Sobonfu Somé (d. January 14, 2017) was a Burkinabe teacher and writer, specializing in topics of spirituality. She wrote three books: her first, ''The Spirit of Intimacy'', looks at relationships and intimacy through the lens of African spirituality and teachings. She founded the organization Wisdom Spring to teach African spirituality to westerners and to provide drinking water to villages in

West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, M ...

Naming

Sobonfu Somé wrote about African culture, with a focus on her and her husband's interpretations of Dagara spiritual traditions for use by Westerners. One story she relayed was that, in a

naming ceremony A naming ceremony is a stage at which a person or persons is officially assigned a name. The methods of the practice differ over cultures and religions. The timing at which a name is assigned can vary from some days after birth to several months o ...

, her mother had been placed in a

trance Trance is a state of semi-consciousness in which a person is not self-aware and is either altogether unresponsive to external stimuli (but nevertheless capable of pursuing and realizing an aim) or is selectively responsive in following the dir ...

-like state in which she and the elders of the community divined Sobunfu's life purpose. She said the elders then gave her, the unborn child, the name ''Sobonfu'', meaning "Keeper of Ritual", based upon this experience.

Marriage

Sobonfu was married to Malidoma Patrice Somé in an arranged marriage. The couple moved to London, and later the United States.

Death

Somé died from a weakened immune system attributed to water contamination.

Works

*''The Spirit of Intimacy: Ancient Teachings in the Ways of Relationships''. New York, NY: Quill, 2002. *''Welcoming Spirit Home: Ancient African Teachings to Celebrate Children and Community''. Novato, CA: New World Library. Welcoming Spirit Home: Ancient African teachings to celebrate children and community. Journal of Prenatal & Perinatal Psychology & Health, 17(1), 95-98 *''Falling Out of Grace: Meditations on Loss, Healing and Wisdom''. El Sobrante, CA: North Bay Books. Arms, S. (2002). . *''Women's Wisdom from the Heart of Africa''. Louisville, CO: Sounds True, 2004.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sobonfu Somé Burkinabé women writers 2017 deaths 21st-century women writers Year of birth missing 21st-century Burkinabé people