Last Saturday, at the Museum of Black Civilizations (MCN) in Dakar, a conference was held to mark the 80th anniversary of the Thiaroye 44 massacre. The theme was “Massacre of the Senegalese Tirailleurs: “Logical outcome of a French colonial policy and its place in posterity. This drama, a tragic legacy of colonization, was revisited by specialists and memory players, in a packed room, where many soldiers, students, and civilian personalities came.
The conference began with a presentation by the historian and geographer, Colonel Saliou Ngom, director of the historical heritage archives of the Senegalese Armed Forces. It was followed by an introduction by Professor Kone, specialist in military history and colonization, and moderated by Professor Mamoudou Sy, lecturer at El Hajj Ibrahima Niasse University.
Professor Sy, author of several works, including a biography of Captain Momodou Racine Sy, stressed the importance of revisiting this memory to “understand the roots of the struggle for independence and sovereignty of African peoples”.
THIAROYE 44: BETWEEN HISTORY AND POSTERITY
The massacre of the Senegalese Tirailleurs in Thiaroye in 1944, presented as the culmination of a French colonial policy, has been dissected from various angles. Professor Kone has provided a detailed picture of the political and economic issues that led to this tragedy.
The first part explored the role of the Senegalese Tirailleurs in French imperialism in the 19th century and their exploitation during the world wars. The second part highlighted the memorial management of the massacre, both by local populations and by the armed forces and political authorities.
Among the participants were uniformed soldiers, attentive students, as well as representatives of the academic and political world, including General Mamadou Mansour Seck and former officers of the Burkinabè army. The public, captivated by the presentations, actively participated in the question-and-answer session, showing a keen interest in the preservation and transmission of this collective memory.
This conference is part of a broader program of commemorations, marked by conferences, exhibitions, and screenings of documentary films. These initiatives aim to honor the memory of the victims of Thiaroye while raising awareness among younger generations of the importance of history in the construction of national identity and sovereignty.
