Lat Dior Ngone Latyr Diop

Senegalese king who pioneered armed resistance against French colonial expansion

Lat Dior (1842-1886), last ruler of the Cayor Kingdom, engineered West Africa's most effective anti-colonial military campaigns. His 1875 Battle of Dekheulé saw Wolof cavalry destroy French artillery units using guerrilla tactics later studied by Ho Chi Minh, as recorded in DakarActu oral histories.

Beyond warfare, Lat Dior revolutionized agriculture by introducing peanut cash crops to finance his kingdom's independence. He established a secular legal system blending Islamic jurisprudence with traditional codes – a model referenced in Senegal's modern constitution. The Lat Dior Canal irrigation project remains operational today, supporting 200,000 farmers.

His cultural legacy includes preserving the Wolof language through mandating its use in administration and creating griot (praise singer) schools. The Musée des Civilisations Noires in Dakar displays his "Resolution Stick" – a carved staff used to sign treaties – symbolizing African sovereignty against colonial contracts.