Marie-Ange Somdah (born October 19, 1959) is a Burkinabe poet and writer Burkinabe poet and writer. Author's Blog based in Boston. He is also known for his works in international development with organizations such as IFESH.IFESH.org

Life

Born in Burkina Faso, Marie-Ange Somdah grew up in a family of eight children. When he was in primary school years, he started drawing with his young brother. During his middle school years in the seminary of Nasso in Bobo-Dioulasso, his passion for reading brought him to writing through songs. His skills of observation continued sharpening during his high school years at Lycée Newton of Ouagadougou. Understanding the importance of reading, observation, and imagination set Marie-Ange towards a future of writing he felt during his undergraduate years at the University of Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso. Moving to study in France will give him the opportunity to set the stage for a career in writing. While studying at the University of Franche-Comté, he helped run a local magazine, Couleur Locale,Google Books, mention of Couleur Locale in Besançon, in the North-East of France. Some of his early works were published in Couleur Locale. His first book, Demain sera beau,Somdah, Marie-Ange. 'Demain sera beau', Harmattan (publisher) came out shortly before the defence of his Ph.D. thesis.

Marie-Ange Somdah holds a Ph.D. in French, African, and Comparative Literatures from University de Franche-Comté. He is also an alumnus of Boston University School of Education. Marie-Ange is a bilingual writer using both French and English as medium for his numerous published works of fiction and research. Somdah has also made significant contributions in the academic world,contributions with Identités postcoloniales et discours dans les cultures francophones (Harmattan, 2003))Identités postcoloniales et discours dans les cultures francophones. Harmattan (publisher) Ecritures du Burkina Faso (Harmattan, 2003)).Ecritures du Burkina Faso. Harmattan (publisher)

Achievements

Somdah twice won the IFESH TFA award in 1998 and 2007 for his volunteering works in Benin and Djibouti. He is currently the Country Representative of IFESH in Djibouti. IFESH is an American INGO working in Africa on various Education programmes.

To help the younger generation sharpen its writing skills, Somdah has run various creative workshops. In 2010, he published Pen & Dreams from My Students, a collection of poetry works from three of his students, through his own publishing company, part of an effort to trigger emulation among his students at the University of Djibouti. Somdah is also a member of various academic organizations in the USA such as MLA,MLA. MLA website CIEF,CIEF. CIEF website ALA,ALA. ALA website ASA.ASA. ASA website

Works His creative works include:

Le Nombril de la terre (L’Harmattan, 1994),Le Nombril de la terre. Harmattan (publisher) Seeds and Deep Seasons (Mellen Press, 1997),Seeds and Deep Seasons. Amazon Un Soleil de Plomb (Harmattan, 2003),Un Soleil de plomb. Harmattan (publisher) Hotel La Desirade & autres récits (Le Manuscrit, 2005) Libertés, chocolat et Cie (Le Manuscrit, 2005),Libertés, chocolat et cie. Author's Blog Un long fleuve (Le Manuscrit, 2005)),Un long fleuve. Manuscrit.com Images de vie (Le Manuscrit, 2005)),Images de vie. Author's Blog Rêves de savane (Yaniyo ! Books, 2002).Rêves de savane. Amazon Pen & Dreams from My Students (Yaniyo ! Books, 2013) Te Amo (Yaniyo ! Books, 2013)

Bibliography

Seeds & Deep Seasons. Boston: Yaniyo! Books, 2006. Libertés, chocolat & cie. Paris : Ed. Le Manuscrit, 2005. Images de vie. Paris : Ed. Le Manuscrit, 2005. Un long fleuve. Paris : Ed. Le Manuscrit, 2005. Hôtel la Désirade & autres récits. Ed. Le Manuscrit, 2005. Un Soleil de Plomb. Paris: L’Harmattan, 2003. Ecritures du Burkina Faso. Paris: L’Harmattan, 2003. Identités Postcoloniales & Discours dans les Cultures Francophones. Paris: L’Harmattan, 2003. Rêves de Savane. Boston: Yaniyo! Books, 2002. Campus Blues. Paris: Nouvelles du Sud, 1998. Le Nombril de la terre. Paris: L'Harmattan, 1994. Adjoa, l'Aurore. Besançon: Couleur Locale, 1992. Demain sera beau. Paris: Silex, 1989.

Interviews on TV and Radio

RTB (Burkina Faso National) TV with Fousseini Kindo (August 2010) Interview Lefasonet.Somdah, Marie-Ange. Lefaso.net Interview with Somdah Retrieved 6 November 2011 RTB (Burkina Faso National TV) RTB Burkina for the show Parentheses (August 1997) BNN Channel 3, BNN Channel 3 Boston, 1994–1997 France 3 Bourgogne, Emission Ah le beau monde!,Ah, le beau monde France 3 website Dijon, France, 1992 Les 5èmes Rencontres Littéraires de Dijon, Dijon, France, 1992

References