Alioune Diop et la naissance de l'Afrique noire contemporaine

International audienceAfter the Second World War, African intellectuals were involved in many changes in Africa. This included rethinking the categories which promoted domination. The leading pan-African journal at that time, Présence Africaine, was a key part of this significant intellectual movement. Founded in 1947 by Alioune Diop (1910-1980) first as an intellectual review, and then as a publishing house in 1949, Présence Africaine also linked Francophone and Anglophone intellectuals from Africa and the African Diaspora, conducted dialogue with western intellectuals, and organized many intellectual activities with ongoing impact on Africa today. By creating this tool, Alioune Diop offered to Africans a mean to express themselves and to effectively participate in the building of the contemporary world as it emerged from 1945. After defining the birth of contemporary Africa as the moment when Africans decide to master their fate, the article documents that the understanding of contemporary Africa is strongly related to the commitment of Alioune Diop in making Africa a geographical and cultural space whose contribution to the contemporary world is unavoidable.s Après la deuxième guerre mondiale, la réalité africaine est marquée par l'affirmation d'une prise de conscience quant à la situation des peuples du continent noir, prise de conscience qui entraîne une réelle volonté de changement. Il faut que, désormais, l'Afrique soit associée à la nouvelle marche du monde, un monde partagé en deux camps antagonistes sur les plans politique, idéologique et économique. Elle doit aussi relever d'importants défis : lutte contre le complexe d'infériorité, exigence d'une réhabilitation culturelle et d'une réappropriation de l'héritage négro-africain, nécessité de trouver sa place au carrefour des civilisations… Ces problèmes qui appellent l'engagement des Africains eux-mêmes, révèlent l'important rôle d'Alioune Diop dans la naissance d'une Afrique contemporaine. En effet, cet intellectuel sénégalais qui demeure l'une des plus grandes figures de l'Afrique noire, ne ménagera aucun effort pour la réhabilitation de l'homme noir dans son intégrité, à travers congrès, colloques, festivals, conférences. After the Second World War, African intellectuals were involved in many changes in Africa. This included rethinking the categories which promoted domination. The leading pan-African journal at that time, Présence Africaine, was a key part of this significant intellectual movement. Founded in 1947 by Alioune Diop (1910-1980) first as an intellectual review, and then as a publishing house in 1949, Présence Africaine also linked Francophone and Anglophone intellectuals from Africa and the African Diaspora, conducted dialogue with western intellectuals, and organized many intellectual activities with ongoing impact on Africa today. By creating this tool, Alioune Diop offered to Africans a mean to express themselves and to effectively participate in the building of the contemporary world as it emerged from 1945. After defining the birth of contemporary Africa as the moment when Africans decide to master their fate, the article documents that the understanding of contemporary Africa is strongly related to the commitment of Alioune Diop in making Africa a geographical and cultural space whose contribution to the contemporary world is unavoidable. Mots-clés : Afrique, décolonisation, dialogue, identité africaine