Noma Award for Publishing in Africa
1 appearances
-
Edition 1 (1980) Winner
Mariama Bâ
マリアマ・バ
Mariama Ba
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1929-04-17 （Dakar, Senegal）
- Died
- 1981-08-17 （Dakar, Senegal） age 52
- Nationality
- Senegal
- Languages
- French
- Religion
- Islam
- Residence History
- Dakar, Senegal → Gorée Island, Senegal
Career
- Occupations
- Author, Teacher, School inspector
- Active Years
- 1945-1981
- Influenced By
- Nafissatou Niang Diallo
- Influenced
- African women writers and feminist movements, Writers in postcolonial criticism
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| École Normale de Rufisque | — | Teacher training | — | — | Senegal |
École Normale de Rufisque
Teacher training
Country:
Senegal
Attended a teacher-training institution for women and later worked as a teacher.
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Noma Award for Publishing in Africa | So Long a Letter (Une si longue lettre) | — | Noma Foundation | 受賞 |
Noma Award for Publishing in Africa
1980
Work:
So Long a Letter (Une si longue lettre)
Organization:
Noma Foundation
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
So Long a Letter (Une si longue lettre)
1979 Novel (epistolary)A semi-autobiographical epistolary novel in which widow Ramatoulaye writes a long letter to her friend Aissatou. It examines polygamy, marriage, women's education and autonomy, and the emotional and social struggles of women in postcolonial Senegal.
PolygamyMarriage and divorceWomen's education and autonomyTradition vs. modernity
Translations
- English translation: Modupé Bodé-Thomas (So Long a Letter, 1981)
Scarlet Song (Un chant écarlate)
1981 NovelA novel about a cross-cultural love affair and marriage between Mireille, a French woman, and Ousmane, a Senegalese man. Through their relationship the book examines how tradition, prejudice and religious customs strain personal ties. It is Bâ's later work addressing cultural conflict and women's positions.
Cross-cultural conflictMarriage and traditionWomen's suffering
Translations
- English translation: Dorothy S. Blair (Scarlet Song, 1981)
Bibliography
- Une si longue lettre (1979)
- Un chant écarlate (1981)
- La fonction politique des littératures africaines écrites (1981, article)
Translations of Works
- So Long a Letter translations into multiple languages (including English by Modupé Bodé-Thomas, 1981)
- Scarlet Song English translation (Dorothy S. Blair, 1981)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Lyrical, introspective epistolary styleConcise prose combining personal experience and social critique
- Recurring Motifs
- Polygamy and marital systemsFemale friendship and solidarityEducation and autonomyTension between tradition and modernity
Health
-
Lung cancer晩年Died after a long battle with lung cancer in 1981. She passed away shortly before the publication of her second novel.
Legacy
Mariama Bâ is regarded as a key voice in African literature and women's emancipation. So Long a Letter was widely translated and is seen as a landmark work that made African women's experiences visible in literature. She also had significant influence on education and women's rights; a prestigious girls' boarding school in Senegal bears her name.
Museums
- Maison d'Éducation Mariama Bâ (boarding school) Gorée Island, Dakar, Senegal Opened in 1977
Academic Societies
- Groups for African literary studies
Archives
- Columbia University Libraries (listed So Long a Letter among important books about Africa)
In Popular Culture
- Maison d'Éducation Mariama Bâ (prestigious girls' school in Senegal)
Quotes
-
Every African woman should be proud of her strength and accomplishments.
Source: La fonction politique des littératures africaines écrites (1981) (1981)
Trivia
- She had nine children.
- Une si longue lettre (1979) won the Noma Award for Publishing in Africa in 1980.
- The Maison d'Éducation Mariama Bâ on Gorée Island is named in her honour.