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Bernard Binlin Dadié

ベルナール・ビンラン・ダディエ

Berunāru Binrin Dadie

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1916-01-10 （Assinie-Mafia, Côte d'Ivoire）
Died
2019-03-09 （Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire） age 103
Nationality
Ivory Coast
Languages
French

Career

Occupations
Poet, Writer, Politician, Screenwriter, Playwright
Active Years
1930-2019
Influenced By
African oral tradition, Aimé Césaire (Negritude writer), Léopold Sédar Senghor
Influenced
Subsequent generations of Ivorian and Francophone African writers

Education

École William Ponty
Country: Senegal (then French colonial)
Education influenced by both local Ivorian schooling and French colonial system

Awards

Grand Prix des Mécènes
2016
Organization: GPLA (Grand Prix of Literary Associations)
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Afrique debout

1950 Poetry / Political poetry 120 pages

A collection of poems celebrating African dignity and hope for independence, with critiques of colonialism and affirmations of cultural pride.

IndependenceDignityAnti-colonialism

Le pagne noir

1955 Short stories / Folktales 160 pages

A collection that bridges African folktales and contemporary contexts, reinterpreting tradition in modern settings.

FolktalesTradition vs modernityCultural transmission
Translations
  • The Black Cloth: A Collection of African Folktales

La ronde des jours

1956 Poetry 80 pages

A poetry collection themed on the cycles of daily life and memory, interweaving personal experience with historical remembrance.

MemoryTimeIndividual and history

Un Nègre à Paris

1959 Novel / Travel-writing elements 200 pages

Through experiences in Paris, the work examines colonialism, racism, and questions of identity and belonging.

MigrationRace and discriminationSelf-awareness

La ville où nul ne meurt

1969 Novel 220 pages

A novel about a community where tradition and modernization intersect, portraying social change and human relationships.

CommunityModernizationTradition

Dry Your Tears, Afrika (poem)

1967 Poem (used as choral text)

A poem about returning home and renewal. The choral text was used in Steven Spielberg's film Amistad, bringing it international recognition.

HomecomingRenewalEthnic pride
Adaptations
  • [Film (soundtrack choral text)] Amistad (used in soundtrack) / Steven Spielberg (1997)

Bibliography

  • Afrique debout (1950)
  • Légendes africaines (1954)
  • Le pagne noir (1955)
  • La ronde des jours (1956)
  • Un Nègre à Paris (1959)
  • Patron de New York (1964)
  • La ville où nul ne meurt (1969)
  • Carnets de prison (1981)
  • Escale dans le temps: The Struggle for Africa's Dignity (2017)

Adaptations

  • The poem 'Sèche Tes Pleurs' was used as a choral text in the film Amistad

Translations of Works

  • Le pagne noir → The Black Cloth (English translations exist)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Incorporation of oral-tradition narrative techniquesConcise and powerful poetic languageRealist treatment of political and social themes
Recurring Motifs
Homecoming and renewalEthnic pride and dignityCritique of colonialismFolktales and parables

Legacy

A major figure in Francophone African literature whose poetry and prose left a lasting mark. He engaged in political and cultural life in Côte d'Ivoire and bridged oral traditions with modern thought.

In Popular Culture

  • His poem was used in the film Amistad, bringing international recognition

Quotes

  • Dry your tears, Afrika
    Source: Poem 'Sèche Tes Pleurs' (1967) (1967)

Trivia

  • Won the Grand Prix des Mécènes in 2016.
  • Was detained for sixteen months before Côte d'Ivoire's independence for participating in demonstrations against the French colonial government.
  • Celebrated his 100th birthday in January 2016.