Sira Diop née Sakiliba Sissiki (31 March 1929 – 17 November 2013) was a Malian educator,

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

and trade unionist. The first woman to pass the Sudanese

baccalauréat The ''baccalauréat'' (; ), often known in France colloquially as the ''bac'', is a French national academic qualification that students can obtain at the completion of their secondary education (at the end of the ''lycée'') by meeting certain ...

in 1950, as a teacher she ultimately became headmistress of the Malian lycée (high school) for girls (1962–65). An active trade unionist, she was president of organizations including the Union nationale des femmes du Mali (National Union of Women in Mali). Internationally, she represented Mali in UNICEF and the World Health Organization.

Early life and education

Born on 31 March 1929 in Ségou, Sakiliba Sissoko graduated as a teacher from the Normal School in

Rufisque Rufisque ( ar, روفيسك; Wolof: Tëngeéj) is a city in the Dakar region of western Senegal, at the base of the Cap-Vert Peninsula. It has a population of 179,797 (2002 census). In the past it was an important port city in its own right, but ...

, Senegal, and went on to become the first woman in Mali to pass the Sudanese

in 1950 and the first to become a primary school inspector in 1961.

Career

The wife of Moctar Diop, in addition to her teaching Sira Diop was a committed trades unionist. She was a founding member of the Sudanese Intersyndicale des femmes travailleuses and of the Union des femmes travailleuses. While president of the Union des femmes du Soudan (Sudanese Women's Union), in July 1959, she was behind the creations of the Union des femmes de l'ouest africain (Union of Women of West Africa). From 1977 to 1980, she also headed the Union nationale des femmes du Mali (National Union of Women of Mali). She embarked on her career as a teacher in 1951. She taught at the girls' lycée (now Lycée Ba Aminata Diallo), where from 1962 to 1965 she was the first Malian woman to become a high school principal. In 1971, she received an assignment from the Ministry of Education in connection with the problems of girls' education. Internationally, in the 1970s she worked with UNESCO, UNICEF and the World Health Organization. Sira Diop died in Bamako on 17 November 2013, aged 84.

Awards and honours

Siop Diop was widely recognized for her service. In 2005, she received the distinction of Grand Officier of the

National Order of Mali The National Order of Mali is the highest of honorific orders of Mali. History The National Order of Mali was founded on 31 May 1963 to celebrate the independence of the country acquired in 1960 after decades of French colonisation. As such, ...

(2005). She was also honoured as a knight of Senegal's National Order of the Lion and of Guinea's

National Order of Merit An order of merit is conferred by a state, government or royal family on an individual in recognition of military or civil merit. Order of merit may also refer to: * FIFA Order of Merit, for significant contribution to association football * PDC O ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Diop, Sira 1929 births 2013 deaths Malian trade unionists Malian women's rights activists Malian feminists Malian women educators Grand Officers of the National Order of Mali