Rokhaya MAIGA KA An author from Senegal writing in French [Return to French — Page originale en français]

Rokhaya Aminata Maïga Ka was born in 1940 in Saint-Louis, Senegal. Like many Senegalese, she was born into a Muslim family . Her father was a doctor, her mother a housewife and she has very happy childhood memories. Although French was spoken in her milieu, Peul, Wolof and Bambara were also spoken at home. After primary school in Kounghel and Thiès, Aminata Maïga Ka went to high school in Thiès and later to the lycée 'Eaux Claires ' in Grenoble. She later gained a Master's Degree in English at the Dakar University, followed by a stay at the universities of San Francisco and Iowa-City. Her professional career began as an English teacher at the Lycée Malick Sy in Thiès. But after completing further training in Great Britain, she filled a variety of high level posts, both with UNESCO and the government of Senegal. She has visited numerous countries during the course of her life (France, Great Britain, USA, Mali, Guinea, Mauritania, Congo and the Central African Republic) and has lived in Dakar since 1976. Aminata Maiga Ka's first publication, "La Voie du Salut - Miroir de la Vie", in 1985 was followed by "En votre nom et au mien" and "Brisures vies", as well as works on the the condition of women in Senegal and her literary critiques on the works of Mariama Bâ and d'Aminata Sow Fall. Married to the late playwright and journalist Abdou Anta Ka, she is the mother of six children. A technical adviser to the Ministry of Education, she was also a town councillor and a member of the Central Commmittee of the Socialist Party (in 1991). From 1992 to 1995, she was a Cultural Attaché at Rome's Senegalese Embassy and a representative (représentant adjoint) to the FAO, FIDA and PAM. Rokhaya Aminata Maïga Ka passed away in November 2005.

Publications

La Voie du Salut suivi de Le Miroir de la vie [The Path of Salvation followed by Mirror of Life]. Paris: Présence Africaine, 1985. (200p.). ISBN 2 7087 0461 3. Two short stories.

The short story The Path of Salvation illustrates what little power the modern woman, initiated into the world of business and politics, actually possesses." (Back cover).

Mirror of Life describes the shameless exploitation of a young maid called Fatou: she becomes pregnant, her boyfriend betrays her and a tragic turn of events leads to her suicide. Madame Cissé, who is proud of her noble ancestry, collapses when her daughter becomes infatuated with the son of a female praise-singer. Moreover, when her son is charged with terrorist activities, her husband, who is a government minister, has to intervene in order to get him out of prison.

En votre nom et au mien [In your name and mine]. Abidjan: Les Nouvelles Editions Africaines C.I., 1989 (145p.). ISBN 2 7236 1494 8. Novel.

This novel focuses on how it is that bad choices come to be made in life. Awa Gueye marries an elderly rich man, rather than the young schoolteacher whom she loves. She is encouraged in this decision by her family, who think only of the dowry they will receive. In vain, the elderly husband exhausts himself trying to satisfy his young wife. The son of the unhappy marriage, Samba, leaves school and becomes involved in drugs, which eventually cause his death. The good choices made in life form the high points of the novel and are all the more important because they are so rare.

Brisures de Vies [Fragments of Lives]. Saint-Louis du Senegal : Editions Xamal, 1998 (79p.). ISBN 2 84402-004-6. Short story.

This short story focuses on the life of a poor family in Senegal.

Editor ([email protected])
The University of Western Australia/French
Created: 26 November 1996
Modified: 29 March 2006
Archived: 21 December 2012
https://aflit.arts.uwa.edu.au/MaigaKaAminataEng.html