Photo : DeuxPlusQuatre, CC BY-SA 4.0
Djaïli Amadou Amal
The voice of the women of the Sahel
Born in 1975
Related city : Maroua
Who are they?
A novelist and activist born in 1975 in Maroua, in the Far North, into a Fulani family. Forced into marriage at 17, she rebuilt her life through writing and published her first novel, "Walaandé, l'art de partager un mari", in 2010.
What made them famous
"Les Impatientes" (2020), about forced marriage and polygamy, made the final shortlist of the Prix Goncourt, making her the first African woman writer to do so. The novel won the Goncourt des lycéens the same year.
Key facts
- "Les Impatientes" is a reworking of "Munyal, les larmes de la patience", published in Yaoundé in 2017.
- In 2012 she founded the association Femmes du Sahel, which promotes education and independence for women in the region.
- Appointed UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for Cameroon in March 2021.