セネガル、初代大統領の貴重品競売に「待った」　直接購入

【ダカールＡＦＰ＝時事】セネガル政府はこのほど、初代大統領で詩人でもあったレオポール・セダール・サンゴールの貴重な所持品がフランスで競売に出されるところを阻止した。セネガルは２５日、競売会社と「友好的な合意」に達したと明らかにした。（写真はレオポール・セダール・サンゴールの写真）
　仏ノルマンディー地方カーンで競売に掛けられることになっていたのは、サンゴールと妻が所有していた宝飾品や軍の勲章、他国からの贈答品、金の万年筆など４１点。
　しかし、セネガル政府が直接購入について現在の所有者との交渉を求めたため、競売業者は先週、入札を延期。セネガル文化省は２３日、２６万ドル（約３９００万円）で購入することで所有者と合意したと明らかにした。
　セネガル政府は、１９６０年から１９８０年まで大統領を務めたサンゴールの「名声と遺産を保存する」ためと説明している。
　サンゴールは、大統領になる前は詩人、作家、教授としても活躍。１９３０年代に黒人の文化や権利の復興運動「ネグリチュード」を提唱した。第２次世界大戦中は、宗主国フランスの軍に入隊。アフリカ人として初めてフランスの権威ある学術団体アカデミー・フランセーズの会員になった。２００１年に９５歳でカーン近郊で亡くなった。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2023/10/30-17:04）

Senegal has stopped a collection of its first president's precious possessions from going under the hammer in France, saying on Wednesday it had reached a friendly agreement with the auction house.
Jewellery, military medals, diplomatic gifts, and even gold fountain pens owned by Leopold Sedar Senghor and his wife were set to be auctioned in Caen, northwestern France.
But the auctioneer said last week it would delay bidding after the Senegalese state intervened, asking to negotiate with the current owner about buying the collection directly.
Organisers had said they would press ahead with the auction in December if an agreement could not be reached.
Senegal's culture ministry said it had spent $260,000 striking a deal to acquire the items on Monday.
Senegal said it had wanted to buy them to preserve the memory and heritage of Senghor, who was in power from 1960 to 1980.
A poet, writer and professor before he became president, Senghor was a champion of the anti-colonial Negritude movement in the 1930s.
He fought for former colonial power France during World War II and was the first African admitted to the country's prestigious Academie Francaise.
The 41 items included an 18-carat gold Order of the Nile necklace which Senghor received in 1967 after making a speech at Cairo University.
The deal came about after Senegalese President Macky Sall weighed in, asking the culture minister and the Senegalese embassy in Paris to carry out appropriate discussions with the auctioneer.
The operation cost 244,000 euros, the Senegalese ministry said, adding it had reached a friendly agreement.
The mediation went very well... All the lots in this sale have been amicably transferred to Senegal by mutual agreement. All parties are delighted, auctioneer Solene Laine told AFP, without specifying the cost.
Senghor spent time in Verson near Caen after marrying Colette Hubert, from Normandy.
He died there at the age of 95 in 2001.