The French colonial policy of Assimilation was first applied in?

A. Conakry, Goree, Bamako and St. Louis
B. Dakar, St, Louis, Goree and Conakry
C. Goree, Dakar, Bamako and Abidjan
D. St. Louis, Dakar, Goree and Rufisque

Correct Answer:

Option D – St. Louis, Dakar, Goree and Rufisque

Explanation

The Four Communes of Senegal in French West Africa, Gorée, Dakar, Rufisque, and Saint-Louis, were the only places during the African Colonial period, where African inhabitants were granted the same rights as French Citizens.

As early as 1840, the importance of Gorée Island and Saint-Louis (located on an island of the Senegal River) as key French trading post settlements led to the establishment of a General Council in each colony. In 1848, the Second French Republic awarded to its Senegalese colonies the right to send an elected representative to the French National Assembly. Later in 1872, a decree granted to Gorée and Saint Louis the same advantages as French Communes.