Mariama Ba
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Mariama Bâ (1929-1981) was a Senegalese author and feminist, who wrote in French. Born in Dakar, she was raised a Muslim, but at an early age came to criticise what she perceived as inequalities between the sexes resulting from African and Islamic traditions. Raised by her traditional grandparents, she had to struggle even to gain an education, because they did not believe that girls should be taught. Bâ later married a Senegalese member of Parliament, Obèye Diop, but divorced him and was left to care for their nine children.
Her frustration with the fate of African women—as well as her ultimate acceptance of it—is expressed in her first novel, So Long a Letter. In it she depicts the sorrow and resignation of a woman who must share the mourning for her late husband with his second, younger wife. This short book was awarded the first Noma Prize for Publishing in Africa in 1980. Bâ died a year later after a protracted illness, before her second novel, Scarlet Song, which describes the hardships a woman faces when her husband abandons her for a younger woman he knew at youth, was published.
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[edit] Background
Mariama Ba is a novelist, a teacher and feminist, who was active from 1979 to 1981 in Senegal, West Africa. Ba’s source of determination and engagement came from her background, her parent’s life and her schooling. Indeed, her contribution is significant because she explained and made a portrait of the disadvantage position of women in general and especially married women. This situation had led her to focus her work on women’s consideration and to show people how this grand-mother, this mother, this sister, this daughter, this cousin and this friend is the “mother of Africa” and how important she is for the society.
[edit] Family
The historian Nzegwu has contended that Mariama’s life was rich in events. Ba was born in Dakar Senegal in 1929, into an educated and well-to-do Senegalese family where she grew up. Her father was a career civil servant who became one of the first ministers of state. He was the Minister of Health in 1956 while her grand father was an interpreter in the French occupation regime.
After her mother’s death, Ba was largely raised in the traditional manner by her maternal grandparents. She received her early education in French, while at the same time attending Koranic school.
[edit] Schooling
Ba was a prominent student at school. During the colonial period and later, girls faced number of obstacles when they wanted to have a higher education. Ba’s grandparents didn’t plan to educate her beyond primary school, but, her father’s insistence on giving her an opportunity to continue her studies eventually persuaded.
In a teacher training college based in Rufisque (a suburb in Dakar), she won the first prize in the entrance examination and entered the Ecole Normale.In this institution, she was prepared for later career as a school teacher. The school’s principal began to prepare her for the 1943 entrance examination to a teaching career after he noticed Ba’s intellect and capacity. Mariama began a teaching career from 1947 to 1959, before transferring to the Regional Inspectorate of teaching as an educational inspector.
[edit] African liberation struggles
Mariama Ba was led by the failure of the African liberation struggles and movements.Her earliest works were essays she wrote while at the Ecole Normale. Some of her works have now been published. Her first work constitutes essentially a useful method of rejection of the “so-called French assimilationist policy”.
[edit] Gender and reparation
Ba advocated urgent review and reparation for African existence.
These reparation and review were basically the foundation of the social construct of relationship between man and woman. Indeed, there is an unequal and unbalanced power in male/female relationship. According to her, these facts can lead us to know that Africa needs a change in society. This change is more political than to only make speeches. [1]
[edit] Contribution
As a divorcee and “a modern Muslim woman” as she characterized herself, Ba was active in women’s associations. She was also a figure and participated in the promotion of education. She used to defend women’s rights, to make speeches, and to write articles in local newspapers. Thus, Mariama’s contribution is significant because she explained and made a portrait of the disadvantaged position of women in general and especially married women.
[edit] Vision and Commitment
She had also made a vision and uncompromised commitment. African people should reduce the values of their culture. Women are plunged both psychologically and financially in a sensual indulgence and complete lack of regard for the consequences of men’s actions on families. They are completely blind. These facts led Ba to believe on her mission which shows that the rationalisations are employed to justify these established power positions.
[edit] Distortions of cultural thought and institutions
She thought that, Distortions of cultural thought and institutions are made to demonstrate masquerades as “tradition” and “culture”. Men and Women have been seduced into accepting the endurance of these “customs”. People should be “persuaded of the inevitable and necessary complementarity of man and woman”.
[edit] Work
To demonstrate her feelings and to share her thoughts with people, Mariama has written many books. So a long letter (1981), Scarlet Songs (1986), La fonction politique des littératures Africaines écrites (1981).
[edit] So Long a Letter
So a long letter was awarded the First Noma Award for Publishing in Africa in 1981). In this book, the author recognized the immense contributions of African women had made and continue to make in the building of their societies. This book has been translated into more than twelve languages if we exclude those which are not ready yet. The book is written in the form of a letter, or a diary, from a widow, Ramatoulaye, to her childhood girlfriend, Aissatou, who lives in the United States. Nafissatou Diallo (1941-1982), who started her works in the 1970s, was a mirror for Mariama whom leading role was a strong-minded character. But she found support, friendship and values from female confidence, unity and harmony. The discriminatory use of power has led Ramatoulaye to deal with its consequences. To demonstrate how male are instinctive, Ba uses the female rationality and responsibility. She has also paint men’s irresponsibility by using there sexual instincts. Mawdo, Aissatou’s husband differs from her. He’s emphasizing on the bestiality of men’s instincts while she’s urging her daughter against them. She argues that a man’s instinct is “through his self-control, his ability, to reason, to choose his power to attachment, that individual distinguishes himself from animal.”(Mariama Ba, 1981)As a Senegalese figure, Mariama Ba represents a kind of Leopold Sedar Senghor in feminine. She shows that not only men are important in this world. She also shows that to succeed in this life, we women should identify ourselves and also trust in us to overcome these multiple darkness that composes life. Among the personage of Ramatoulaye, Mariama Ba has expressed herself. She includes that she: “has not given up waiting to refashion her life. Despite everything (disappointment and humiliations) hope still lives within her… the success of a nation depends inevitably on just such families. She also shows that books are weapon, “a peaceful weapon perhaps, but they are weapon.”(Mariama Ba, 1981). According to her: “The power of books, this marvelous invention of astute human intelligent. Various signs associated with sound: different sounds that form the word. Juxtaposition of words from which springs the idea, Thought, History, Science, Life. Sole instrument of interrelationship and of culture, unparalleled means of giving and receiving. Books knit generations together in the same continuing effort that leads to progress. They enabled you to better yourself. What society refused you, they granted…” [2]
[edit] Ramatoulaye
This personage, Ramatoulaye is inspired from Aissatou. At the beginning of the story, Ramatoulaye was stressed. To evacuate her stress, she writes to her friend. As a Muslim, she refers to God when her husband Modou Fall died. She also refers to him and to charia’s law in the case of polygamy, when her husband had married her daughter’s friend Binetou after 25 years of marriage. Even though Modou abandoned her and spend his money on Binetou, Ramatoulaye decided to stay with him because of her faith. Having any choice, because life goes on, Ramatoulaye has done everything which is needed in the house. Taking care of her family and paying duties and bills and finding food, Ramatoulaye was lonely and she misses her “warm” husband. To overcome these shyness or shame, she use to go to the cinema to change her mind, but alone. She has only found peace and warm in her religion, so she started living for it. Ramatoulaye started to forbid trousers and occidental clothes to her daughter.
[edit] Aissatou
Childhood girlfriend of Ramatoulaye.
[edit] Scarlet Song
Scarlet Song (1986, also gain international attention). This book deals with the critically urgent need for women to create "empowered" spaces for themselves. It means that they need to create a space where they are not considering as the "weakness sex". It is about the marriage between a European woman and an African man. As So a long Letter, Scarlet Song gained international attention. Mireille, whose father is a French diplomat get married to Ousmane, son of a Senegalese poor and Muslim family. Moving from Paris to Senegal, Ousmane has adopted again his traditions and customs. But, as an occidental, Mireille can not handle this kind of life, especially, when Ousmane has taken a second wife. She broke the marriage. In this Book, Ba has shown that an individual cannot change unless the overviews of the Islamic and traditional society change.
[edit] Mireille
Daughter of a French diplomat and Ousmane's wife.
[edit] Ousmane
Son of a Senegalese and Muslim family who is Mireille's husband.
[edit] la Fonction politique des littératures africaines écrites
La Fonction politique des littératures africaines écrites (1981). Mariama has said how an African woman should be proud of her strength and engagement. She contributes in Africa’s development and effectively participates to Africa’s building. In other words, historically. [3]
[edit] African women pride
Mariama Ba will always be a figure for African women. She illustrates that our traditions and customs are against modernity and against the “New world”. So we should revise them and overcome those steps that were supposed to be overcome yet.[4] mariama ba show the depiction of women in the society . how the women were subjugated and how they were under the control under their own husband .women were supressed in the society the men had full authrity to marry any number of womens they could practice polygamy but the women were detoriated .we can see how their neighbours were affected by having practised polygamy
[edit] Africa’s development and building
Therefore, African people would be developed and would have the same level of life as others. Everybody could feel in their own country when in an African country. After a long illness, Ba died of cancer in 1981, six months after So Long a Letter won the Noma Award for Literature.
[edit] References
- ^ The University of Western Australia/French (1995) Retrieved on March 25, 2006, From http://www.arts.uwa.edu.au/AFLIT/BaMariamaEng.html
- ^ Femi (2006); Center for Cross Cultural Studies Dakar, Retrieved on June 30, 2006 From http://www.litency.com
- ^ Plant, D. G. (Ed). (1996). Mythic Dimensions in the Novels of Mariama Ba, Retrieved on March 25, 2006 From Research in African Literatures
- ^ D’Erneville, A. (1982), Femmes, Africaines. Retrieved on March 25, 2006 propos recueillis par Annette Mbaye D’Erneville sur les thèmes femmes et société.
