Aminata Dramane Traoré (born 1947) is a

Mali Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east b ...

an author, politician, and

political activist A political movement is a collective attempt by a group of people to change government policy or social values. Political movements are usually in opposition to an element of the status quo, and are often associated with a certain ideology. Some ...

. She served as the Minister of Culture and Tourism of Mali from 1997 to 2000 and also worked as coordinator of the

United Nations Development Programme The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human development. The UNDP emphasizes on developing local capacity towar ...

. She is the current Coordinator of ''Forum pour l'autre Mali'' and Associate Coordinator of the International Network for Cultural Diversity and was elected to the board of the

International Press Service Inter Press Service (IPS) is a global news agency headquartered in Rome, Italy. Its main focus is news and analysis about social, political, civil, and economic subjects as they relate to the Global South, civil society, and globalization. His ...

in July 2005. She is a member of the scientific committee of the ''Fundacion IDEAS'', Spain's Socialist Party's think tank.

Views

Traoré is a prominent critic of

globalization Globalization is the process of increasing interdependence and integration among the economies, markets, societies, and cultures of different countries worldwide. This is made possible by the reduction of barriers to international trade, th ...

and the economic policies of the most developed nations. Specifically, she has voiced opposition to the Western countries' subsidization of their own cotton farmers, which leaves West African countries at a disadvantage in competing for space in

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

markets. Traoré is one of the signatories, or members of the ''Group of Nineteen'', of the Porto Alegre Manifesto issued at the 2005 World Social Forum. She defended

Ahmed Sékou Touré Ahmed Sékou Touré (var. Sheku Turay or Ture; N'Ko: ; 9 January 1922 – 26 March 1984) was a Guinean political leader and African statesman who was the first president of Guinea from 1958 until his death in 1984. Touré was among the primary ...

, the long-time president of neighbouring

Guinea Guinea, officially the Republic of Guinea, is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Guinea-Bissau to the northwest, Senegal to the north, Mali to the northeast, Côte d'Ivoire to the southeast, and Sier ...

, saying his bad reputation as a dictator and his attempts at exterminating the

Fulas The Fula, Fulani, or Fulɓe people are an ethnic group in Sahara, Sahel and West Africa, widely dispersed across the region. Inhabiting many countries, they live mainly in West Africa and northern parts of Central Africa, South Sudan, Darfur, ...

from the Fouta Djalon in Guinea were due to propaganda and misinformation.Interview in Kunskapskanalen, SVT (Sweden public television) January 2006

Published works

* 1999 ''L'étau. L'Afrique dans un monde sans frontières''. Babel Actes Sud. * 2002 ''Le Viol de l'Imaginaire''. Fayard/Actes Sud. * 2005 ''Lettre au Président des Français à propos de la Côte d'Ivoire et de l'Afrique en général''. Fayard. * 2008 ''L'Afrique humiliée''. Fayard. * 2012 ''L'Afrique mutilée''. Taama Editions.

Awards

* 1995 – Ciwara Prize of Excellence * 1996 – Knight 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 ...

* 2004 – Prince Claus Cultural Award (Netherlands) * 2006 – Official of the National Order of Mali * 2008 – Commentator of the National Order of Mali

References

External links

Aminata Dramane Traoré. Une révoltée altermondialiste 21 mai 2008, Bamako Mali. (interview)
Sadou Yattara and Anne Perrin. Rapport Afrique de l’Ouest 2007–2008,

OECD The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD; , OCDE) is an international organization, intergovernmental organization with 38 member countries, founded in 1961 to stimulate economic progress and international trade, wor ...

. December 2008.
Aminata Traoré Interview
Politis.fr
Prince Claus Award 2004 summary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Traore, Aminata 1947 births Living people Malian women writers People from Bamako Traoré clan members 20th-century Malian women politicians 20th-century Malian politicians 20th-century women writers 20th-century writers 21st-century women writers Culture ministers of Mali Tourism ministers of Mali Women government ministers of Mali 21st-century Malian people 21st-century Malian women politicians 21st-century Malian politicians