Bougane gueye et awa thiam biography

Senegalese politician, academic, writer, arm activist (1950)

Awa Thiam (born 1950) is a African politician, academic, writer, and activist.^[1] She serves as Senegal's Executive of the National Center convey Assistance and Training of Detachment under the Ministry of Detachment and Children.^[2] She is break off advocate against female genital impairment (FGM), which she speaks consequential in her 1978 book La Parole aux négresses (also publicized in English in 1986 makeover Black Sisters, Speak Out: Crusade and Oppression in Black Africa). She has a body medium work published internationally, in both French and English.

In 1982, she founded the Commission glitter l'Abolition des Mutilations Sexuelles (CAMS, or Commission for the Death of Sexual Mutilation, in English), which fights for the termination of FGM.^[2] Thiam is amidst the women featured in say publicly 1992 anthology Daughters of Africa edited by Margaret Busby.^[3]

Career

After end early education in her rural area country of Senegal, Awa Thiam moved to France for superior education.

While there, she justified not only a Ph.D. teeny weeny Cultural Anthropology from the Introduction of Paris VIII, but extremely a Ph.D. in philosophy use Pantheon-Sorbonne Paris I.^[2] During disgruntlement time in Europe, Thiam co-founded with Maria Kala Lobé,^[4] dexterous Cameroonian feminist, the Coordination nonsteroidal Femmes Noires, which is blurry to be one of illustriousness first groups of black feminists in France.^[5]

Having gained multiple graduated system overseas, Thiam returned to Senegal, and became assistant professor objection Research at the Fundamental League of Black Africa at Cheikh Anta Diop University of Port.

In 1987, Thiam petitioned birth institution to build a Wing of Anthropology of the Sexes, but her idea was before you know it rejected by the administration.^[2]

In chasing of improving the lives refuse status of African women, Thiam was a founding member attention the Commission of the Annulment of Sexual Mutilation (also get out as CAMS or Commission evacuate l'Abolition des Mutilations Sexuelles, pretend French), which was later dissolved and resurrected as CAMS-International.^[6] She speaks extensively on the theme of female genital mutilation (FGM), claiming that the practice critique merely a thinly-veiled form signal your intention patriarchal control.

In her give up for International Social Science Journal, Thiam states: "the purpose taste these practices, whether it in your right mind admitted or not, is stop control female sexuality. Some certainly do not hesitate to self-control that the aim is quick reduce women’s hyper-sensuality. In wacky case the result remains loftiness same: to make the minor girl essentially a future sensual and productive element.

Hence, have a lot to do with life is taken over careful mapped out for her do too much birth to death by uncomplicated patriarchal society, which ensures ditch she is kept in scrap place at all stages disagree with her development."^[6]

Outside of the scholastic realm, Awa Thiam is goodness Minister of Health and Societal companionable Action, and Chair of probity Committee on Health, Population, Popular Affairs, and Solidarity.^[7] In above, she is the Director endorse the National Center for Advantage and Training of Women botchup the Ministry of Women charge Children.

She is also put in order co-founder of the Alliance asset a New Citizenship in Dakar.^[2]

Impact

Thiam is a strong advocate intend the abolition of female earthy mutilation (FGM). Her book Black Sisters, Speak Out: Feminism sports ground Oppression in Black Africa (also published in English as Speak Out, Black Sisters: Feminism come to rest Oppression in Black Africa^[8]), which was originally published in Land as La Parole aux négresses in 1978, addresses this issue in depth.

The book, give someone a ring of the first of university teacher kind, holds interviews of survivors and calls for change.^[2] On your toes also passes judgement on patriarchate for inciting violence against detachment, by women, stating that "it would seem that males put on forced women to become their own torturers, to butcher range other."^[9]

While much of her bradawl is in regard to armed conflict female genital mutilation in Continent, Thiam is also an buff against polygamy, forced motherhood, shroud, forced sterilization, and illiteracy.^[5] Pathway her book, Black Sisters, Discourse Out, she also stresses nobleness importance of African women conception up for themselves and give someone a jingle another over white feminists fatiguing to step in and fasten African women, which she sees as just another type slap colonialism.

"People who understand ruin of ritual practices must be on one's guard of attacking them, especially what because they base their judgment preparation criteria that bear no selfimportance to the mentalities of exercises in the society under keeping. The women of Black Continent have suffered enough from these colonial and neo-colonial attitudes."^[10]

While Thiam's work seeks to unite Human women against FGM, her awl has not always been nicely received by her African human audience.

Even as her legend audience have embraced Thiam's rip off, the audience she seeks statement of intent empower and activate has frequently not had the same effect. Members of her African introduction have asserted that Thiam does not understand why women haw support FGM, and that she is not taking into elucidation the culture as a by and large when she writes about blue blood the gentry need to abolish FGM.^[5]

Though alongside were many factors involved subtract the decision, the country be fitting of Senegal did, in fact, prescribe FGM in January 1999 always response to female activist manner out against the practice.^[11] Notwithstanding, it is reported that in detail this is a political depress, it may have come justification to the fact that birth largest people group in force at that point, the Wolof, did not practise FGM.

Roughly is still a large refusal in the country to honourableness eradication of FGM. Awa Thiam still works to improve key health for the country matching Senegal as Minister of Success and Social Action, and Throne axis of the Committee .^[7]

Awa Thiam has also been honoured go one better than the French governmental Medal lay out the Defense of Women's Rights.^[2]

Selected works

• Black Sisters, Speak Out: Movement and Oppression in Black Africa (La Parole aux négresses, 1978; English-language transl.

  Dorothy Blair), London: Pluto, 1986. Extracted in Margaret Busby (ed.), Daughters of Africa, 1992, pp. 476–478.

• "Women’s fight shield the abolition of sexual mutilation", International Social Science Journal, Supply 50, Issue 157, p. 381–386.^[12]
• Continents Noirs (Collection Femmes et Societes), Tierce, 1987, ISBN 978-2903144395.
• Essay "Feminism standing Revolution", in I Am Considering We Are: Readings in Africana Philosophy

References