Mahmoud Bah (born 1940 in

Labé Labé ( Pular 𞤆𞤵𞤤𞤢𞤪:𞤂𞤢𞤦𞤫) is the main city and administrative capital of the Fouta Djallon region of Guinea. It has a population of about 200,000. It is the second largest city in the country after the capital Conakry ...

) is a Guinean political activist and writer born to the Fulani tribe. He is best known as one of the figures

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...

were eager to release during his imprisonment in the Boiro Mamadou Concentration Camp between 1979 and 1984 after campaigning in France as part of the Rassemblement des Guinéens de l'Extérieur (Rally of Guineans Abroad).

Biography

Bah attended elementary school in Labé, secondary in

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 later in France, where he obtained a degree in chemistry and food engineering. After the arrest of his brother, Ibrahima Kaba Bah, during a teachers' strike in Guinea, Bah sought exile, first in Dakar, then in France, where he campaigned for the Rassemblement des Guinéens de l'Extérieur (Rally of Guineans Abroad) political party of opposition to the regime of

Ahmed Sékou Touré Ahmed Sékou Touré (var. Sheku Turay or Ture; N'Ko: ; January 9, 1922 – March 26, 1984) was a Guinean political leader and African statesman who became the first president of Guinea, serving from 1958 until his death in 1984. Touré was am ...

. During a short stay in Guinea in 1979, Bah was arrested for treason and transferred to the Mamadou Concentration Camp. Following

pressure on the regime of Touré and the death of Guinean dictator following the coup organized by a military junta led by

Lansana Conté Lansana Conté (30 November 1934 – 22 December 2008

, Bah was released on 3 April 1984. He returned to France and taught in High School until his retirement in 2005.

Selected works

Bah is the author of several books and manuscripts on Guinea. He has been cited as the "first author to openly tie himself to any form of anti-PDG organization". *
Construire la Guinée après Sékou Touré
', Éditions L'Harmattan, 1990 *''Guinée 1958-2008 : Sortir du Ghetto'', Éditions Menaibuc, 2008

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bah, Mahmoud Guinean politicians Guinean activists Guinean writers Guinean male writers 1940 births Living people People from Labé Guinean exiles Guinean expatriates in France Guinean schoolteachers Guinean prisoners and detainees Prisoners and detainees of Guinea