Mariama Keïta (1946 – 29 October 2018) was Niger's first woman journalist and feminist activist.
Biography
Keïta was born in 1946 in
Niamey
Niamey () is the capital and largest city of Niger. Niamey lies on the Niger River, primarily situated on the east bank. Niamey's population was counted as 1,026,848 as of the 2012 census. As of 2017, population projections show the capital dis ...
. She began as an editor and presenter of a newspaper and on the public radio station ''La Voix du Sahel''. In 1993, she participated in the popularization of the
Constitution of Niger
The Republic of Niger has had seven constitutions, two substantial constitutional revisions, and two periods of rule by decree since its independence from French colonial rule in 1960. The current "''Seventh Republic''" operates under the Constitu ...
, which allowed the holding of the first democratic elections of the country.
From 2003 to 2006, Keïta was the president of the Higher Council of Communication (CSC), the body responsible for the regulation of the country's media. During her last years of her career, she worked as the director of ''La Voix du Sahel''. She is the first Nigerien woman to be a journalist at a time when the profession was considered exclusively for men in Niger.
A feminist activist and figure, she was a pioneer in the defense of women's rights in
Niger
)
, official_languages =
, languages_type = National languages
Keïta died in Turkey on 29 October 2018, at the age of 72, following a long illness.