Aline Sitoé Diatta: The struggles for memory in the construction of the Senegalese heroine

Abstract

This article reflects on Aline Sitoé Diatta, a priestess of the Diola people who promoted a return to ancestral traditions and became a symbol of resistance to French colonization in Casamance. We present a synthesis of her life and discuss the different political uses of her trajectory in contemporary history. Based on political speeches, correspondence, official documents, printed oral and iconographic sources, this work examines the instrumentalization of the history of Aline Sitoé Diatta and the memorial conflict between the Senegalese State and the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance led by Abbot Augustin Diamacoune Senghor, in the 1970s-90s.

The article discusses the problem of the repatriation of the mortal remains of Aline Sitoé Diatta – which are in Mali since she died in the French colonial prison, in Timbuktu, in 1944 – in light of the Diola perception of death and funeral rites, to problematize the politics of memory promotion in the post-independence context. We also analyzed how Aline Sitoé is represented in museums, monuments, squares, and schools to reflect on her importance in the public history of Senegal and the process of constructing her as a national heroine.