Dabo Sissoko, Fily (1900-1964)

Born in Malinke country, Fily Dabo Sissoko (1900-1964) is a Malian writer and politician. A teacher, trained at the École normale de Saint-Louis in Senegal, he wrote his first ethnographic texts in collaboration with Gabriel Monod-Herzen. A member of the editorial board of Présence africaine, he published Les Noirs et la Culture in 1950. He was a member of French Parliament from 1946 to 1958. Dabo Sissoko is the author of an important literary and poetic work that reflects an anthropological sensitivity towards African cultures: Harmakhis, poèmes du terroir africain (1955), Sagesse noire (1955), La Passion de Djimé (1956), Crayons et portraits (1953), La Savane rouge (1962). Opposing the Modibo Keita regime, he died in prison in 1964.

Keywords: Ethnology | Literature | French colonialism | Mali | French West Africa | Présence africaine