Mambou Aimée Gnali (born 18 October 1935) is a

Congolese Congolese or Kongolese may refer to: African peoples * Congolese people (disambiguation) * Kongo people, a Bantu ethnic group who live along the Atlantic coast of Africa from Pointe-Noire (Republic of Congo) to Luanda, Angola, primarily defined by ...

former politician. In 1963 she became one of the first group of women elected to the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...

. She subsequently served as Minister of Culture and the Arts from January 1999 to August 2002.

Biography

A member of the Vili ethnic group, Gnali was born in Brazzaville in October 1935.GNALI Aimée Mambou
Le Maitron Her family moved to Nkayi when her father was transferred to the city. After two years of schooling in

Pointe-Noire Pointe-Noire (; , with the letter d following French spelling standards) is the second largest city in the Republic of the Congo, following the capital of Brazzaville, and an autonomous department and a commune since the 2002 Constitution. B ...

, she started attending the Sisters of Saint-Joseph de Cluny boarding school in Brazzaville. In 1947, she transferred to the Jeanne d'Arc high school in

Orléans Orléans (,"Orleans"
(US) and French Equatorial Africa French Equatorial Africa (, or AEF) was a federation of French colonial territories in Equatorial Africa which consisted of Gabon, French Congo, Ubangi-Shari, and Chad. It existed from 1910 to 1958 and its administration was based in Brazzav ...

to earn a baccalaureate. She returned to France and studied modern literature at 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 ...

, where she joined the

Black African Students Federation in France The Black African Students Federation in France (, abbreviated FEANF) was an organization of African students in France. FEANF was influenced by the French Communist Party, and saw the struggle against French colonialism in Africa as part of a wide ...

, becoming a member of its executive committee. After earning her diploma, making her one of the first Congolese women to gain a university degree,John Frank Clark & Samuel Decalo (2012
''Historical Dictionary of Republic of the Congo'' p198
/ref> she returned to Congo in September 1963 and began teaching at a high school in Pointe-Noire. However, having become a member of the

National Movement of the Revolution The National Movement of the Revolution (, abbreviated MNR) was a political party in the Republic of the Congo. MNR was founded at a congress held June 29 to July 6, 1964. MNR was instituted as the sole legal political party in the country on July ...

(MNR), she was a candidate for the party in the December 1963 parliamentary elections. With no opposition contesting the elections, she was elected to the National Assembly from the Pointe-Noire constituency, becoming one of the first group of three women to enter parliament.Le regard de Mambou Aimée Gnali sur le livre de Martin Mbéri
La Semaine Africaine, 20 December 2011 After being rejected for a teaching post at a school in Brazzaville in 1965, she moved to the United States to continue her education, completing courses at

Lawrence University Lawrence University is a Private college, private liberal arts college and Music school, conservatory of music in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1847, its first classes were held on November 12, 1849. Lawrence was the second colle ...

Saint Louis University Saint Louis University (SLU) is a private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1818 by Louis William Valentine DuBourg, it is the oldest university west of the Missi ...

and

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

. After returning to Congo in 1967, she was appointed Director General of the Department of Education in 1968, holding the post until the following year. She also taught at the École normale supérieure in Brazzaville until joining

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

in 1971. She oversaw education projects in several African countries, living in Paris until 1978 and then Dakar until 1991. After returning to Congo, she was elected to the municipal council of Pointe-Noire in 1992, becoming deputy mayor in 1995. In January 1999 she was appointed Minister of Culture and the Arts, in charge of Tourism.

Jean-Claude Gakosso Jean-Claude Gakosso (born 25 July 1957) is a Congolese politician who has served in the government of the Republic of the Congo as Minister of Foreign Affairs since 2015. Previously, he was Minister of Culture and the Arts from 2002 to 2015. Pro ...

was appointed to replace her on 18 August 2002.List of governments of Congo since 1999
, izf.net . She subsequently joined the Party pour l'Alternance Democratique, becoming its secretary general.

References

External links