Fatima Talib ( ar, فاطِمة طالِب, born 1 January 1928) is a

Sudanese Sudanese or Sudanic may refer to: *pertaining to the country of Sudan **the people of Sudan, see Demographics of Sudan *pertaining to Sudan (region) **Sudanic languages **Sudanic race, subtype of the Africoid racial category See also *Sudanese Civ ...

educator and women's rights activist who convened the first women-only organisation in Sudan.

Activism

In 1946, with her friends and colleagues at

Gordon Memorial College Gordon Memorial College was an educational institution in Sudan. It was built between 1899 and 1902 as part of Lord Kitchener's wide-ranging educational reforms. Named for General 'Chinese' Charles George Gordon of the British army, who was kill ...

, Mahasin Abed Alaal and

Khalda Zahir Khalida Zahir (; 1927–2015), also spelled Khalda Zahir, was one of the first female Sudanese doctors and women's rights activist. Childhood and education Zahir was born in Omdurman. She graduated from the Kitchener School of Medicine, at what l ...

, Talib founded the Women's Cultural Society (''Jam'ee'yat alfata'yat althaqa'fia'') in

Omdurman Omdurman (standard ar, أم درمان ''Umm Durmān'') is a city in Sudan. It is the most populated city in the country, and thus also in the State of Khartoum. Omdurman lies on the west bank of the River Nile, opposite and northwest of the ...

. The society was designed to educate and empower women and provide social support for them. In order to function, the society needed the support of the British authorities, so was advertised solely as a social concern, however it had political undertones. Nine women joined immediately, but the society only lasted for two years. Despite its short life, it is important as it was the first women-only organisation to be established in Sudan. In 1949, Talib became the first female member of the

Muslim Brotherhood The Society of the Muslim Brothers ( ar, جماعة الإخوان المسلمين'' ''), better known as the Muslim Brotherhood ( ', is a transnational Sunni Islamist organization founded in Egypt by Islamic scholar and schoolteacher Hassan ...

. She was joined by sisters from the Al-Mahdi family and together they founded the Women’s Development Society. In 1952, with Khalda Zahir, Hajja Kashif Badri, and others, Talib founded the Sudanese Women's Union (الاتحاد النسائي السوداني ''al Etihaad al Nisaa'i alSudani''). This organisation was designed to unite and promote women's issues. The first executive committee was made up of Fatima Talib Isma'il, Khalida Zahir and

Fatima Ahmed Ibrahim Fatima Ahmed Ibrahim ( ar, فاطمة احمد ابراهيم; – 12 August 2017), was a Sudanese writer, women's rights activist and socialist leader. Early life Ibrahim was born in Khartoum. Sources give her birth date variously as 20 Decemb ...

. Talib was President of the Union from 1952-6. The establishment of the Union was one of the most important events in the struggle against colonialism in Sudan. It enabled women to mobilise to understand and protect their social, economic and civil rights. It was set up under pan-Africanist and socialist ideologies.

Early life

Talib was born on 1 January 1928 in Al-Rank, in southern Sudan. Her father was an army officer who was one of the leaders in the 1924 revolution. She was educated at Unity High School in Khartoum and from there was the first woman from Sudan to obtain a degree London University.

Career

Talib was the first woman in Sudan to become the headmistress of a secondary school. During her career she worked in Yemen, delivering plans for women's education. In 2004, Talib was interviewed about her role in Sudanese feminism.

References

20th-century Sudanese women politicians 20th-century Sudanese politicians Sudanese women's rights activists Sudanese feminists Living people 1928 births Sudanese expatriates in Yemen Gordon Memorial College alumni {{Authority Control