Pierre Cantrelle in Senegal, vaccinating against measles.

We are sorry to announce the passing of Pierre Cantrelle, demographer at ORSTOM/IRD, on November 7 in Saint-Clément de Rivière (near Montpellier, France). Pierre Cantrelle played an important role in the development of African demography and was a long-time active member of the IUSSP, which he had joined in 1960. He played a major role in organizing the 1st African Regional Conference on Population, in Accra, Ghana) December 9-18, 1971, organized by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and the IUSSP. The proceedings of this conference are included in the volume Population in African Development, edited by Pierre Cantrelle and published by the IUSSP (Ordina) in 1974.


Pierre Cantrelle was a "pioneer of African demography" (this title was kindly awarded to him at the Ouagadougou African Demography Conference in January 1975). He began his career in 1954 as a medical doctor, nutritionist and anthropologist at IFAN (Institut Fondamental d'Afrique Noire) in Dakar, Senegal. He then participated in the very first demographic operations set up by INSEE-Cooperation (Guinea, Upper Volta, Dahomey). He conducted the MISOES survey (Socio-economic Mission of the Senegal River) in 1957-1958, a pioneering, multidisciplinary, demographic and health survey, 30 years before the DHS surveys. This survey aimed at collecting precise demographic data (mortality, fertility, causes of death), epidemiological data (measles, malaria, tropical diseases) and nutritional data (anthropometry, diet). Then in 1963 he set up a demographic surveillance in Niakhar and Paos-Koto, a "multi-round survey", later reduced to Ngayokheme and Ndemene, which was the origin of the Niakhar population laboratory. He participated in the testing of the first vaccines against measles, a disease that he had identified as an important cause of death during the MISOES survey. A tireless researcher, he published numerous articles (127 in the Horizon database) for more than 60 years (1959-2021), gave courses in demography in several universities, supervised numerous theses, and inspired many demographers and nutritionists. He left a deep memory with his Senegalese friends, and 20 years after his departure from Dakar, people were still talking about him and his work for the development of the newly independent country, for establishing civil registration in rural areas, and for demographic research. 

 

Deeply affected in recent years by the death of his wife and two sons, he held on until the end, and remained a warm and cheerful friend throughout his life. Following the celebrations of 50 years in Niakhar, a film was dedicated to him at the IRD, entitled "Conversation avec Pierre Cantrelle", produced in 2013 by Doris Bonnet, with the collaboration of Bernard Surugue.


By demographers and colleagues of Pierre Cantrelle at ORSTOM/IRD -  Michel Garenne, Francis Gendreau, Patrick Gubry, Philippe Antoine, Valérie Delaunay, Jacques Vaugelade, André Briend, Olivier Fontaine, Bernard Maire, Doris Bonnet, Jean-Pierre Guengant, Charles Becker, et alii.

 

References