Moussoumakan "Inna" Sissoko Cissé, (née Sissoko, December 11, 1933 in

Macina, Mali Macina (also Ké Macina and Massina) is a small town and Communes of Mali, rural commune in the Macina Cercle, Cercle of Macina in the Ségou Region of southern-central Mali. The commune covers an area of 1,100 square kilometers and contains the m ...

), is a Malian politician, nurse, and

social worker Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social wo ...

who served as Secretary of State for Social Affairs (''secrétaire d’Etat aux Affaires sociales'') from 1968 to 1972. She was the first woman to be a member of Mali's government.

Biography

Inna Sissoko was born into a family of teachers. She went to school in

Ségou Ségou (; , ) is a town and an Communes of Mali, urban commune in south-central Mali that lies northeast of Bamako on the right bank of the River Niger. The town is the capital of the Ségou Cercle and the Ségou Region. With 130,690 inhabitant ...

and

Bamako Bamako is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Mali, with a 2022 population of 4,227,569. It is located on the Niger River, near the rapids that divide the upper and middle Niger valleys in the southwestern part of the country. Bamak ...

. In 1953, she began working as an assistant teacher. She then studied nursing from 1957 to 1959 in

Dakar Dakar ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Senegal, largest city of Senegal. The Departments of Senegal, department of Dakar has a population of 1,278,469, and the population of the Dakar metropolitan area was at 4.0 mill ...

. In 1959, she moved to Paris and worked as a social worker until 1962, then became a teacher of social work. She attended the

University of Paris The University of Paris (), known Metonymy, metonymically as the Sorbonne (), was the leading university in Paris, France, from 1150 to 1970, except for 1793–1806 during the French Revolution. Emerging around 1150 as a corporation associated wit ...

and graduated in 1967 with a degree in social sciences. Although Sissoko did not belong to the governing party, Sudanese Union – African Democratic Rally, she was selected as Secretary of State for Social Affairs after the

1968 Malian coup d'état The 1968 Malian coup d'état was a bloodless Malian Armed Forces, military coup d'état, coup in Mali staged on 19 November 1968 against the government of President Modibo Keïta. The coup was led by Lieutenant (later Major General) Moussa Traoré ...

, making her Mali's first female member of government. She held this position until 1972, when the management of social affairs was taken over by the Ministry of Health. Beginning in 1985, she worked as an advisor for the Ministry of Labour and Civil Service (''ministère du Travail et de la Fonction publique''). In 1971, she launched Mali's first campaign for

sex education Sex education, also known as sexual education, sexuality education or sex ed, is the instruction of issues relating to human sexuality, including human sexual anatomy, Human sexual activity, sexual activity, sexual reproduction, safe sex, birth ...

and

family planning Family planning is the consideration of the number of children a person wishes to have, including the choice to have no children, and the age at which they wish to have them. Things that may play a role on family planning decisions include marit ...

. As a result, Moussa Traoré's military government ended the colonial-era ban on

contraception Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth control only be ...

; Mali was the first Francophone country in Africa to take this measure. Sissoko was an advocate of women's organizations, and supported the founding of the National Association of Malian Women (''l'Association nationale des femmes du Mali'') in 1974. Inna Sissoko is a Muslim. She is divorced from professor Django Cissé. She has adopted children. Sissoko was the first woman named a Grand Officer of the National Order of Mali.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sissoko Cisse, Inna Living people 1933 births Government ministers of Mali Labour ministers of Mali Women government ministers of Mali Malian Muslims University of Paris alumni Grand Officers of the National Order of Mali People from Ségou Region 21st-century Malian people