Doumbi Fakoly
Encyclopedia
Biography
Born in 1944 in Kita, MaliKita, Mali
Kita is a town and commune in western Mali. It lies on the eastern slope of Mount Kita , known for its caves and rock paintings. Today, the city is known for its music, its annual Roman Catholic pilgrimage and its role as a processing center for the surrounding cotton- and peanut-growing region...
, Doumbi Fakoly spent his childhood in Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
. He went on to study in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, where he obtained a degree in banking (French: Diplôme d'étude supérieures en banques). From 1978 to 1980, he worked for Banque Meridien Biao Mali.
In 1983, he published his first book, They Died for France (French: Morts pour la France), a historical tale about Senegalese skirmishers who fought for France during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. In his 1984 book, The Supreme Guide's Early Retirement (La retraite Anticipée du Guide Suprême), he criticized the dictatorial regimes that followed the independence of many African countries.
In 1988, he published AIDS Control Certificate (Certificat de Contrôle Anti-Sida), a novel about a teenage girl whose father is accused of being HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
-positive. Adventure in Ottawa (L'Aventure à Ottawa), published in 1991, was his first novel aimed at a younger audience. Bilal the Prophet (Bilal le Prophète), another historical tale, was released in 1992, and The Revolt of the Galsénésiennes (La Révolte des Galsénésiennes), a tribute to women, followed in 1994.
In 1997, he published a complete study on Pan-Africanism
Pan-Africanism
Pan-Africanism is a movement that seeks to unify African people or people living in Africa, into a "one African community". Differing types of Pan-Africanism seek different levels of economic, racial, social, or political unity...
. In 1999, he tackled the issue of forced marriage in his second young adult
Young adult literature
Young-adult fiction or young adult literature , also juvenile fiction, is fiction written for, published for, or marketed to adolescents and young adults, roughly ages 14 to 21. The Young Adult Library Services of the American Library Association defines a young adult as "someone between the...
book.
Fakoly published Africa, the Rebirth (Afrique, la Renaissance), an essay that attempts to explain the causes of Africa's cultural alienation, in 2000. In 2003, he wrote an initiatory tale about Mali, Conquering the Magic Fountain, (A la conquête de la fontaine magique).
Beliefs
Doumbi-Fakoly believes that the rebirth of Africa is only possible if the Black-African people (and descendants) go back to their ancestral Black-African SpiritualityAfrican Traditional Religion
The traditional religions indigenous to Africa have, for most of their existence, been orally rather than scripturally transmitted. They are generally associated with animism. Most have ethno-based creations stories...
.
According to him, the Abrahamic religions
Abrahamic religions
Abrahamic religions are the monotheistic faiths emphasizing and tracing their common origin to Abraham or recognizing a spiritual tradition identified with him...
(Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
, Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
and Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
) have negative consequences for the Black-African people (and descendants).