Ken Bugul 20100328 Salon du livre de Paris 2

Ken Bugul (born 1947 in Ndoucoumane) is the pen name of

Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 ...

ese Francophone novelist Mariètou Mbaye Biléoma.'Bugul, Ken', in

Simon Gikandi Simon may refer to: People * Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon * Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon * Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genu ...

(ed.), ''Encyclopedia of African Literature''. Routledge; 2002. In the

Wolof language Wolof (; Wolofal: ) is a language of Senegal, Mauritania, and the Gambia, and the native language of the Wolof people. Like the neighbouring languages Serer language, Serer and Fula language, Fula, it belongs to the Senegambian languages, Senegam ...

, her pen name means "one who is unwanted".Ken Bugel
University of Western Australia, Retrieved 30 April 2016

Background

Bugul was raised in a polygamous environment, born to a father who was an 85-year-old

marabout A marabout ( ar, مُرابِط, murābiṭ, lit=one who is attached/garrisoned) is a Muslim religious leader and teacher who historically had the function of a chaplain serving as a part of an Islamic army, notably in North Africa and the Sah ...

. After completing her elementary education in her native village, she studied at the Malick Sy Secondary School in

Thiès Thiès (; ar, ثيس, Ṯyass; Noon: ''Chess'') is the third largest city in Senegal with a population officially estimated at 320,000 in 2005. It lies east of Dakar on the N2 road and at the junction of railway lines to Dakar, Bamako and St- ...

. After a year in

Dakar Dakar ( ; ; wo, Ndakaaru) (from :wo:daqaar, daqaar ''tamarind''), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Senegal, largest city of Senegal. The city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar ...

, she obtained a scholarship that allowed her to continue study in

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. In 1980 she returned to her home, where she became the 28th wife in the harem of the village marabout. After his death, she returned to the big city. From 1986 to 1993, Bugul worked for the NGO IPPF (International Planned Parenthood Federation) in

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper h ...

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi ...

; Brazzaville, Congo; and

Lomé Lomé is the capital and largest city of Togo. It has an urban population of 837,437

Togo Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its c ...

, and served as the head of the organization's African region section. She subsequently married a doctor from

Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the nort ...

and gave birth to a daughter. Today she lives and works in Senegal. From July to December 2017 Ken Bugul is the 14t
Writer in Residence
in Zurich. Bugul's literary reputation has varied from place to place. She was awarded the Grand prix littéraire d'Afrique noire for her novel ''Riwan ou le Chemin de Sable'' in 2000, but is better known among American readers for her novel '' The Abandoned Baobab'', which is her only book to date to have been translated into English. Among other themes, the work deals with and critiques African colonialism. On the question of ''The Abandoned Baobab'''s autobiographical nature, Bugul has said of the novel, as well as of the subsequent ''Cendres et Braises'' and ''Riwan ou Le chemin de sable'', "All three books mirror the very deep and radical experiences I went through". As of late, her status among American feminists has diminished somewhat, as many have critiqued her for marrying a holy man who already had more than 20 wives. This is perhaps undeserved, and is a good example of

ideologies An ideology is a set of beliefs or philosophies attributed to a person or group of persons, especially those held for reasons that are not purely epistemic, in which "practical elements are as prominent as theoretical ones." Formerly applied prim ...

clashing, as the criticism is the result of American feminists attempting to hold Bugul up to the standards of Western feminism, which is worlds away from her Senegalese experience.

Works

* ''Le Baobab Fou'' (1982); translated into English as '' The Abandoned Baobab: The Autobiography of a Senegalese Woman'' (1991) * ''Cendres et braises'' (1994); "Ashes and Embers" * ''Riwan ou le Chemin de Sable'' (1999); "Riwan; or, the Sandy Track" * ''La Folie et la mort'' (2000); "Madness and Death" * ''De l'autre côté du regard'' (2002); "As Seen From the Other Side" * ''Rue Félix-Faure'' (2005) * ''La pièce d'or'' (2005); "The Gold Coin" * ''Mes hommes à moi'' (2008) * ''Aller et Retour'' (2014) * ''Cacophonie'' (2014) * ''Riwan ou le Chemin de sable'' (2018) * ''Le Trio bleu'' (2022)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bugul, Ken Senegalese feminists Senegalese women writers Senegalese writers 1947 births Living people Senegalese novelists International Writing Program alumni 20th-century pseudonymous writers 21st-century pseudonymous writers Pseudonymous women writers