Senegal is one of the Nations in the western of the African continent which upholds beauty and human diversity. Its capital city is Dakar, which is also the largest city in the country. The history of the country can be studied by categorizing it periods that may include prehistoric era, colonialism, independence period and after independence periods (Martin, 1926).
Prehistoric Period
Senegal had settlements during the prehistoric period and since then the nation continued to have more settlement by various ethnic groups. History reveals that kingdom came into existence in the 7th century. For instance, Tarkrur came into existence in the 9th century while Namandiru evolved in the 13th century. The Kingdoms and empires of the period were key in determining the culture of its people. During the same periods, the nation a trade zone where several nations of the world cluster to exchange goods, services, and slaves. Some of the countries include France, Dutch, Portugal and Britain. These nations came to West Africa with hopes that they will receive more gold. However, this was not the case during those times. With large plantations in America and Brazil that required cheap labor, these nations turned to slave trade (Martin, 1926).
Colonial period
Around the 15th century, traders from other different nations such as Great Britain, French, Netherlands and Portugal landed in the Coast region for trade. As time passed by, France became more strong thus taking control of the slave trade within the region. Christianity came into existence in the nation in the 19th century which was provided by the European missionaries. With time, French started to stretch from the coast region going toward the mainland. Virtually all the kingdoms were captured by the French colonists except Saloum and Sine. Trading slaves became the key tool during the colonial era by the traders from the nations mentioned above.
Independence
Martin (1926) reveals that a merger between Senegal and French Sudan received independence in 1960. However, the merger broke within the same year following political issues. The merger did not lose independence following the break. As a result, it led to the election of Leopold Senghor as the nation’s first president. Mamadou Dia assisted the president as the prime minister. For ten years after independence, the Portuguese military posed a lot of persistent within the country’s borders. Much political drive within that time motivated the Prime Minister to attempt a coup. However, the coup failed to lead to the imprisonment of the minister. A new constitution came into implementation giving the stabilizing the president’s power. Senghor retired in 1980 passing the power to Abdou Diouf, who was his new prime minister in 1981 (O'Brien, 1979).
Period after Independence
After the independence, Senegal recollected forming a strong nation. The traditions of the people of Senegal determined the social and cultural aspects. As it grew, its main religion was Islam with many polygamous families and strong believes in traditions. Just like any many nations of the world, the law warrants women in Senegal equal rights. However, they have a little influence in decision making within the nation. Most of its population today lives in the rural region with very few living in the urban areas. Poverty remains one of the most issues facing the nation with the lack of education and opportunities for women in building the economy of the nation being the main cause (O'Brien, 1979).
References
Martin, D. E. (1926). The history of Senegal. Berkeley.
O'Brien, R. C. (1979). The Political economy of underdevelopment: Dependence in Senegal. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications.
