1. Birago Diop to a wolof family was a Senegalese poet and storyteller whose work restored general interest in African folktales and promoted him to one of the most outstanding African francophone writers.
10 Facts About Birago Diop
1. 2.
Son of Ismael and Sokhna Diop, Birago Diop was born on 11 December 1906 in Ouakam, a neighborhood in Dakar, Senegal.
3.
Birago Diop's mother raised him with his two older brothers, Massyla and Youssoupha; his father, for unknown reasons, disappeared two months before Diop was born.
4.
Birago Diop's childhood exposed him to many folktales, which he later used in his literary work.
5.
In 1920, Birago Diop earned a scholarship to attend the French-speaking school Lycee Faidherbe in Saint-Louis, which was then Senegal's capital.
6.
Birago Diop served as the first Senegalese ambassador to Tunisia from 1960 to 1965.
7.
When Birago Diop finally returned to Africa, he served as a director of zoological technical services in Ivory Coast and Upper Volta.
8.
Birago Diop died on 25 November 1989 in Dakar at the age of 82.
9.
Birago Diop was survived by his wife of many years, Marie-Louise Pradere, and two children, Renee and Andree.
10.
Birago Diop's legacy includes the titles of novelist, diplomat, a founder of the Negritude movement and veterinarian.