The first Senegalese President, Lèopold Sédar Senghor’s auction in France has been postponed after the government in Dakar negotiated to buy them directly.
Senghor’s possessions, including military medals and jewellery were proposed to be sold in the city of Caen.
Macky Sall, the current president of Senegal, had urged the culture minister and the embassy in Paris to schedule talks with the auctioneers.
Senghor had presided over Senegal for 20 years after the country’s independence from France in 1960.
He had been a distinguished poet who introduced Négritude – an anti-colonialist movement that advocated for African cultures – together with Martinican poet, Aimé Cesairé while he was a student in Paris in the 1930s.
Politics-wise, Senghor had been a socialist therefore he maintained close ties to France during his leadership.
Just before he died, he retired to France with his French wife Colette near Caen, where he died in 2001.
The private seller who brought Senghor’s properties to be auctioned has not been named.
Negotiations will be held with state officials over the next few weeks, according to auctioneer Solène Laine. She had told AFP news agency on Saturday that if they fail to reach an agreement, the auction will then be held in December.
