Senegalese History: French Colonia Era--Moving Inland (19th century)


Figure 1.--The photo comes from a postcard issued in Dakar (about 1910). The caption identifies the photo as having been taken in French West Africa, presumably in Senegal. The caption also tells us the father of the children was a sorcerer. The children could be sister and brother or they are cousins or friend. The child on the left is s girl and has a body scaring. On the right we can see a boy. As members of a sorcerer's family surely they would be bound to traditional African culture and hostile to the new culture being introduced by missionaries. Although they are not toddlers, they follow the traditional fashion of going unclothed. A reader writes, "There are many ethnographic photos taken in those years, but this one seems to me a little different. These children seem proud of themselves. They are naked and without any shame in front of the French photgrapher. I believe that there father's status as a sorcerer was a factor."

France with the return of Senegal after the Napoleonic Wars controlled much of the coast of Senegal as well as Gorée island between the Senegal and Gambia Rivers. They established Dakar on the coast opposite Gorée on the mainland (1857). The French more agresiblely pushed inland than the Btitish. They set up a station at Médine, up the Senegal River (1850s). The French had various commercial ventures along the West African coast. There primary efforts were on the Senegal River which priovided a route into the interior. The French never fully conceptualized the future of their colonies. Some French thinkers seemed to have thought of turning Senegal into French provinces. [Boahen, p. 123.] Emigration was, however, very limited. As the French returned to Senegal in the early-19th century, they began to think more of trade and raw material and thus began to push into the interior savanna. At the same time after seizing the coast of Algeria (1830s) the French began pushing south over the Sahara, although because of Arab and Bediouin opposition, this proved to be a slow process. A new French govenor, General Louis Faidherb, launched a major drive inland (1854). This was a good example of the importance of military figures in pushing the frontiers of the French Empire. In contrast, British colonial expansion was often launched by businessmen and merchants. This was one reason thst the British Empire was based on a more sound economic footing. [Crowder] Controlling the interior proved to be a difficult undertaking with the resources thst the French were willing to commit to the effort. Here they found substantial resistance to French control. Projecting power along the coast was one thing. Moving into the interior was another matter. Here they found Arabs, the Toucouleur Empire of Segou , and the Almamy Samori of Wasulu. Costly expeditions had to be mounted and even after military victory, the cross currents of political, social, economic, and religious forces complicated governing. The French colonial effort became part of the larger European Scrable for Africa. A French French expedition reached Bamako on the Niger (1883). The British continued to limit their activities to the Gambia. The British and French agereed to boundaries (1889).

Britain Returns Senegal (1817)

As a result of the Seven Years War in Europe and associted colonial fighting, Britain forced France to cede Senegal (1763). We haveclittle information about Senegal durng the Britih era. The British returned the colony after the Napoleonic Wars (1817). Britain retained control over part of what had been Senegal;. Gambia was cut out of the middle of the country along the Gambia River. We are not entirely sure why the British returned Senegal to the French. We suspect that it was not sufficiently profitable. And Britain already had its own zones of control in West Africa. Hopefully readers willmknow more about the politics involved.

Focus on Rivers

In an undevelooed continent with very basic infraastructure, rivers were of enormous importance. France with the return of Senegal after the Napoleonic Wars controlled much of the coast of Senegal as well as Gorée island between the Senegal and Gambia Rivers. They established Dakar on the coast opposite Gorée on the mainland (1857). The French more agresiblely pushed inland than the Btitish and were primarily concerned with the Senegal River. They set up a station at Médine, up the Senegal River (1850s). The French had various commercial ventures along the West African coast. There primary efforts were on the Senegal River which priovided a route into the interior. The British were more concerned with the GambiaRiver.

Colonial Vission

The French never fully conceptualized the future of their colonies. Some French thinkers seemed to have thought of turning Senegal into French provinces. [Boahen, p. 123.] Emigration was, however, very limited. As the French returned to Senegal in the early-19th century, they began to think more of trade and raw material and thus began to push into the interior savanna. At the same time after seizing the coast of Algeria (1830s) the French began pushing south over the Sahara, although because of Arab and Bediouin opposition, this proved to be a slow process. A new French govenor, General Louis Faidherb, launched a major drive inland (1854). This was a good example of the importance of military figures in pushing the frontiers of the French Empire.

The British in West Africa

Britain and France were the two prinary colonial powers in West Africa. Both countries throughout the 19th century slowly began to moveinland from their well-established coastal trading posts. Both pursued contacts and relationships with inland tribal groups. There were, however, notable differences. British colonial expansion was often launched by businessmen and merchants in contrast tgo the French where miklitry men played a central role. This was one reason thst the British Empire was based on a more sound economic footing. [Crowder]

Controling the Interior

ontrolling the interior proved to be a difficult undertaking with the resources thst the French were willing to commit to the effort. Here they found substantial resistance to French control. Projecting power along the coast was one thing. Moving into the interior was another matter. Here they found Arabs, the Toucouleur Empire of Segou , and the Almamy Samori of Wasulu. Costly expeditions had to be mounted and even after military victory, the cross currents of political, social, economic, and religious forces complicated governing.

European Scrable for Africa

The European powes busied themselves fighting earch other (18th and early-19th century). The end of the Napoleoic Wars (1815) ushered in an era of relative peace. The European powers begian to give increasing attention to building overseas empires. Thriygh mid-century this could be done without great conflict among the rival colobial powers. Africa was a large continent. Gradually the colonial powers began to encounter coerlapping zones of influence (mid-19th century). The whole process became more complicaed with the unification of Germany and Italy, both of which belieced that theuy were entitled to a large colonial empore. The French colonial effort became part of the larger European Scrable for Africa. A French French expedition reached Bamako on the Niger (1883). the main European powers actively involved in the scramble for Africa decided to regularize the process in an effort to avoid conflicts. Chacelloe Bismarck helped to negotiate the Berlin Act (February 1885). The Act flowed from the Congress of Berlin orcestrted by Bismarck. France, Germany, Britain and Portugal all had interests in West Africa at the time. The Berlin Act provided the guidelines which the European powers could avoid conflict and define their colonial boundaries. The French had signed treaties with several African leaders which ostensibly gave them the mandate to annex large tracts of the Western Sudan (1890s). They negotiated these treaties with African tribal leades from a position of power. The superior Europen firepower made it difficult to resist. The French moved east towards the Niger Valley were founded on this superiority. The French extended their control east and South fort by fort amasing a massive swath of territory. What became known as French West Africa begn to take shape. It looked impressive because of the area under French control. Much of the territory seized by France were desert lands of limited economic value. A factor here was the military rther thn the business role in the expansion. The British continued to limit their activities to the Gambia. The British and French agereed to boundaries (1889).

Sources

Boahen, Adu et. al. Topics in West African History (Essex: Longman Group UK, 1986).

Crowder, Michael. "History of French West Africa until Independence." in Africa South of the Sahara (London: Europa Publications, 1990).







HBC





Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[Return to the Second French colonisal empire]
[Return to the Scramble for Africa: France]
[Introduction] [Activities] [Biographies] [Chronology] [Cloth and textiles] [Clothing styles] [Countries] [Topics]
[Bibliographies] [Contributions] [FAQs] [Glossaries] [Images] [Links] [Registration] [Tools]
[Boys' Clothing Home]



Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing national pages:
[Return to the Main Senegal French colonialm page]
[Return to the Main Senegalese history page]
[Return to the Main African country history page]
[Return to the Main African page]
[Angola] [Cape Verde Islands] [Democratic Republic of the Congo] [Ethiopia] [Gabon] [Gambia] [Guinea] [Guinea-Bissau]
[Madagascar] [Mali] [Mauritania] [Nigeria] [Senegal] [Somalia] [South Africa] [Uganda]




Created: 5:51 PM 11/16/2012
Last updated: 5:51 PM 11/16/2012