Qualifier l’esclavage et (commencer à) commémorer son abolition au Sénégal : la loi du 5 mai 2010

Abstract

In May 2010, the Senegalese Parliament adopted legislation declaring slavery a crime against humanity, thus making Senegal the first African country to pass such a memorial law. The adoption of this law and ensuing debates were an opportunity to reflect on the links between history and memory, between justice and globalization. Both these links seem to be based on moral concerns that are expressed in tensions between ideas of diversity and the process of homogenization. In the case under study, this is a reference to concerns over the obligation to remember, recognition of the past, reparations, and reconciliation. These concerns must be viewed within their historical context and with a recognition of the power relationships that influence the ways in which they are expressed.