Signaries
As Signaren ( Portuguese senhoras ) are young, female mestizo called that, from the combination of, Israelite mainly Portuguese with women from the ethnic group of the Serer or Lébou of the Petite Côte in Senegal emerged. The Signars' mothers were never slaves.
history
The first signaries at the beginning of the 17th century were Portuguese-speaking. The marriages of the Portuguese with the Sererian women usually lasted a long time, as many of these Portuguese lived their lives at the trading post of Sine-Saloum .
The Signars also grew up at this trading post. These trading posts were to a certain extent ruled by the signaries and the ruler of Sine . In particular, leather, cotton fabrics, indigo , gold and spices were traded.
The arrival of the French and English turned Senegal into a war zone and destroyed this matriarchal micro-civilization and the existing Pacific economic system. The signaries emigrated from the Petite-Côte to Gorée and Saint-Louis at the beginning of the 18th century to protect themselves from the chaos of war.
In Gorée, the signaries invented the so-called “mariage à la façon du pays” (wedding according to the country's style). These were temporary marriages recognized as valid by both the French king and the Catholic Church. These marriages were political and economic in nature, were only used in marriages with Europeans and never exceeded 15% of the total number of marriages concluded. The signaries preferred endogamous marriages (80% of all marriages), as only these could guarantee the continuation of their own culture and prosperity over generations. Weddings with Europeans were reserved for the elite and served to build up a network of relationships in France and England and to offer the community the protection of European relatives from possible acts of violence by the colonial powers. That is why the signaries never married simple sailors, but rather commoners or nobles of French or English descent.
The knight Stanislas de Boufflers , who was governor of Senegal in 1785, married Anne Pépin , who was known for her lavish parties. It is possible that he met her before he was appointed governor. His niece Anna Colas Pépin owned the house of the slaves .
For a long time, the privileges of the signaries were a thorn in the side of the governors. Nevertheless, due to their family connections to Europe, the Signars succeeded in repelling all attempts to weaken their preferred position.
The signaries were known for their extraordinary beauty and wealth. They were considered Femmes Fatales.
present
The signaries established a splendid way of life, so that this way of life is associated with them long after them in numerous history books or poems by Léopold Sédar Senghor . In Gorée and Saint-Louis in Senegal, shows are held annually in honor of the signaries.
literature
- Joseph Roger de Benoist , Abdoulaye Camara : Gorée, Guide de l'île et du Musée historique. Musée historique, Dakar, April 1993.
- Joseph Roger de Benoist, Abdoulaye Camara, F. Descamps, X. Ricou, J. Searing: Histoire de Gorée. Maisonneuve et Larose, 2003
- Abdoulaye Camara: Gorée. Passé, present and future. In: Le Patrimoine culturel africain. Maisonneuve et Larose, 2001, pp. 83-106.
- Jean Luc Angrand: Céleste ou le temps des Signares. Editions Anne Pépin, 2006.
- Guillaume Vial: Les signares à Saint-Louis du Sénégal au XIXe siècle. Étude critique d'une identité métisse. 2 volumes. Université de Reims, Mémoire de maîtrise, 1997.
- Tita Mandeleau: Signare Anna, ou le voyage aux escales. Nouvelles Éditions africaines du Sénégal, Dakar 1991, ISBN 2-7236-0437-3 .
documentary
- 1994: Gorée, l'île des signares ( Abdoulaye Camara , Florence Morillères, France, Neyrac Films, 26 ')