Cheikh Anta Diop

Born in Thieytou, Center Senegal, Dr. Cheikh Anta Diop (1923—1986) was born to an aristocratic Muslim Wolof family in Senegal where he was educated in a traditional Islamic school. Diop’s family was part of the Mouride brotherhood, the only independent Muslim group in Africa according to Diop. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in Senegal before moving to Paris for graduate studies, where he ended his scholastic education. —S. Ademola Ajayi, "Cheikh Anta Diop" in Kevin Shillington (ed.), Encyclopedia of African History.