The widow of former Chadian president Hissein Habré, an activist who is committed to the cause of Africa and women, Fatimé Raymonne Habré has established herself in the literary and intellectual landscape through her fighting pen. Jurist by training, publisher, librarian and founder of the Carré Culturel, she shares with us her background, convictions, and vision of contemporary African literature. We met him at the Abdjan Book Fair.

Trevor: Who is Fatimé Raymonne Habré? If you had to introduce yourself in a few words to our readers, what would you say?
Fatimé Raymonne Habré: Very pleased to meet you and to exchange with you. I am the widow of former Chadian President Hissein Habré. I am an activist for the cause of Africa and an activist for the cause of women.

Trevor: What led you to writing? A trigger moment?
Fatimé Raymonne Habré: Yes, there is a trigger. This was what we called the Hissein Habré case, which lasted for more than 20 years with judicial and media harassment that has not been seen anywhere else. We suffered a lot from this media lynching, and I took my pen for a media response action through articles, open letters and also television shows.

Trevor: Tell us about your books. What are some of the themes you care about?
Fatimé Raymonne Habré: My first book is entitled Africa Standing and they are political chronicles that deal with many themes: the fight against terrorism, Winnie Mandela, Gaddafi, the genocide of the Tutsi, the conflict around the territory of Aouzou, the relations between journalists and politicians, etc. This is my vision and my participation in awakening consciences, especially of our youth who are unaware of many things.

Trevor: In your opinion, what is the role of literature in contemporary African society?
Fatimé Raymonne Habré: Literature plays an essential role. It preserves our history and transmits ancestral traditions to future generations, thus preserving our cultural identity. It allows Africans to share stories of their experiences that others will willingly ignore. Literature highlights our social, political, economic and cultural realities. It develops critical thinking. It is also a platform for expressing emotions, experiences—that was my case. Writing has therapeutic, calming virtues, helping people to express points of view…

Trevor: How does your personal and professional background feed into your writing?
Fatimé Raymonne Habré: My personal journey is a sum of experiences: the war, the political conflicts that have degenerated, power, exile, and the injustices we have suffered through the legal proceedings against President Habré. As for the professional side, I am a lawyer by training and have coordinated the defence and communication division with lawyers for years. Currently, I am a publisher, bookseller and gallery owner. Unquestionably, my reflections are fed by my experience and the hardships endured, with the commitment to decipher the undersides of the cards, if you will, and to respond to the haters of Africa, Without forgetting the role of African elites in the situation of our continent.

Trevor: You founded a cultural space: the Carré Culturel. What is its vocation and how do you live it every day?
Fatimé Raymonne Habré: Le Carré Culturel is a space composed of an independent bookstore, a publishing house that has demonstrated that it is possible to offer a fair publishing contract, allowing authors to receive 40 or even 50% of the copyright on their work. We have next door an art gallery where we sell works but also set up exhibitions. We produce programs that I invite you to discover on our YouTube channel Le Carré Culturel: a program The opinion of women, which gives women a voice, and another, Les Carnets culturels.

Trevor: How do you see the place of women in literary creation in Africa today?
Fatimé Raymonne Habré: Their place is increasingly influential. Although women writers have long been marginalized and under-represented, they are increasingly dynamic. They explore many subjects, personal experiences, and talk about the issue of gender, violence suffered, tradition. Their writings contribute to a more authentic view of the realities of African women. As a publisher, I get more and more books written by women authors. That’s encouraging.

Trevor: As a lawyer, do law and justice influence the way you write or design a work?
Fatimé Raymonne Habré: I think what’s important is the commitment of my pen. It’s a fighting pen. When you are a lawyer and you are as passionate about law as I am, the rigor of your training can influence your writings in the sense that you feel the need to argue, to strengthen your words. Justice is very complicated in that the theory of the separation of powers is not a reality. The executive always uses its influence when it wants to get the decisions it wants.

Trevor: Which African authors do you admire or follow with attention?
Fatimé Raymonne Habré: Apart from the great classics of African literature that we have all read, I read a little bit of everything. It can range from books by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Michelle Obama’s Becoming, to books on politics, international relations, political communication, or the books of Théophile Obenga. I took advantage of the SILA to acquire books by authors from Côte d’Ivoire.

Trevor: What are your current or future plans? Do you have a new book in preparation?
Fatimé Raymonne Habré: At the Cultural Square, in terms of publishing, I want to launch a children’s collection. We are preparing an exhibition on the nomadic Peuls. Personally, I have in the process of finishing volume 2 of Africa Standing, which also contains political chronicles, and the continuation of my novel Symbil and the royal decree.

On the CV of this young CEO of Smart City Africa and CBS, you will not see any great business schools, nor great schools of administration. However, Camille Bounama Sylla embraces an even broader profile. He has been a key figure in the political, social and economic landscape for some years now, especially with the arrival of Diomaye Faye at the head of Senegal. Between clandestinity and light, we will tell you about the prolific career of this charismatic business leader.

An unusual fate
Camille Bounama Sylla has succeeded in reinventing itself around meaningful projects. Today, he is one of those young people whose journey, marked by adversity, has transformed many obstacles into opportunities. From a paperless in France to an influential entrepreneur in Senegal, Camille Bounama Sylla’s journey is a source of respect. Originally from Tambacounda, he has experienced some green and mature steps before becoming an important part of the economic and social landscape of West Africa. Self-taught, persistent and driven by boundless ambition, he has always shown that young people can count on him. First in France, especially in the suburbs, he organized more than twenty projects in France. Indeed, he initiated the “Salon des cultures urbaines”, a space for reflection and exchange that has been able to capture the attention of several political actors. But after years spent in Europe, Sylla makes a decision that surprises more than one: he leaves the comfort of Paris to return to Senegal, his native country. Objective: to set up a business and contribute actively to the economic dynamism of the African continent.

An entrepreneur with meaningful projects
Indeed, there is no lack of construction sites for Bounama, which has had to deal with a new economic dynamic after its return to Senegal. Back in Senegal, Camille Bounama Sylla founded SMART CITY AFRICA, a company specialized in urban parking management in partnership with several municipalities of Dakar, including Médina, Fass-Colobane-Gueule Tapée and Patte d’Oie. Today, this structure employs more than 200 people and is thus actively involved in the regulation of parking and the reorganization of public space in the Senegalese capital. But his commitment does not end there. Through its CBS (Conseil en Business Social) structure, Sylla accompanies many young people in the design and realization of their entrepreneurial projects. Indeed, he is campaigning for a change in mentality. According to him, instead of fleeing Africa in search of a hypothetical success in Europe, he recalls that more and more young people are returning to build their future on the continent. Its expertise in urban and social development has been sought internationally. Also in May 2023, he was appointed “Special Envoy” for Trade, Investment and International Relations by Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio.

Undisputed leadership
Camille Bounama Sylla’s leadership and vision have earned him continental recognition so much that in 2020 he was among the 50 most influential personalities of WAEMU. Sylla is not only a successful business leader; he is also a key player in regional development. Its commitment to economic integration and cooperation among WAEMU member countries gives it a strategic place in defining the region’s economic and social policies. Last November, he participated in the National Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship Fair in Sierra Leone, where he met with President Maada Bio and his Vice-President Juldeh Jalloh. This is further proof of its international influence and commitment to employment and African youth.

A message of hope to African youth
Camille Bounama Sylla does not just act on the ground; he also wants to inspire, act on consciences. So he published “The key is to try”. In this book, CBS describes the essence of its philosophy of life and encourages readers to preserve it for their dreams.

Writer and researcher, Ndeye Fatou Kane is a Senegalese feminist who struggles to rid women of certain prejudices. This feminist with a soft eye but unwavering determination, fights daily for gender equality and has published an impressive number of books, including the most recent one, In the Name of a Father. This book pays tribute to his father, Mamadou Tidiane Kane, senior transport technician and son of Cheikh Hamidou Kane.

History of a feminist activist
This feminist activist was born in Dakar and carries a prestigious literary heritage: she is the granddaughter of Cheikh Hamidou Kane. After studying business, she reorientates herself towards research in the social sciences. Ndeye Fatou Kane is, so to speak, a gender specialist. However, his academic background is not enough to quench his thirst for literary expression. In 2014, she published her first novel Le malheur de vivre, a work that takes a lucid look at the complexities of life. Two years later, she took part in a collection of short stories entitled Franklin the Insubmissive, confirming her versatility and mastery of the short story. In 2018, she broadens her horizons by publishing a committed essay: You said feminist? , in which she offers a fine and impactful analysis of the feminist movement in Africa. This book has aroused great interest in the academic and literary circles, and earned him the Prix Jeunesse des moins de 35 ans in the French-speaking world that same year.

“In the name of a father” and all women.
In the literary field, Ndeye Fatou Kane affirms her vision of gender equality in almost all her works. It denounces the deep inequalities between men and women in African society, especially those related to marriage. His sixth book, In the Name of a Father, is in the same vein. Published by L’Harmattan-Sénégal in October 2022, this book, while paying tribute to the memory of his father, Mamadou Tidiane Kane, is a plea imbued with arguments and demonstrations almost irrefutable. It was this father who shaped her and helped make her what she is today.

Courage and audacity
Despite her young age, Ndeye Fatou Kane demonstrates an impressive courage and audacity, to the point of being considered today as a key figure in feminism. Through her writings and research, this writer and researcher contributes to redefining the African intellectual landscape, bearing a resolutely modern and committed voice.