Translations of the Ecole William Ponty Notebooks from Senegal, West Africa

Presenter Information(s)

Jenna Bachman

Abstract or Description

I have been translating the Cahiers Ponty (Ponty Notebooks) that come from Sénégal. These notebooks were written from 1933 and 1957. They were written by students in their third year that attended a school named after a French man called William Ponty. The notebooks served as these student’s dissertation. The school was founded on November 24th, 1903. Through the notebooks, we can see that the French imposed certain cultural standards on West African peoples through the Ecole William Ponty. Its graduates demonstrate that the French pursued a consistent policy of educational assimilation. At least at the level of Ecole Ponty, education in Africa closely mirrored that of France, intentionally aimed at shaping "black Frenchmen" (Sabatier 1977). These notebooks explore African culture, customs, and folklore, education, and illnesses. My favorite notebook focused on one man and his journey from school to having a career and all of his ups and downs.

Mentor

Emma BUNKLEY