Abdoulaye Sadji

Abdoulaye Sadji (1910 in Rufisque, Senegal – 25 December 1961 in Dakar)[1] was a Senegalese writer and teacher. The son of a Muslim priest, a marabout, Sadji was educated in a Quranic school[2] before attending French schools. After training as a teacher at the École Normale William Ponty in Gorée he became one of the first African high school teachers, working in various parts of Senegal.[3] In 1932 he became only the second Senegalese person to earn a bachelor's degree.[3]

In the 1950s, Sadji worked for a radio station in Dakar and in 1953, together with Léopold Sédar Senghor, he wrote a reading-book for the elementary school.[2] This book, La Belle Histoire de Leuk-le-Lièvre, preserves traditional Senegalese oral tales and is regarded as a classic collection of traditional stories from Africa.[1][3] As one of the founders of Négritude, Senghor referred to Sadji as one of the pioneering practitioners of the values associated with Négritude.

Sadji published two novels, Maïmouna: petite fille noire (1953) and Nini, mulâtresse du Sénégal (1954), along with a number of short stories, of which "Tounka" (1952) and "Modou-Fatim" (1960) are the best-known.[1] His works often revolve around young girls from the countryside who are trying to adapt to a life in the city.[1][2]