Aimé Césaire

Aimé Césaire (1913–2008) was a Martinican poet, playwright and politician and one of the giants of twentieth-century literature. His long poem Return to My Native Land announced the movement of Négritude, which he co-founded, affirming with revolutionary force the value of Black civilisation and identity.

A lifelong anti-colonial intellectual, Césaire served as mayor of Fort-de-France and a deputy in the French National Assembly for over half a century. His poetry, plays and famous essay Discourse on Colonialism made him a moral touchstone for decolonisation movements across the world.