Kesso Barry (born 1948) is a Guinean autobiographical writer in
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
.
Her autobiography, dedicated to her daughter, recounts the restrictive gender roles of her traditional upbringing as a member of the
Fulani nobility in
Guinea-Conakry
Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...
, and her escape to a Westernised life in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
.
Life
Kesso Barry's father was Al Hajj Ibrahima Sory-Dara,
almamy
Almami ( ar, المامي; Also: Almamy, Almaami) was the regnal title of Almamyate of Futa Toro , Tukulor monarchs from the eighteenth century through the first half of the twentieth century. It is derived from the Arabic Al-Imam, meaning "the le ...
of
Mamou
Mamou (Pular: 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤥𞤵𞤲) is a city and sub-prefecture in a valley of the Fouta Djallon area of Guinea. Population 376,269 (2018 est),and the city is almost 98% Fulani tribe. Conakry
Conakry (; ; sus, Kɔnakiri; N’ko: ߞߐߣߊߞߙߌ߫, Fula: ''Konaakiri'' 𞤑𞤮𞤲𞤢𞥄𞤳𞤭𞤪𞤭) is the capital and largest city of Guinea. A port city, it serves as the economic, financial and cultural centre of Guinea. Its p ...
and
Dakar
Dakar ( ; ; wo, Ndakaaru) (from daqaar ''tamarind''), is the capital and largest city of Senegal. The city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar metropolitan area is estimated at 3.94 million in 2 ...
. She married aged 15, and had two children. In 1966, after divorcing her husband, she moved to Paris. There she pursued a successful career in fashion, married a Frenchman, and wrote her autobiographical novel.
Works
* ''Kesso, princesse peuhle''
esso, a Fulani princess Paris: Seghers, 1988.
References
Further reading
*
Irène Assiba d'Almeida
Irène Assiba d'Almeida is a Beninese poet, translator and literary scholar. She is Professor of Francophone Studies and French at the University of Arizona.
Life
Irène Assiba d'Almeida was born in Dakar, Senegal, to Dahomeyan parents. She was ...
, 'Kesso Barry's ''Kesso'', or Autobiography as a Subverted Tale', ''Research in African Literatures'' Vol. 28, No. 2 (Summer, 1997), pp. 66–82
* Edgard Sankara
L’appropriation du masculin dans Kesso, princesse peuhle de Kesso Barry ''Itinéraires'', No. 1 (2008). Retrieved 24 December 2016. DOI: 10.4000/itineraires.2221
External links
1948 births
Living people
Guinean writers
Guinean women writers
Autobiographers
Women autobiographers
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