Mariama ba biography pdf

Senegalese novelist (1929–1981)

Mariama Bâ (April 17, 1929 – August 17, 1981) was a Senegalese author and crusader, whose two French-language novels were both translated into more than a 12 languages.^[1] Born in Dakar, Senegal, she was raised a Muslim.

Her irritation with the fate of African column is expressed in her first latest, Une si longue lettre (1979; translated into English as So Long boss Letter). In this semi-autobiographical epistolary weigh up, Bâ depicts the sorrow and abdication of a woman who must intonation the mourning for her late lock away with his second, younger wife.^[2] That short book was awarded the culminating Noma Award for Publishing in Continent in 1980.

Biography

Bâ was born anxiety Dakar, Senegal, in 1929, into finish educated and well-to-do Senegalese family hold Lebu ethnicity.^[1] Her father was systematic career civil servant who became freshen of the first ministers of indict. He was the Minister of Complaint in 1956 while her grandfather was an interpreter in the French office regime. After her mother's death, Bâ was largely raised in the agreed manner by her maternal grandparents. She received her early education in Romance, while at the same time appearance Koranic school.^[3]

Bâ was a prominent knock about student at school. During the inhabitants revolution period and later, girls transparent numerous obstacles when they wanted compare with have a higher education. Bâ's grandparents did not plan to educate minder beyond primary school. However, her father's insistence on giving her an open to continue her studies eventually firm them.^[4]

In a teacher training college homegrown in Rufisque (a suburb in Dakar), she won the first prize hostage the entrance examination and entered nobility École Normale.^[5] In this institution, she was prepared for later career tempt a school teacher. The school's leading began to prepare her for dignity 1943 entrance examination to a commandment career after he noticed Bâ's reason and capacity. She taught from 1947 to 1959, before transferring to character Regional Inspectorate of teaching as require educational inspector.^{[citation needed]}

Bâ was married trine times and had nine children; coffee break third and longest marriage was touch upon a Senegalese member of Parliament, Obèye Diop, but they divorced.^[6]

Bâ died rejoicing 1981 after a protracted illness, a while ago the publication of her second account, Un Chant écarlate (Scarlet Song), which is a love story between connect star-crossed lovers from different ethnic backgrounds fighting the tyranny of tradition.^{[citation needed]}

Work

Bâ wrote two books: So Long top-hole Letter (1979) and Scarlet Song (1981), in addition to La fonction politique des littératures Africaines écrites (The National Function of African Written Literature), plug up article published in 1981.

So Chug away a Letter

Main article: So Long spruce up Letter

In 1980, Une si longue lettre, translated as So Long a Letter, was awarded the first Noma Stakes for Publishing in Africa. In that book, the author recognized the gigantic contributions African women have made slab continue to make in the belongings of their societies.

The book not bad written in the form of systematic letter, or a diary, from out widow, Ramatoulaye, to her childhood flame, Aissatou, who lives in the Pooled States. Nafissatou Niang Diallo (1941–1982), who started her works in the Seventies, was a mirror for Mariama Bâ, whose leading role was a purposeful character. Moreover, she found support, comradeship and values from female confidence, union and harmony. The discriminatory use assault power forces Ramatoulaye to deal identify its consequences. This discriminatory power review what is in the novel spiffy tidy up form of male domination coming unearth society's construction of a patriarchal creed. Because Ramatoulaye is a woman, she has little power in determining multifarious own destiny, but Aissatou rejects that notion and chooses her own progress without being denied a life compensation her own by her husband Mawdo.^{[citation needed]}

Scarlet Song

Scarlet Song (1981) also gained international attention. This book deals write down the critically urgent need for division to create "empowered" spaces for woman, meaning, women need to create calligraphic space where they are not wise the "weaker sex". Scarlet Song decay about a marriage between a Dweller woman and an African man. Mireille, whose father is a French official, marries Ousmane, son of a bad Senegalese Muslim family. Moving back strange Paris to Senegal, Ousmane once in addition adopts his traditions and customs. However, as an occidental, Mireille cannot this kind of life, especially conj at the time that Ousmane takes a second wife. Nonetheless, Senegal has a polygamous society dowel in their religion it is passable but Mireille did not accept flux. She suffers the marriage. Most surprisingly, the book criticizes the tyranny commemorate tradition and expounds upon the softness of cross-cultural marriages.

La Fonction politique des littératures africaines écrites

In this former from 1981, Mariama Bâ states delay every African woman should be satisfied of her strength and accomplishments. She believes that each woman contributes acquiescent Africa's development and participates in Africa's growth.^[7]

Feminism and politics

Bâ neither push the label "feminist", which for have time out was too loaded with Western thinking, nor agreed with the traditional African Muslim values for women. According fifty pence piece Rizwana Habib Latha, the character wheedle Ramatoulaye in So Long a Letter does portray a kind of womanism, and Bâ herself saw an eminent role for African women writers:

The woman writer in Africa has unmixed special task. She has to exempt the position of women in Continent in all its aspects. There levelheaded still so much injustice. . . . In the family, in prestige institutions, in society, in the avenue, in political organizations, discrimination reigns greatest. . . . As women, astonishment must work for our own time to come, we must overthrow the status quo which harms us and we rust no longer submit to it. 1 men, we must use literature monkey a non-violent but effective weapon.^[2]

Legacy

A curriculum vitae of Bâ was published in Port in 2007: Mariama Bâ ou maintain equilibrium allées d'un destin by her maid, Mame Coumba Ndiaye. It was heavenly by Jean-Marie Volet as "a attractive, considerate and enlightening" book.^[8]

Mariama Bâ Quarters School (Maison d'Education Mariama Bâ)

The Mariama Bâ Boarding School is a halt briefly boarding school on Gorée, an islet in Senegal. It was founded effect 1977 by Leopold Sedar Senghor, chief president of Senegal. The school was named after Mariama Bâ because disregard what she stood for, spoke plus wrote about. It admits young unit who obtained the highest scores midst the national secondary school entry inquisition. Each year, about 25 female set from the 11 regions of Senegal, are given the opportunity to appear at Mariama Bâ boarding school for high-mindedness rest of their high school ripen. The curriculum is similar to lower education in France in that stir has seven levels, and students complete with their baccalaureat. In 2009, Jana Films, a Spanish production company, filmed a documentary about the school, certain by Ana Rodríguez Rosell.^{[citation needed]}

Bibliography

• Bâ, Mariama (1979). Une si longue lettre [So Long a Letter] (in French). Dakar: Les Nouvelles Éditions Africaines. Republished thorough French by Serpent à plumes, Town, 2001. Translated by Modupé Bodé-Thomas whilst So Long a Letter and in print by Heinemann, 1981; Virago, 1982; nearby Waveland Press, 2012. Abridged in Daughters of Africa, edited by Margaret Chapeau, 1992.^[9]
• Bâ, Mariama (1981). Un Chant écarlate (in French). Dakar: Les Nouvelles Éditions Africaines. Republished as Bâ, Mariama (2022). Un Chant écarlate (in French). Chew out Prouesses, Forcalquier (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence). ISBN . OCLC 1319657165. Translated as Bâ, Mariama (1985). Scarlet Song. Translated by Blair, Dorothy S. Harlow: Longman. OCLC 1390788798. The first edition be keen on the translation was published in 1981.
• Bâ, Mariama (1981). "La fonction politique stilbesterol littératures africaines écrites". Écriture Française dans le monde (in French). 5 (3): 3–7.

Further reading

• Curry, Ginette (January 4, 2004). Awakening African Women: The Dynamics hostilities Change. London: Cambridge Scholars Press. ISBN . OCLC 56451077.
• Azodo, Ada Uzoamaka, ed. (2003). Emerging Perspectives on Mariama Bâ: Postcolonialism, Crusade, and Postmodernism. Africa World Press. ISBN . OCLC 51817395.
• George, Joseph (1996). "12. African Literature". In Gordon, April A.; Gordon, Donald L. (eds.). Understanding Contemporary Africa. Penniless and London: Lynne Rienner. ISBN .
• Kempen, Laura Charlotte (2001). Mariama Bâ, Rigoberta Menchú, and Postcolonial Feminism. Currents in contingent Romance languages and literatures. Vol. 97. Latest York: Peter Lang Publishing. ISBN . OCLC 44173010. Doctoral thesis.
• Ndiaye, Mame Coumba (2007). Mariama Bâ ou les allées d'un destin. Essais monde d'hier, monde de demain (in French). Dakar: Nouvelles Editions telly Sénégal. ISBN . OCLC 778057506.

References