Métis et colons: la famille Devès et l'émergence politique des Africains au Sénégal, 1881-1897

Mulattoes and settlers: the Devès family and the political emergence of Africans in Senegal, 1881-1897.- The Creole community which dominated Senegal, even after the recall of Brière de l'Isle (1881), was sharply divided because of divergent economic interests in Saint-Louis and Gorée. Around 1890, the political landscape was profoundly altered by the arrival of French immigrants in the colony. In an attempt to wrest power from the Saint-Louisian Creoles, the Goreans, led by the Devès family, joined forces with the French colonists, supported by the Bordeaux commercial interests. This almost provoked the disintegration of their party, the electoral base of which was composed of small African traders threatened by the French penetration. Hoping to regain their influence, the Devès family made significant contributions towards the emergence of black politics in Senegal. The article ends with an evocation of probable links between the Devès and the first Black African deputy to the French parliament, Blaise Diagne.