Sokhna Benga (Mbengue) (born 12 December 1967, in
Dakar
Dakar ( ; ; wo, Ndakaaru) (from daqaar ''tamarind''), is the capital and largest city of Senegal. The city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar metropolitan area is estimated at 3.94 million in 2 ...
) is a
Senegal
Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤠(Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤠ðž ...
ese
novelist
A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire to ...
and
poet
A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...
. She writes in
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
.
Biography
Sokhna Benga grew up in a
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
family.
She studied at
Dakar University
Cheikh Anta Diop University (french: Université Cheikh Anta Diop or UCAD), also known as the Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar, is a university in Dakar, Senegal. It is named after the Senegalese physicist, historian and anthropologist Cheikh ...
, Senegal, earning a master's degree in Business Law. She later went to
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, where she obtained a
DESS in Maritime Law and lived for almost ten years.
She joined
humanitarian
Humanitarianism is an active belief in the value of human life, whereby humans practice benevolent treatment and provide assistance to other humans to reduce suffering and improve the conditions of humanity for moral, altruistic, and emotional ...
associations and worked with marginalized people, particularly students.
Returning to Dakar in 2001, she became literary director of the publishing house
Nouvelles éditions africaines du Sénégal (NEAS).
She is a member of the
Société des gens de lettres
Lactalis is a French multinational dairy products corporation, owned by the Besnier family and based in Laval, Mayenne, France. The company's former name was Besnier SA.
Lactalis is the largest dairy products group in the world, and is the sec ...
, la Maison des Ecrivains, the
Senegal
Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤠(Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤠ðž ...
ese writer's association (AES), and the French writers association (
ADELF).
In 2004 she became a member of the French
Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
The ''Ordre des Arts et des Lettres'' (Order of Arts and Letters) is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is ...
(Order of Arts and Letters).
Works
*2004: ''Waly NGuilane, le protégé de Roog'' (parts 1 & 2)
*2003: ''La balade du Sabador'' - Grand Prix of the President 2000, Special Mention of the Grand Prix of Black Africa 2001).
*1990: ''Le Dard du secret'' - Grand Prix of the Mayor of Dakar 1988.
References
External links
"Interviews" Department of French Studies, University of Warwick.
"Trois questions à Sokhna BENGA, écrivain, éditrice: ‘L’écriture n’a pas de sexe’" ''Wal Fadjiri''.
''Walf fadjri'', 28 September 2007.
Senegalese novelists
1967 births
Living people
Cheikh Anta Diop University alumni
Senegalese poets
Senegalese women poets
Senegalese women writers
{{Senegal-writer-stub