Phenomenal Woman: Aoua Kéita

Aoua Kéita, Midwife, Writer, Politician, and Independence Activist:

Born on 12 July 1912, in Bamako, South Sudan Aoua studied to be a midwife in Dakar, Senegal and eventually went on to work for the French colonial government in Mali.

In 1953 after marrying her first husband, she grew an interest in politics and joined the Rassemblement Démocratique Africain, a multinational political party that played a vital role in the decolonization of the French Colonies in Africa.

As punishment for her anti-colonial activism, the colonial government sent to increasingly more remote locations to serve as a midwife. But that didn’t stop her persistence and dedication to the cause of decolonization.

In 1960, when Mali gained independence from its French colonizers, she was elected to serve as the only woman in the new National Assembly.