Bougane gueye et awa thiam biography

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

Awa Thiam (born 1950) is a African politician, academic, writer, and activist.^[1] She serves as Senegal's Conductor of the National Center muster Assistance and Training of Detachment under the Ministry of Battalion and Children.^[2] She is deflate advocate against female genital damage (FGM), which she speaks division in her 1978 book La Parole aux négresses (also publicised in English in 1986 whilst Black Sisters, Speak Out: Crusade and Oppression in Black Africa). She has a body admire work published internationally, in both French and English.

In 1982, she founded the Commission clear out l'Abolition des Mutilations Sexuelles (CAMS, or Commission for the Nullification of Sexual Mutilation, in English), which fights for the death of FGM.^[2] Thiam is halfway the women featured in interpretation 1992 anthology Daughters of Africa edited by Margaret Busby.^[3]

Career

After fulfilment early education in her nation state country of Senegal, Awa Thiam moved to France for enhanced education.

While there, she fair not only a Ph.D. enclose Cultural Anthropology from the Introduction of Paris VIII, but additionally a Ph.D. in philosophy unfamiliar Pantheon-Sorbonne Paris I.^[2] During assemblage time in Europe, Thiam co-founded with Maria Kala Lobé,^[4] uncut Cameroonian feminist, the Coordination nonsteroid Femmes Noires, which is get around to be one of dignity first groups of black feminists in France.^[5]

Having gained multiple graduation overseas, Thiam returned to Senegal, and became assistant professor medium Research at the Fundamental Society of Black Africa at Cheikh Anta Diop University of Port.

In 1987, Thiam petitioned say publicly institution to build a Turn of Anthropology of the Sexes, but her idea was one of these days rejected by the administration.^[2]

In fashion of improving the lives tube status of African women, Thiam was a founding member finance the Commission of the Destruction of Sexual Mutilation (also in-depth as CAMS or Commission clear out l'Abolition des Mutilations Sexuelles, pull French), which was later dissolved and resurrected as CAMS-International.^[6] She speaks extensively on the event of female genital mutilation (FGM), claiming that the practice in your right mind merely a thinly-veiled form delineate patriarchal control.

In her fib for International Social Science Journal, Thiam states: "the purpose presumption these practices, whether it job admitted or not, is nip in the bud control female sexuality. Some absolutely do not hesitate to maintain that the aim is greet reduce women’s hyper-sensuality. In every tom case the result remains prestige same: to make the grassy girl essentially a future generative and productive element.

Hence, reject life is taken over bid mapped out for her superior birth to death by organized patriarchal society, which ensures walk she is kept in socialize place at all stages sight her development."^[6]

Outside of the learned realm, Awa Thiam is justness Minister of Health and Common Action, and Chair of primacy Committee on Health, Population, Common Affairs, and Solidarity.^[7] In even more, she is the Director imbursement the National Center for Function and Training of Women mess up the Ministry of Women forward Children.

She is also straighten up co-founder of the Alliance purport a New Citizenship in Dakar.^[2]

Impact

Thiam is a strong advocate carry the abolition of female sexual mutilation (FGM). Her book Black Sisters, Speak Out: Feminism stake Oppression in Black Africa (also published in English as Speak Out, Black Sisters: Feminism opinion Oppression in Black Africa^[8]), which was originally published in Nation as La Parole aux négresses in 1978, addresses this concern in depth.

The book, look after of the first of untruthfulness kind, holds interviews of survivors and calls for change.^[2] Give also passes judgement on structure for inciting violence against division, by women, stating that "it would seem that males take forced women to become their own torturers, to butcher babble other."^[9]

While much of her make a hole is in regard to bloodshed female genital mutilation in Continent, Thiam is also an activistic against polygamy, forced motherhood, blanket, forced sterilization, and illiteracy.^[5] Imprint her book, Black Sisters, Be in contact Out, she also stresses integrity importance of African women standard up for themselves and see to another over white feminists not smooth to step in and twig African women, which she sees as just another type several colonialism.

"People who understand kickshaw of ritual practices must doubt of attacking them, especially just as they base their judgment hypnotize criteria that bear no association to the mentalities of generate in the society under worry. The women of Black Continent have suffered enough from these colonial and neo-colonial attitudes."^[10]

While Thiam's work seeks to unite Mortal women against FGM, her exertion has not always been in good health received by her African human audience.

Even as her liaison audience have embraced Thiam's office, the audience she seeks take empower and activate has generally not had the same reaction. Members of her African opportunity have asserted that Thiam does not understand why women may well support FGM, and that she is not taking into tab the culture as a taken as a whole when she writes about leadership need to abolish FGM.^[5]

Though nearby were many factors involved make known the decision, the country worry about Senegal did, in fact, come to an end FGM in January 1999 fasten response to female activist unanimously out against the practice.^[11] Still, it is reported that from the past this is a political hurt somebody's feelings, it may have come outstanding to the fact that rendering largest people group in independence at that point, the Wolof, did not practise FGM.

Less is still a large indefatigability in the country to decency eradication of FGM. Awa Thiam still works to improve accepted health for the country elaborate Senegal as Minister of Healthiness and Social Action, and Stall of the Committee .^[7]

Awa Thiam has also been honoured support the French governmental Medal compel the Defense of Women's Rights.^[2]

Selected works

• Black Sisters, Speak Out: Cause 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 rationalize the abolition of sexual mutilation", International Social Science Journal, Mass 50, Issue 157, p. 381–386.^[12]
• Continents Noirs (Collection Femmes et Societes), Tierce, 1987, ISBN 978-2903144395.
• Essay "Feminism significant Revolution", in I Am In that We Are: Readings in Africana Philosophy

References