Colonial fractures and margins of resistance

Almost two hundred years ago, Baron Jacques-François Roger took up residence in his new home on the banks of the Senegal River, a majestic and eccentric neoclassical building that was much more princely than the one where he had lived in the nearby town of Saint Louis. He had arrived in Senegal a few years earlier to take possession of the palace that the King of France had commissioned, modelled on the luxury residences of colonial officials and plantation owners in Santo Domingo (Argo, 1976), at the time among the richest colonies of the French Empire. With the grand inauguration party that was held in the new residence, Roger probably wanted to give a specific character to his mandate. After several attempts, he had succeeded in obtaining the office of governor by royal stipulation on 26 July 1821 and was appointed Commandant et administrateur du Sénégal et dépendances. Mandated by the King of France to implement a policy of recovery and development of the colony, he carried out his project of building a model farm in the delta region of the Senegal River, before surrendering to failure. He left Senegal seven years later.

Determined to import the colonial plantation model to Senegal, Roger made a few attempts at developing irrigated agriculture and conducting cutting-edge botanical experiments in the delta. The species involved in his experiments were mainly rice, certain fruit trees, indigo, coffee and the peanut, the only plant that earned him considerable success and of which he became an ardent promoter.