Naomi Baki (born in
Raga,
Western Bahr el Ghazal
Western Bahr el Ghazal is a state in South Sudan. It has an area of and is the least populous state in South Sudan, according to the controversial Sudanese census conducted in 2008. It is part of the Bahr el Ghazal region. Its capital is Wau. ...
,
South Sudan
South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the ...
in 1985) is a French and South Sudanese author and advocate for
South Sudan
South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the ...
. She is a native speaker of the
Kresh language
Kresh, also known ambiguously as Gbaya, is a Central Sudanic language of South Sudan.
Naomi Baki, a native Kresh speaker who became a French citizen in 2015, has released an autobiography in 2013 in which she describes her Kresh Gbaya environme ...
.
Confronting child trafficking
Welcomed in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
as a refugee in 2011 with her daughter Caroline, she became a French citizen in 2015. She has released an autobiography in 2013 (in French), in which she describes her long and difficult journey from bondage to freedom. This book, reviewed in English by scholar
Sebastien Fath, has received a wide media coverage, including French TV France 3 and daily ''La Croix'' newspaper.
As a motivational speaker, she has been invited in many schools, book fairs and churches to give her testimony.
She has also started to travel abroad, including in
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...
and in the United States (
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
), where she is getting known as an advocate against child trafficking.
Naomi also wrote a book which carried the message of not being indifferent to other people. Her book "I am still alive" is based on the life of a young
Sudanese girl.
Fund raising for
South Sudan
South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the ...
She has been also actively involved in fund-raising events for women's education in
Wau, South Sudan (collaborating with the Episcopal Church of South Sudan). These initiatives have been recorded and praised in the Wau Diocese Journal (
South Sudan
South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the ...
). Not shy to speak about her Christian faith, she has been interviewed by the French Protestant website ''Regardsprotestants'' in May 2016, stating that being a refugee is not an identity. It is something transitional.
Publications
As a self biography she published the book ''Je suis encore vivante: Dix ans d'errance du Soudan à l'Europe''.
I am still alive
/ref>
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baki, Naomi
1985 births
Living people
People from Western Bahr el Ghazal
South Sudanese refugees
Children's rights activists
South Sudanese women's rights activists