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Senegalese poet (1927–1960)

For the novelist, see David Diop (novelist).

David Mandessi Diop (9 July 1927 – 29 August 1960)^[1] was a French West African poet known for his contribution to the Négritude literary movement.^[2] His work reflects his anti-colonial stance.^[3]

Biography

Diop was the son of Maria Mandessi Bell (1896–1990), a member of the Cameroonian Bell family, of which Rudolf Duala Manga Bell and Ndumbe Lobe Bell, both kings of the Duala people, were also members.^[4] He started writing poems while he was still in school, and his poems started appearing in Présence Africaine since he was just 15.^[5] Diop lived his life transitioning constantly between France and South West Africa, from childhood onwards.

While in Paris, Diop became a prominent figure in Négritude literature. His work is seen as a condemnation of colonialism, and detest towards colonial rule. Like many Négritude authors of the time