The Francophone Literary Movement (La Négritude)

La Nà ©gritude was a literary and ideological movement led by francophone black intellectuals, writers, and politicians. The founders of la Nà ©gritude, known as  les trois pà ¨res  (the three fathers), were originally from three different French colonies in Africa and the Caribbean but met while living in Paris in the early 1930s. Although each of the  pà ¨res  had different ideas about the purpose and styles of la Nà ©gritude, the movement is generally characterized by: Reaction to colonization: Denunciation of Europes lack of humanity, rejection of Western domination and ideasIdentity crisis: Acceptance of and pride in being black; valorization of African history, traditions, and beliefsVery realistic literary styleMarxist ideas Aimà © Cà ©saire A poet, playwright, and politician from Martinique, Aimà © Cà ©saire studied in Paris, where he discovered the black community and rediscovered Africa. He saw la Nà ©gritude as the fact of being black, acceptance of this fact, and appreciation of the history, culture, and destiny of black people. He sought to recognize the collective colonial experience of Blacks—the slave trade and plantation system—and attempted to redefine it. Cà ©saires ideology defined the early years of la Nà ©gritude. Là ©opold Sà ©dar Senghor Poet and first president of Sà ©nà ©gal, Là ©opold Sà ©dar Senghor used la Nà ©gritude to work toward a universal valuation of African people and their biological contributions. While advocating the expression and celebration of traditional African customs in spirit, he rejected a return to the old ways of doing things. This interpretation of la Nà ©gritude tended to be the most common, particularly in later years. Là ©on-Gontran Damas A French Guyanese poet and National Assembly member, Là ©on-Gontran Damas was the  enfant terrible  of la Nà ©gritude. His militant style of defending black qualities made it clear that he was not working toward any kind of reconciliation with the West. Participants, Sympathizers, Critics Frantz Fanon: Student of Cà ©saire, psychiatrist, and revolutionary theoretician, Frantz Fanon dismissed the Nà ©gritude movement as too simplistic.Jacques Roumain: Haitian writer and politician, founder of the Haitian Communist Party, published  La Revue indigà ¨ne  in an attempt to rediscover African authenticity in the Antilles.Jean-Paul Sartre: French philosoper and writer, Sartre assisted in the publication of the journal  Prà ©sence africaine  and wrote  Orphà ©e noire, which helped to introduce Nà ©gritude issues to French intellectuals.Wole Soyinka: Nigerian dramatist, poet, and novelist opposed to la Nà ©gritude, believing that by deliberately and outspokenly taking pride in their color, black people were automatically on the defensive:  « Un tigre ne proclà ¢me pas sa tigritude, il saute sur sa proie  » (A tiger doesnt proclaim its tigerness; it jumps on its prey).Mongo Bà ©tiAlioune DiopCheikh Hamadou Kane  Paul NigerOusmane Sembà ¨neGuy Tirollien