[TITLE: Guinean literature] * La même page en français *

    Guinean literature at a glance

    Female authors

    A few reference books

    To find out more on Guinea

    Guinean literature at a glance

    In his introduction to Guinean literature, the author Tierno Monenembo states that "with rare exceptions, orality has been the basis of Guinean culture [...] the vehicle of knowledge and wisdom". If we exclude the use of esoteric writing of Tomas, it was the Arabian alphabet that popularised writing in Guinea. Moreover, a transcription of the Peul language in Arabic characters appeared during the course of the 18th century, but this expansion of the literary genre was seriously interrupted by the invasion of the colonial forces.
    The French occupation of the Rivières du Sud [Rivers of the South] was almost complete by the end of the 19th century in spite of the wars of resistance led by the local people and by the legendary Almamy Samory Touré. Literature written in French, however, only emerged at the end of World War II with the appearance of Keïta Fodeba's poems and the publication of Camara Laye's L'Enfant noir [The Black Child] (1953). Although disparaged by Mongo Beti for his stereotypical description of Africa, this novel was praised in some quarters for its fine analysis of the character's psychological journey. During the following decades, many other authors appeared on the Guinean literary scene : Mohamed Alioum Fantouré, Jkibril Tamsir Niane, Williams Sassine, Roger Goto Zomou, Camara Kaba 41 and, even more recently, Kiri di Bangoura and Cheick Oumar Kante. The numerous writings of Sékou Touré who plunged the country into disarray after wresting it from the grip of colonialism should also be mentioned, but they are of more historical than literary interest.
    Although female Guinean writers are still few in number, they have also published several interesting books : the novel D'un Fouta-Djalloo à l'autre by Sirah Baldé de Labé, one of the first female primary teachers in the old Peul Kingdom of Fouta-Djalloo when the region still was under French rule ; two autobiographies, one by Kesso Barry, the daughter of the last Almamy, and the other by Nadine Bari whose husband was assassinated by Sékou Touré ; short stories by Marie Bernadette Ouédraogo Tiendrébéogo and publications by Aïssatou Barry who was a veterinarian. Also worth mentioning are Le Mariage par colis, a novel published in 2004 by Binta Ann and, a year later, Bilguissa Diallo's Diasporama, an excellent social portrait of a family living at the intersection of two continents.

    Female authors from Guinea

    Please note: Authors' cultural heritage and identity extend beyond their association to a specific location [see Angèle Bassolé Ouédraogo's réflexions autobiographiques and Achille Mbembe "Afropolitanisme" Africultures 66 (2006), pp.9-15.].

    Bilguissa DIALLO

    Binta ANN Nadine BARI Sirah BALDE DE LABE Aïssatou BARRY Josiane COINTET Bilguissa DIALLO Koumanthio Zeinab DIALLO Mariama Kesso DIALLO Marie Bernadette TIENDREBEOGO Mariama BARRY Kesso BARRY

    A few reference books

    • "Littérature Guinéenne" numéro spécial de Notre Librairie 88-89 (1987), 208p.

    • Tierno Monenembo. "Editorial: La Guinée aussi (Survol des origines de la littérature guinéenne)". Notre Librairie 88-89 (1987), pp. 6-9.

    • Rouch, Alain et Gérard Clavreuil. "Guinée" dans Littératures nationales d'écriture française: Histoire et anthologie. Paris: Bordas, 1986, pp. 201-217.

    To find out more on Guinea

    [MAP]
    • Guinée Wikipedia. [Sighted 10 November 2006].

    • Le destin brillant et tragique de Diallo Telli (1925-1977) par Hervé Mbouguen grioo.com 09/08/2003. [Sighted 06 December 2004].

    • Guinea on the web : links suggested by Karen Fung, Stanford. [Sighted 12 July 2006].

    • Guinea : Infos. [Sighted 29 November 2004].

    • IRIN new.org : Guinée . (ONU). [Sighted 10 November 2006].

    • Languages spoken in Guinea. [Sighted 29 November 2004].

    • Aïcha Bah Diallo, sous directrice générale de l'éducation à l'Unesco 14/06/2004 par Paul Yange, Grioo.com 14/06/2004. [Sighted 10 November 2006].

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    Created: 05 June 1996
    Modified: 10 November 2006
    Archived: 25 October 2008
    https://www.arts.uwa.edu.au/AFLIT/CountryGuineaEN.html