Conquest and Resistance in West Africa

A compelling history of murder, political intrigue and legal machinations embedded in the context of the early French colonial project in Senegal, this bookanalyses key aspects of French colonial expansion along the Senegal River, and the politico-legal machinations and distortions the colonial administration resorted to when confronted with a strong and legitimate legal challenge.
Known as Jeandet Affair, the story centres on Ndiereby Bah, a young woman wrongfully widowed when colonial administrator Abel Jeandet was murdered by one of his soldiers. This led to the brutal and illegal executions - without trial - of the killer and two local dignitaries. Bah's dogged pursuit of justice led to harassment, intimidation and the cynical distortion of French law and political process by an administration determined to assert its narrative. Conquest and resistance in West Africa offers a fascinating account of how the scandal has remained and percolated through Senegalese cultural memory, remaining relevant more than a hundred years after these events took place.
The volume brings to light the role of women in anti-colonial non-violent struggles, who are often marginalized in the history of African responses to colonisation; and provides insights into the efforts of the various participants in the French colonial project in West Africa who tried to shape, influence or resist it. It describes conflicting perspectives on murder and summary executions from the conflicting perspectives of the French colonial administration, the French legal system, local politicians and activist métis.