Ndèye Coumba Mbengue Diakhaté


Ndèye Coumba Mbengue Diakhaté was a Senegalese educator and poet who was active in promoting the education of mothers and their children. Her poetry is published in Filles du soleil.

Biography

Born in 1924 in Rufisque, Senegal, Mbengue Diakhaté was one of the first schoolteachers to graduate from the Rufisque Normal School. She was an active member of Rufisque's Association pour l'Action sociale des femmes.

Works

Her poetry conveys her views on how women are placed in society, for example, when a man tells his sister or mother "Jiguen rek nga!". The conflict with the white population comes through in "Ils étaient Blancs, j'étais Noire...". She not only conveys her innermost thoughts through her poetry but reproduces the forms and rhythms of the Serer oral tradition in her French verses.

Death and legacy

Mbengue Diakhaté died on 25 September 2001 in Rufisque.