Henriette Dagri Diabaté (born March 13, 1935) is an Ivorian politician and writer. A member of the

Rally of the Republicans The Rally of the Republicans (; abbreviated RDR) is a liberal party in Ivory Coast (). The party is the country's governing party; the party's leader, Alassane Ouattara, is the current President of Ivory Coast. History The RDR, which has mos ...

(RDR), Diabaté was

Minister of Culture A culture minister or a heritage minister is a common cabinet position in governments. The culture minister is typically responsible for cultural policy, which often includes arts policy (direct and indirect support to artists and arts organiza ...

in Côte d'Ivoire from 1990 to 1993 and again in 2000; later, she was

Minister of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

from 2003 to 2005. She became Secretary-General of the RDR in 1999 and has been President of the RDR since 2017.

Early life

Diabaté was born in

Abidjan Abidjan ( , ; N'Ko script, N'ko: ߊߓߌߖߊ߲߬) is the largest city and the former capital of Ivory Coast. As of the Demographics of Ivory Coast, 2021 census, Abidjan's population was 6.3 million, which is 21.5 percent of the overall population ...

and obtained her master's degree in 1968. Upon graduation, she was a professor of history for University of Abidjan from 1968 to 1995. While teaching, Diabaté received her doctorate degree in history in 1984. Near the end of her teaching career, Diabaté became a founding member of the RDR in 1994.

Politics

A number of RDR leaders, including Diabaté, were arrested on October 27, 1999 on the grounds that they were responsible for violence occurring during protests they organized; in November, they were convicted and sentenced to prison. When soldiers rebelled on December 23, 1999, one of their demands was the release of the imprisoned RDR leaders; when President

Henri Konan Bédié Aimé Henri Konan Bédié (5 May 1934 – 1 August 2023) was an Ivorian politician. He was President of Côte d'Ivoire from 1993 to 1999, and formerly President of the Democratic Party of Ivory Coast – African Democratic Rally (PDCI–RDA).< ...

rejected the demands, they seized power on December 24 and promptly released the RDR prisoners. Subsequently, Diabaté served as Minister of Culture and

La Francophonie LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the United States of America. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note *"L.A.", a song by Elliott Smi ...

under the transitional military regime in 2000. She was designated as Great Chancellor of Ivorian National Order by President

Alassane Ouattara Alassane Dramane Ouattara (; ; born 1 January 1942) is an Ivorian politician and economist who has been List of heads of state of Ivory Coast, President of Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) since 2010. An economist by profession, he worked for the I ...

on May 18, 2011 and become the first woman at this highest-ranking of the country. At the RDR's Third Ordinary Congress on 9–10 September 2017, it was expected that Ouattara would be elected as President of the RDR, but he instead proposed Henriette Diabaté for the post, and she was duly elected by acclamation.

Kandia Camara Kandia Camara (born 17 June 1959) is an Ivorian teacher and politician who is the mayor of Abobo since 10 October 2021 and president of the senate of Ivory Coast since 12 October 2023. She is the former minister of foreign affairs in the governm ...

was designated as Secretary-General and Amadou Gon Coulibaly as First Vice-President.Anna Sylvestre-Treiner
"Côte d'Ivoire : Alassane Ouattara choisit Henriette Dagri Diabaté pour présider son parti"
''Jeune Afrique'', 10 September 2017 .

Personal life

Diabaté is married to Lamine Diabaté, a former Minister of State, and has five children.

References

External links

Biography
African People Database {{DEFAULTSORT:Diabate, Henriette 1935 births Living people Ivorian non-fiction writers Rally of the Republicans politicians Ivorian women writers People from Bingerville 20th-century Ivorian women politicians 20th-century Ivorian politicians 21st-century Ivorian women politicians 21st-century Ivorian politicians Women government ministers of Ivory Coast Female justice ministers Culture ministers of Ivory Coast Justice ministers of Ivory Coast