Present to honor the memory of the illustrious late President Léopold Sédar Senghor, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs and former President of the National Assembly Moustapha Niasse looked back on certain significant episodes in the life of the poet and politician. Salient anecdotes where Senghor's life was truly threatened.
During a speech, Mous Tapha Niasse, former President of the National Assembly and former Minister, recalled several miraculous moments in the life of Léopold Sédar Senghor. He notably mentioned three incidents where Senghor narrowly escaped death. Events which testify, according to him, to the divine protection which accompanied him throughout his life. The first miracle dates from 1942, when Senghor, then a prisoner in a Nazi stalag in Germany, was saved from execution. Around a hundred black soldiers, from the West Indies and Africa, were condemned to be shot. The Nazi officer, seeing Senghor reading a text by Plato in Greek, was surprised by this culture and decided to bring him up to the office to question him.
Impressed by the situation, the German managed to delay the execution by contacting his staff, thus saving Senghor and his companions in misfortune. The second miracle dates back to 1972, during a flight to Persepolis, Iran. While the plane was going through a thunderstorm, lightning struck the aircraft, passed through the cockpit before exiting out the rear, causing damage to the tail of the aircraft. Despite the intensity of the impact, the plane managed to stabilize and land without any major incident. An event that Niasse considers another miracle of divine protection. The third miracle occurred during a Presidential Caravelle flight in 1974, en route to meet King Hassan II of Morocco. After 45 minutes of flight, one of the plane's engines suddenly shut down, leading to a free fall of 800 meters. However, thanks to the pilots' skill and luck, the plane managed to stabilize and land without damage. Another event where Senghor and the passengers were miraculously saved.
Moustapha Niasse concludes his speech by emphasizing that these events bear witness not only to the luck and protection from which Senghor benefited, but also to the singularity of his journey. He also mentioned the deep fraternal bond between Senghor and Aimé Césaire, from Martinique, but also his vision for international peace, in particular his key role in mediation between Israel and Egypt. For Moustapha Niasse, Senghor was a man whose journey, protected by divinity, marked the history of Senegal and the world.
Daouda DIOUF
