Aleth Félix-Tchicaya (born 1955) is a writer and development worker from the

Republic of the Congo The Republic of the Congo, also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo), is a country located on the western coast of Central ...

, who founded the charity 'Les enfants d'Aleth' which addresses child

homelessness Homelessness, also known as houselessness or being unhoused or unsheltered, is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and functional housing. It includes living on the streets, moving between temporary accommodation with family or friends, liv ...

Biography

Félix-Tchicaya was born in 1955 in

Brazzaville Brazzaville () is the capital (political), capital and largest city of the Republic of the Congo. Administratively, it is a Departments of the Republic of the Congo, department and a Communes of the Republic of the Congo, commune. Constituting t ...

, Republic of Congo. Her mother, Yvonne Félix-Tchicaya, was a government advisor and was the daughter of Jean Félix-Tchicaya, who was in 1955 the first Congolese parliamentarian to be elected to the French Constituent Assembly. Her uncle is the poet

Tchicaya U Tam'si Tchicaya U Tam'si (born Gérald-Félix Tchicaya, 25 August 1931 – 22 April 1988) was a Congolese author; his pen name means "small paper that speaks for its country" in Kikongo. Life Born in Mpili, near Brazzaville, French Equatorial Africa ...

. She emigrated to France aged 10, in order to continue her secondary school education. She studied Political Science and International Relations at the

Université libre de Bruxelles The (French language, French, ; lit. Free University of Brussels; abbreviated ULB) is a French-speaking research university in Brussels, Belgium. It has three campuses: the ''Solbosch'' campus (in the City of Brussels and Ixelles), the ''Plain ...

. She went on to specialize in international development and is a Belgian citizen. In 1982, after graduation, until 1987, Félix-Tchicaya worked at the Congolese Ministry of Cooperation and Development. During the 1990s, she lived in Dakar, Senegal, and worked as a trade consultant to the government of the Republic of the Congo. In 2007 she established the charity 'Les enfants d'Aleth'. At the time she was being treated for

breast cancer Breast cancer is a cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a Breast lump, lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, Milk-rejection sign, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipp ...

. Félix-Tchicaya has written two books: ''Lumière de femme'' is a novel about a young woman finding her place in Congolese society and draws on the authors life; ''Les mamelons de Jaman'' is the first volume of her autobiography.

Literary reception

Félix-Tchicaya's literary work is seen as part of a canon of post-colonial Congolese novels, which address politics and corruption. Another important theme in her books is the role of women in the Congolese diaspora.

Awards

* Woman of the Year -

National Association of Professional Women The International Association of Women (IAW) is a for-profit professional association and networking platform founded in 2007. It is fully owned by Professional Diversity Network (NASDAQ:IPDN) since 2014. History The National Association of Prof ...

(NAPW), 2016. * Chevalier dans l’Ordre du Merite Congolais (Congolese Order of Merit), 1987.

Publications

* ''Lumière de femme'' Paris: Hatier, col. Monde Noir, 2003. * ''Les mamelons de Jaman'' Nantes: Editions Amalthée, 2010.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Felix-Tchicaya, Aleth 1955 births Republic of the Congo women writers Republic of the Congo novelists Republic of the Congo women novelists Living people People from Brazzaville Autobiographers Université libre de Bruxelles alumni