Decolonization in Action: Senegal Renames Streets to Honor Local Heroes
By Sankar Pal
Dakar, Senegal — In a landmark gesture signaling Senegal’s ongoing decolonization efforts, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has officially renamed one of Dakar’s most prominent streets, Boulevard General-de-Gaulle, to Avenue Mamadou Dia. The move honors Mamadou Dia, Senegal’s first Prime Minister and a central figure in the nation’s anti-colonial struggle and post-independence leadership.
This symbolic renaming is part of a broader government initiative to shed remnants of French colonialism and elevate local heroes who contributed to Senegal’s national identity and sovereignty. “This is about reclaiming our spaces, our memories, and our pride,” President Faye said during the unveiling ceremony. “We must tell our history through the names of those who built this nation.”
Mamadou Dia, a key collaborator of President Léopold Sédar Senghor during Senegal’s early years of independence, is remembered not only for his role in economic and social reforms but also for his enduring political legacy—despite later controversies and imprisonment following a power struggle in the 1960s.
A Wider Street Renaming Campaign
Although Avenue Mamadou Dia is the most high-profile renaming so far, the initiative aims to replace numerous streets across Dakar and other cities that still bear the names of colonial-era figures. Among those reportedly under review are:
- Avenue Faidherbe, named after French General Louis Faidherbe, whose brutal colonial campaigns in West Africa remain contentious.
- Rue Jules Ferry, named after a French statesman and colonial advocate, whose name appears on several streets and schools across Senegal.
These streets are expected to be renamed in honor of Senegalese artists, revolutionaries, intellectuals, and cultural figures—part of a national effort to promote indigenous heritage, especially among the country’s youth.
The renaming campaign coincides with Senegal’s 65th independence anniversary and reflects growing calls across Africa to revisit colonial legacies embedded in public spaces, curricula, and institutions. The government has also launched educational programs and revisions of textbooks to further “decolonize minds,” aligning history education with African perspectives.
A Continental Shift
Senegal’s initiative mirrors similar efforts in countries like Burkina Faso, South Africa, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, where public memory and national identity are being reshaped through language, monuments, and symbolic acts.
As street signs come down and new names go up, many see this as more than just symbolic. “Names have power,” said historian Fatoumata Mbaye of the University of Dakar. “By honoring our own, we are writing a future rooted in dignity, not domination.”
