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Fatou KEITA An author from the Ivory Coast writing in French [Return to French — Page originale en français] |
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Fatou Keïta was born in Soubré in Ivory Coast. She attended primary
school in France where her father was completing a specialisation in
anaesthetic surgery. Later, she went to high school in Bouaké where she gained
her baccalaureate in 1974. In 1976 she obtained a Diploma of Secretary at
Abidjan Technical College and left for London to further her study of English.
Then in 1981, Fatou Keïta graduated from the University of Côte d'Ivoire, first with a
B.A. and later a with Masters Degree. In 1984, she completed a Doctorate in
Anglo-Saxon Studies at the university of Caen in France.
In 1994, her book Le petit garçon bleu (NEI 1996) won First Prize
at the literary competition for Children's Books organised by the ACCT.
This book also received a commendation at the UNESCO Prize (a prize rewarding books
for children promoting tolerance) in 1997. Le petit garçon bleu also
received the Ivory Coast Prize for Excellence. It was translated into English
and German.
Fatou Keïta won a Fullbright Scholarship in 1995 and spent some time in
the US. She went to Charlottesville (Virginia) in order to research Black
African women writers in the US as well as in England. Interacting with writers and
critics in the US stimulated her desire to write her own novels. Back in Abidjan,
she published Rebelle (Présence Africaine/NEI, 1998) which is a
best-seller in Ivory Coast. This novel was translated into German and will soon
be available in English. According to the author, Rebelle is her
contribution to womens' fight against excision which, she says, represents a gross
violation of human rights.
Children's literature has been her favourite domain and she has published many
titles in this genre, including : Sinabani, la petite dernière
(NEI, 1998); Le Coq qui ne voulait plus chanter (NEI 1999) which
received the Prix Enfance awarded by the Association of Ivory Coast Writers ;
Le retour de la voleuse de sourires (NEI, 1999); Kyatou cache ses
dents (NEI, 1999) and Le Boubou du Père Noël (NEI,
2000) : this latter title was also translated in Spanish and Catalan in 1994. Lately,
she has published Un arbre pour Lollie, a children's book dealing with the
difficult issue of AIDS.
Between 1998 and 2001, Fatou Keïta was a Member of the jury awarding
UNESCO's literary prize for children's literature encouraging tolerance. She
was also a Member of the jury which, at the 2001 International Book
fair in Zimbabwe, selected the Best one hundred African books written in the 20th
Century. From 2003 to 2005, she was a Member of the Jury awarding the
celebrated NOMA Prize.
In September 2005, she conducted a literary workshop for UNESCO and BREDA in Dakar and this project will lead to a new children's book titled Des papis pas possibles ! Her novel Et l'aube se leva... was published in 2006
Her book Le Loup du Petit Chaperon Rouge en Afrique (NEI/CEDA 2007) was awarded a Mention Honorable at the NOMA Prize 2008.
In 2010, she published a book about Haïti : Haïti, Sauvée par ma poupée (NEI)
and her last publication La Petite Pièce de Monnaie, (NEI 2011) is hot off the press.
Fatou Keïta has been a lecturer in the English Department of Cocody
University for many years.
| Fatou Keïta's site [in French] |
Publications
Rebelle. Abidjan / Paris: NEI / Présence Africaine, 1998. (232p.) Novel.
Et l'aube se leva... Paris: Présence Africaine/CEDA/NEI, 2006. (312p.). Novel.
CHILDREN'S LITERATURE
La voleuse de sourires. Abidjan: Nouvelles Éditions Ivoiriennes, 1996. (32p.). Illustrations by Claire Mobio.
Le petit garçon bleu. Abidjan: Nouvelles Éditions Ivoiriennes, 1996. (24p.). Illustrations by Claire Mobio.
Sinabani, la petite dernière. Abidjan: Nouvelles Éditions Ivoiriennes, 1997. (31p.). Illustrations by Claire Mobio.
Le coq qui ne voulait plus chanter. Abidjan: Nouvelles Éditions Ivoiriennes, 1999. (31p.). Illustrations by Zohoré Lassane. (Prix Enfance 1999).
Le retour de la voleuse de sourires. Abidjan: Nouvelles Éditions Ivoiriennes, 1999. (31p.). Illustrations by Claire Mobio.
Kyatou cache ses dents. Abidjan: Nouvelles Éditions Ivoiriennes, 2000. (24p.). Illustrations by Studios Zohoré.
Le boubou du Père Noël. Abidjan: Nouvelles Éditions Ivoiriennes, 2000. (32p.). ISBN 2-84487-075-9. Illustrations by Claire Mobio.
Les billes de Karim. Abidjan: Nouvelles Éditions Ivoiriennes, 2001. (32p.). ISBN 2-84487-122-4. Illustrations by Kristiann Allen.
Le billet de 10.000F. Abidjan: Nouvelles Éditions Ivoiriennes, 2002. (32p.). ISBN 2-84487-172-0. Illustrations by Studios Zohoré.
Fati et l'arbre à miel. Accra-Ghana: Osu Library Fund/ Sub-Saharan Publishers, 2002. (28p.). ISBN 9988-550-42-1. Translated by Fatou Keïta. Illustrations by Therson Boadu.
Meshack Asare. L'appel de Sosu. Accra-Ghana: Sub-Saharan Publishers, 2002. (37p.). ISBN 9988-550-48-0. Translated by Fatou Keïta.
Un arbre pour Lollie. Abidjan: Nouvelles Éditions Ivoiriennes, 2005. Story of a young girl infected with AIDS.
Un arbre pour Lollie. Abidjan: Nouvelles Éditions Ivoiriennes, 2005. Histoire d'une fillette infectée par le virus du sida.
La colère de la petite souris ! Abidjan: CEDA et Nouvelles Éditions Ivoiriennes, 2006.
La véritable histoire du singe. Abidjan: CEDA et Nouvelles Éditions Ivoiriennes, 2006.
Tout rond ! Abidjan: Nouvelles Éditions Ivoiriennes, 2009.
Le chien qui aimait les chats. Abidjan: Nouvelles Éditions Ivoiriennes, 2009.
HAÏTI, sauvée par ma poupée. Abidjan: Nouvelles Éditions Ivoiriennes, 2010.
Le Petit Garçon bleu. Abidjan: Nouvelles Éditions Ivoiriennes, 2011 [re-edition with new illustration].
Une Mamie très à la mode!!! Abidjan: NEI-CEDA, 2013. CD included. [Illustrations de Zohoré Lassane].
Book reviews
Jean-Marie Volet. Rebelle. February 2010.
Editor ([email protected])
The University of Western Australia/French
Created: 02 December 2003
Modified: 8 January 2015
Archived: 8 January 2015
https://aflit.arts.uwa.edu.au/KeitaFatouEng.html