Kalthouma Nguembang was a
Chadian politician, who was an early member of the
Chadian Progressive Party (PPT). She was elected to the
National Assembly of Chad
The National Assembly (''Assemblée Nationale'') was the parliament of Chad. It had 188 members, elected for a four-year term.https://data.ipu.org/node/34/basic-information?chamber_id=13540 It had 25 single-member constituencies and 34 multi- ...
in 1968, but was later imprisoned by
François Tombalbaye
François Tombalbaye ( ar, فرنسوا تومبالباي '; 15 June 1918 – 13 April 1975), also known as N'Garta Tombalbaye, was a Chadian politician who served as the first President of Chad from the country's independence in 1960 until ...
who accused her of plotting against him.
Biography
Nguembang was born in Chad some time in the early twentieth century, her date of birth is unknown and little is known about her early life. However it is known that one of her cousins was
Félix Malloum
Félix Malloum or Félix Malloum Ngakoutou Bey-Ndi ( ar, فليكس معلوم '; 10 September 1932 – 12 June 2009) was a Chadian military officer and politician who served as the second President of Chad from 1975 to 1978.
A native of s ...
, who became President of Chad from 1975 to 1978.
According to reports from the colonial French government, Nguembang joined the
Chadian Progressive Party early on. The leader of the CPP,
Gabriel Lisette
Gabriel Francisco Lisette (2 April 1919 – 3 March 2001) was a Chadian politician who played a key role in the decolonization of Chad.
Biography
Of African descent, he was born at Portobelo in Panama on 2 April 1919. He became a French colon ...
, acknowledged her as an important figure in the early years of the party. In 1949
François Tombalbaye
François Tombalbaye ( ar, فرنسوا تومبالباي '; 15 June 1918 – 13 April 1975), also known as N'Garta Tombalbaye, was a Chadian politician who served as the first President of Chad from the country's independence in 1960 until ...
also praised Nguembang's effort in a speech in N’Djamena. She encouraged members of Chad's
Sara people
The Sara people are a Central Sudanic ethnic group native to southern Chad, the northwestern areas of the Central African Republic, and the southern border of North Sudan. They speak the Sara languages which are a part of the Central Sudanic lan ...
, to which she belonged, to vote for the CPP and spoke out for their rights.
Nguembang was also an activist for women's rights in Chad and became the leader of the Women's Section of the Chadian Progressive Party - first for the southern region and then in the 1960s for the party as a whole. Interested in agricultural policy, Nguembang was critical of the government policy of mandatory cotton cultivation, which many farmers were opposed to.
In 1963, Nguembang was elected to the
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the rep ...
.
In 1964, she visited the United States, with
Bourkou Louise Kabo
Bourkou Louise Kabo (5 July 1934 – 13 June 2019) was a Chadian politician. She was the first woman to be elected to the National Assembly of Chad.
Early life
Kabo was born on 5 July 1934 in the Southern Chadian town of Sarh. She was a member of ...
, as part of a delegation of Chadian parliamentarians. However by 1968 she was the only woman in the National Assembly.
In 1959, Tombalbaye succeeded Lisette as leader of the CPP and initially he and Nguembang were allies, unlike his relations with other women members of the party, like
Hadjé Halimé
Hadjé Halimé Oumar (1930-2001) was a Chadian activist, educator, and politician.
Biography
Halimé was born in the town of Salamat in 1930 to a mother from Salamat and a father from Abeche. She became involved with the Parti Progressiste Tcha ...
, who he had imprisoned and tortured. However, Nguembang was imprisoned from 1968 to 1969.
On her release from prison she made leader of the Women's Section of their party, a post she held until 1973. That year, Tombalbaye accused her of plotting against him and she was arrested. The plot was said to have involved the hiring of
diviners
Divination (from Latin ''divinare'', 'to foresee, to foretell, to predict, to prophesy') is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic, standardized process or ritual. Used in various forms throughout history ...
, who would unleash supernatural powers against Tombalbaye.
She was dismissed from all government positions and put on trial, alongside thirty others.
Tombalbaye purportedly took this action as he opposed Nguembang's support of students.
After her arrest, any connection with Nguembang made those associated her enemies of the state. For radio presenter,
Fatimé Dordji, who had named her daughter after Nguembang, this meant arrest and prison.
On 9 April 1973, Nguembang was sentenced to seven years imprisoned with hard labour.
During her imprisonment she was tortured.
After Toumbalbaye was murdered in the
1975 Chadian coup, Nguembang was released from prison.
After her release, she took no further part in politics and emigrated to
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
, where she died.
Personal life
Nguembang married Tahir Abdeldjelil, who was a member of the Chadian Progressive Party and related to the
sultanate of Wadai.
Historiography
The important role of women in Chad's early political development has been severely neglected and sometimes erased - Nguembang's role in its early politics is an example of this erasure.
References
{{Authority control
Date of birth unknown
Date of death unknown
Sara people
Chadian Progressive Party politicians
Chadian women's rights activists
Members of the National Assembly (Chad)
20th-century Chadian women politicians