Tidiane Diakité (1944 – 2 January 2025) was a Malian-born French historian and writer. He taught primarily in France and earned the titles of Knight of the

Ordre des Palmes académiques A suite, in Western classical music, is an ordered set of instrumental or orchestral/concert band pieces. It originated in the late 14th century as a pairing of dance tunes; and grew in scope so that by the early 17th century it comprised up to ...

and Knight of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

. He wrote several books on Subsaharan Africa.

Life and career

Born in

French Sudan French Sudan (; ') was a French colonial territory in the Federation of French West Africa from around 1880 until 1959, when it joined the Mali Federation, and then in 1960, when it became the independent state of Mali. The colony was formall ...

(today Mali) in 1944, Diakité studied at the

University of Bamako The University of Bamako () was the flagship public university in Bamako, the capital of Mali between 1996 and 2011. It was also known as the University of Mali. University was legally established in 1993 by the merger of existing institutions ...

and earned his ''

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 ...

''. He was then sent against his will to Cuba to study journalism before teaching in Senegal and Ivory Coast. Later, he moved to France, staying in

Dijon Dijon (, ; ; in Burgundian language (Oïl), Burgundian: ''Digion'') is a city in and the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Côte-d'Or Departments of France, department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in eas ...

Rennes Rennes (; ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in Northwestern France at the confluence of the rivers Ille and Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the Brittany (administrative region), Brittany Regions of F ...

, and

L'Hermitage L'Hermitage (; ; Gallo: ''L'Ermitaij'') is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France. Population Inhabitants of L'Hermitage are called ''Hermitageois'' in French. See also *Communes of the Ille-et-Vila ...

. While in France, he wrote a blog which discussed history, institutions, and culture. He also discussed the systemic problems facing Africa, including its "sickness". For Diakité, there was not one Africa, but several, including 54 states and more than 6000 languages. He was asked to give lectures by associations which had partnerships with Africa, as well as French schools and universities. Diakité's works were later praised and cited by historians, including . He also wrote of the links between African and European monarchies prior to and during the slave trade. He was particularly interested in the African relations of

Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...

. Diakité died on 2 January 2025, at the age of 80.

Publications

*''L'Afrique malade d'elle-même'' (1986) *''Appel à la jeunesse africaine. Comment se fait-il que l'Afrique aidée par la France ne progresse pas ?'' (2001) *''L'Afrique et l'aide. Ou comment s'en sortir ?'' (2002) *''France que fais-tu de ta république ?'' (2004) *''Mutations et crise de l'école publique - Le professeur est mort, vive le prof'' (2006) *''L'Afrique expliquée - Réponses aux questions des jeunes'' (2006) *''La Traite des Noirs et ses acteurs africains - Du XVe siècle au XIXe siècle'' (2008) *''L'immigration n'est pas une Histoire sans paroles'' (2008) *''Cinquante ans après, l'Afrique'' (2011) *''Louis XIV et l'Afrique noire'' (2013)

Collective works

*''L’Afrique enseignée, territoire(s), identité(s), culture(s)'' (2007) *''Femmes et genre dans l’enseignement'' (2009) *"Flux migratoires et globalisation" (2009) *''Arts et Histoires des esclavages, abécédaire raisonné des arts et de l'histoire des esclavages'' (2016) *''Des héros aux acteurs. Essai sur une histoire incarnée'' (2017)

Distinctions

*Knight of the Legion of Honour *Knight of the Ordre des Palmes académiques * of the

Académie des sciences d'outre-mer Académie des sciences d'outre-mer (formerly ) is a learned society created in 1922 whose field of activity is mainly geography and general history in Africa, Latin America, Asia and Oceania. Its headquarters are located in the 16th arrondissement ...

for ''Louis XIV et l'Afrique noire'' (2013)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Diakite, Tidiane 1944 births 2025 deaths French historians French writers Knights of the Legion of Honour Chevaliers of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques French people of Malian descent