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.

Almost all of us discovered Kadeux on TikTok in 2023 with “Ayé han”. We had fallen under the spell of this young Chadian rapper. Yet he is only twenty-one years old. Despite this age – often associated with youthful carelessness – his words, imbued with humility, always hit the mark. Indeed, it resonates a sharp flow, especially when he begins to describe the difficult condition of life of the left-behind. But not only: he also puts in his music a sincerity and modesty that go straight to the heart. From her box on TikTok, the artist continues to gain in thickness. Kadeux, viral phenomenon or the dynamics of sharing

Kadeux, a viral phenomenon
In the musical universe of Chad, a name stands out today as a luminescent dust, with brightness: Kadeux. Those who thought that its notoriety, propelled by the internet and social networks, was not going to last, were mistaken. The enthusiasm has not faded and its fanbase is only expanding. Born in 2003 in Koundoul, Chad, Kadeux, whose real name is Kamal Borgoto, has succeeded in bringing Chadian rap to the international music scene. Through a skilful blend of local sounds – using Chadian dialects – and contemporary music, he has created a unique and authentic style that resonates far beyond the borders of his native country. Although his career really started in 2023, Kadeux took the time to learn from groups like “Sexion d’Assaut” and several international artists. Her first single “Ayé han” is a hit, with over 100,000 views on YouTube and 27 million views on TikTok. A record for a Chadian artist. He follows with “Biney”, a song against easy money and society’s excesses. This song quickly hits the 200,000 YouTube views mark. Then comes “SAME SAME”, a hymn to resilience and hope that reflects the combative and optimistic mindset of Chadian youth.

Kadeux, an artist rooted in authenticity
Kadeux is distinguished by his use of Chadian dialects, which he handles with great ease. Also, this gives his texts an emotional power and a rare authenticity that make him an original artist. His committed musical style, tinged with sarcasm, is a dive in apnea from the first notes, into the swamp of the ills of society. His social analyses of an unprecedented finesse immediately catch the public’s attention. Kadeux is one of the artists to be invited at major musical events, both in Chad and in the sub-region. Indeed, he knows how to set fire to the stage, to heat up the audience. Among his outstanding performances in the last two years, we can mention the “fête de la musique à N’Djamena” (June 2023), the “festival Afrobeat International au Burkina Faso”, a performance in Côte d’Ivoire, at “FEMUCO”, a series of concerts alongside the Ivorian rapper Didi B in N’Djamena and a tour in Cameroon (Yaoundé, Douala, Ngaoundéré, Dschang…)

Chadian Pride
Despite his young age and still fledgling career, Kadeux, who already accumulates multiple awards both in Chad and internationally, does not intend to stop on such a good path. To his musical ambitions, he grafted two dreams: launching his own clothing brand and creating a production studio. In 2024, at the microphone of RFI, the artist confides: “I want my music to be a bridge between generations, a voice for those who do not have one, and a source of inspiration for Chadian youth.” With his charisma, authenticity and raw talent, there is a chance that Kadeux’s wish will come true: to bring Chadian culture to the international stage and make the voice of those left behind heard.

On 15 February 2025, during the ‘Nuit du Mandé’, Nana Menthe Kouyaté gave a powerful show at the Pan Pipper in Paris, organized by Afrik’Consult and Doums Production, it was an opportunity for this Mandingo music diva to present her new album ‘‘Karan’’ (2024) to the public.
An intense show
It is under the army of lights-fluorescent that Nana, in a red mermaid lace evening dress, makes her entrance on stage. The bassist is higher than the musicians who hold the guitars and the tam-tams and the n’goni. A dance dressed up like an 80’s disco singer waits for Nana to give it away. The setting is sublime. There’s more than just the show. Sol-re-do! Nana, the one we call “the rare bird”. In turn, Nana visits her repertoire, from N’Toutadon to Karan, her latest album, and she had with her renowned artists such as Adja Soumano, Pedro Kouyaté, Liberté Kanté, Amadou Sodia and many other guest artists.

Nana, the voice of the mandingo
Daughter of the kora virtuoso Batrou Sékou Kouyaté, Nana Kouyaté, as her name suggests, is a cherry. Born in Abidjan in 1988, she grew up in Bamako. Although she was a Griotte, her father had a problem with her daughter’s music. However, with the help of her mother, she defies this ban and already at a young age, with her voice of light contralto, is a little bit carried towards the dramatic mezzo-soprano like Oumou Sangaré or Coumba Gawlo or even Fanta Damba, Nana rivals, by voice, with the mandingo divas. In 2005, she embarked for Paris and settled there. Later, she will collaborate with legends like Salif Keita, Papa Wemba, Oumou Sangaré and Amadou et Mariam. Now she makes her voice heard through music. In 2024, she released a new album called ‘Karan’.

Karan, or the benefits of education
Karan, meaning “education” in Bambara, is a 11-track album that resonates as a manifesto for the transmission of values and the perpetuation of traditions. Nana Menthe addresses universal themes such as love, peace, African unity and the fight against violence against women, in a subtle fusion between traditional sounds and contemporary influences.

Karan, some selected pieces
With these eleven songs, evocative and committed, Nana explores the deep realities of society where each piece is a sound fresco. While “Acapelle” lifts the veil on the tumult of marriage, revealing the expectations and disillusions that accompany it. “Denmbalou”, in collaboration with Alune Wade, Guimba Kouyaté and Paco Sery, tells, pat contre, with emotion the challenges of motherhood and the anguish of a mother facing the education of her child. Then, the vibrant tribute to Sheikh Ahmadou Bamba celebrates the spiritual heritage of a great Sufi. And then there is the flagship title: “Karan”, the album’s flagship title, extols the virtues of education as a pillar of personal empowerment and national development. “Nothing is above education,” says the artist, highlighting her central role even in migration paths where she becomes a passport to integration. Meanwhile, the public is preparing fervently for Nana’s next performance, scheduled for March 25, 2025 in Orléans.