education of younger generations on these values of honor and resistance.
He also paid tribute to other figures of the anti-colonial resistance, such as Kaañ Faye, who defied the colonial order. He reaffirmed the importance of celebrating these heroes to build a future of dignity, solidarity, and cohesion in Africa. "It is in the diversity of the memories of the regions that make up the Senegalese nation that we will build a dignified and united future," he declared.
See the full speech of the President of the Republic:
Speech by the President of the Republic at the inauguration ceremony of the monument in memory of Lat Joor Ngone Latyr Joop:
December 12, 2024 - Only the spoken word is authoritative.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Members of the Government,
Mr. Governor, Mr. Prefect, Mr. President of the Departmental Council of Thiès,
Mr. Mayor of the City of Thiès, Mayors,
Mr. Rector of Iba Der Thiam University,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Members of the Administration,
Ladies and Gentlemen, University, Academic, and School Authorities, Ladies and Gentlemen, Religious and Traditional Authorities, Ladies and Gentlemen, Cultural Actors, Dear Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Students, Dear Pupils,
Mr. Mayor,
I would like to commend the commendable initiative you have taken with your municipal council in erecting this magnificent monument in memory of Lat Joor Ngone Latyr Joop, a central figure in our national pantheon. His remarkable feats in the anti-colonial resistance have made him a national hero of Senegal. The Damel of Kajoor stood up to colonial France for more than a quarter of a century. He achieved this feat with relatively limited technical and military means, in a context of a general offensive by European imperial powers determined to divide Africa, a continent already severely tested by the Atlantic slave trade.
This commemorative monument could have found its place anywhere on this African land, but nowhere better than in Thiès could it have been erected. It echoes the eponymous avenue of the national hero, already located in the heart of its urban space.
It was indeed from Thiès, then a village of Cangin, a toponym now distorted to Janxeen, that the newly elected Damel gathered his army to restore the sovereignty of Kajoor over the provinces amputated from the kingdom by the colony. Many fighters fell on the field of honor on that memorable day in May 1863. This was the very beginning of an exceptional political career of more than a quarter of a century of fierce struggles led by Lat Joor Joop, for the defense of his country's sovereignty.
The fine strategist he was also a shrewd politician. His refusal to compromise on the sovereignty of Kajoor led him to reject the construction of the railway by the colony. Dekheulé, where he met his fate, is more a result of the divisions within the kingdom's political class than the firepower of the colonial army. He fell there with weapons in hand, embodying the motto of the valiant: "They kill us, but they do not dishonor us."
Ladies and Gentlemen, The ceremony we are attending today is part of the long tradition of celebrating this hero of the anti-colonial struggle. The epic tales passed down from generation to generation by the masters of speech and the works of professional historians have provided material for artists, playwrights, and poets who have created works that shape our collective imagination.
Following President Amadou Cissé Dia, who galvanized the independence generation with his work "The Last Days of Lat Dior" followed by "The Death of the Damel," Thierno Bâ invited us to experience a cardinal value carried by the Damel in the play titled "Lat-Dior - The Path of Honor."
Because we are in Cangin, at the gates of Kajoor, we cannot fail to honor the memory of one of the valiant sons of the land, contemporary of the Damel, whose feats in the anti-colonial struggle are certainly less known but no less heroic. I want to name Kaañ Faye, who defied the colonial order by blocking the passage routes of peanut traders' caravans between Bawol and the port city of Rufisque. Men and women of value participated in his battles, committed to preserving the lands of Lexar, Joobas, Paloor, Ndut, and Saafi from colonial intrusion, now polarized by the city of Thiès. Research must unearth the historical traces of these struggles to celebrate the actors and magnify their works.
There is no doubt that the already prestigious national pantheon will continue to be enriched with monuments, works of art, and literary works celebrating the men and women who, like Lat Joor Ngone Latir Joop, have left their indelible marks on the most glorious pages of our history. Nation-building is about continuously immortalizing these exemplary lives, reminding our youth of the values they embodied.
Ladies and Gentlemen, It is in the diversity of the memories of the regions that make up the Senegalese nation, open to Africa, that we will build a future of dignity, solidarity, and cohesion.
This occasion allows me to evoke some of these past lives, such as the exemplary figure of the prince of Waalo, Sidiyya Ndaté Yalla, who led a violent insurrection against colonial control in the land of his ancestors. He had the foresight to call for a union of all the states of Senegambia to resist colonial intrusion.
As for Jolof, it gave us Bourba Alboury Seynabou Ndiaye, contemporary, ally, and cousin of the Damel of Kajoor whom we celebrate this morning. For more than 10 years, the Lion of Yang Yang always responded to the call of duty. Thus, he took part in the great coalition that was the Tijaan League alongside Saer Maty Bâ, the heir of the almamy of Rip, Mamadou Lamine Dramé of Bundu, and Abdoul Bokar Kane, the great elector of Bosséa, Emir of Fouta, to oppose the most vigorous resistance to the imperialist push.
This occasion also allows me to honor the memory of the first Sultan of Dosso, Maïdanda Hamadou Saïdou Djermakoye. During his magisterium, he erected a worthy tomb for the son of Jolof within the great mosque of Dosso. By doing so, he made a gesture worthy of his early Pan-African commitment, echoing that of the king of Jolof who died on Nigerien soil.
These two destinies, that of Bourba and that of Djermakoye, sufficiently embody the ideals of Pan-Africanism that should inspire us in our daily actions.
It is from this Gabou that, five centuries ago, the Gelwaar founders of the states of Siin and Saalum departed. The symbiosis forged between these migrants from the South and the Lamaan of the Sereer country gave birth to strong values of dedication to work, righteousness, humility, courage, respect for the given word, and anchoring in the best ancestral traditions. We have a beautiful illustrative example of these values with the famous testimony in favor of Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba brought by Bour Siin Kumba Ndoffène at the risk of his power and even his life, to prevent the Cheikh from a second exile.
Leaving Firdu, a province under the same Gabou's domination, inspired by Cheikh Oumar Tall, Alfa Molo Baldé liberated Fouladou with the flag of Islam. His son and successor Moussa Molo, caught between the conquering rivalries of France, England, and Portugal, strongly resisted them by playing on their rivalries.
As for Lower Casamance, it shows us a long popular resistance against colonial intrusion. Village by village, the men and women of this region managed to preserve the integrity of their land until the eve of the Great War. Aline Sitoé Diatta, the Lady of Cabrousse, took up the torch that never went out. History will remember this historical figure who died in deportation in Sudan in 1944, for her fierce struggle against the questioning of the agrarian civilization of the land, the basis of food sovereignty.
New men have taken up the banner of the struggle through the formation of religious communities based on a spirituality inaccessible to the colonizer's weapons. They thwarted his project of cultural alienation, analyzed as the greatest danger posed by colonization. Cheikhna Cheikh Saad Bouh, Amary Ngoné Ndak Seck, Cheikh Abdoulaye Niasse, Cheikh Bouh Kounta, Seydi El Hadji Malick Sy, Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba Mbacké, Seydina Limamou Laye Thiaw provided an effective response to the crisis of Senegambian societies at the end of the 19th century.
This response found its foundations in the production of an intellectual and religious alternative to the colonial project. They thus managed to preserve the essential, that is to say, faith in God, the cardinal values of work, righteousness, and integrity, nourished by the texts of Sufi thinkers. They then became the emblematic figures of cultural and non-violent resistance to colonial domination and the refuge of all those who, disoriented by political and social turbulence, seek refuge with a master to give meaning to their lives. This heritage is perpetuated, from generation to generation, in the daara called to enter into symbiosis with the expected reform of the Senegalese educational system.
Giving this weight to the Daara means reconnecting with the long history of the maraboutic movement as it appears in these pages of history. Its greatest victory on Senegalese soil came in Fouta with the Toroodo revolution of 1776 led by the two great figures Thierno Souleymane Baal and Abdoul Qadir Kane.
Trained in Pire, Koki, Fouta Djallon, Bundu, and the Zawiya of Mauritania, the revolutionaries did not confine themselves to their well-mastered books. They developed and implemented a radical transformation program for Fouta by establishing an elective and decentralized political system of astonishing modernity. However, education emerged as the main lever for transforming the social system, with the establishment of a powerful school network that irrigates the entire Fouta, from Dimar to Damnga.
The State and local authorities have the mission to teach and make known this long heritage, in all its complexity, to inspire the policies for transforming our society.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The initiative taken by Mayor Babacar Diop should be an example for all local government leaders who, in coordination with the State, must design and implement an innovative policy to support cultural industries. Supporting artists and cultural creators helps to build our tangible and intangible heritage, a cornerstone of our collective living. Beyond its aesthetic dimension, the work we inaugurate today, like many other creations born from the imagination of our artists, filmmakers, and writers, carries an effective pedagogical function in transmitting our best values and virtues.
Schools must embrace this memory, regardless of its form, to educate our youth to become builders of a sovereign nation open to Pan-African ideals.
The naming of our streets, public squares, sports and cultural facilities, schools, and public and private buildings should increasingly draw from this shared heritage, this foundation of collective references on which our national imagination and patriotic convictions are built. To continue building our nation means to reinforce the perspective of unity from all sources that feed the national memory, strong in its diversity. Today, we celebrate Lat Joor Ngoné Latyr Joop in a city where glorious pages of our history have been written.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Thiès is also the city of railway workers who have distinguished themselves in all the fights for freedom and social justice. They have paid dearly for this militant commitment. Sembène Ousmane immortalized the long 1947 railway workers' strike in a classic work, "God's Bits of Wood." Less known is the 1938 strike, which ended in a bloodbath on September 27. Another colonial massacre that you have immortalized with the erection of a monument at the end of Aynina Fall Avenue, at the entrance to Ibrahima Sarr City, named after the leaders of the 1947 strike. We were at the twilight of the Popular Front, with the looming shadows of World War II darkening the horizon.
Is it necessary to remind you? The global conflict ended, for Africa, with the massacre of Senegalese tirailleurs at Thiaroye on December 1, 1944. We have just commemorated the 80th anniversary to ensure that the contribution of African men and women to building a more humane and just world is never forgotten.
Thank you for your kind attention.