Amina SOW MBAYE An author from Senegal writing in French [Return to French — Page originale en français]

Amina Sow Mbaye was born in 1937 in Saint-Louis, Senegal. Her father was a Sergeant in the military and following his postings, she attended various primary schools, Léontine Gracianet in Saint-Louis, Gambetta in Kaolack and the regional school of Fatick. Between the age of 15 to 19 she attended the Ameth Fall Secondary School for young girls in Saint-Louis where she was captain of the basketball team. (In fact, she later became the first qualified female basketball umpire in Senegal). After obtaining her BEPC (Brevet d'éducation du premier cycle) and following a three month training period, she taught in Dagana then, two years later, in Saint-Louis. Following the completion of her Brevet Supérieur de Capacité, she was appointed headmistress of the ENR in Saint-Louis, an establishment where teachers are able to practise their teaching skills.
A leader in the Scout movement in the past, Amina Sow Mbaye is still a member of the Association des anciens éclaireurs du Sénégal. A practising Moslem, she has been on the Pilgrimage to Mecca. Both of her priorities in life reflect her religious beliefs: her children's education (she wants to see them do well at school, grow in stature and become responsible people), and prayer. Her last novel Pour le sang du mortier (2001) bears witness to these commitments. She was the Regional President of both the Senegalese Federation of Women's Associations (1991) and the Ordre National du Lion. She was also the President of the "Diiwan" of Pire's Muslim Fraternity and was honoured by receiving the Palmes Académiques. In 2007, she runns a school providing an education for poor neighbourhood children living on the streets.

Publications

Mademoiselle. Paris: Edicef, 1984. (159p.). ISBN 2 850 69381. Novel.

Although it was published in an edition for young readers, this autobiographical novel is equally likely to appeal to adults. It describes the life of a young schoolteacher who is assigned to the primary school in Dangana. At first she feels uneasy over this rather remote placement, but she soon pulls herself together and quickly adapts to her new duties and her new surroundings.

Pour le sang du mortier. Saint-Louis : Xamal, 2001 (96p.). ISBN 2 84402-030-5. Novel.

Petit essai sur la vieillesse [Short essay on old age] suivi de Les Bulles [The Bubbles]. Saint Louis du Sénégal: Chez l'auteur, 2007. (116 p.). Essay and Poetry.

Editor ([email protected])
The University of Western Australia/French
Created: 25 December 1995
Modified: 1 March 2007
Archived: 21 December 2012
https://aflit.arts.uwa.edu.au/SowMbayeAminaEng.html