Leopold Sedar Senghor was born October 06, 1906 in Joal , Senegal. A poet ,professor, philosopher and a statesman who became the first President of Senegal when it gained Independence from France. His life was blend of African and European experiences. In World War II ,he fought in an all-African French Army Unit and spent 2 years in a Nazis camp after being captured . In 1984, he became the first black member of the French Academy.