Boubou Hama

thumb|Boubou Hama Boubou Hama (1906 – 29 January 1982) was a Nigerien writer, historian, and politician. He was President of the National Assembly of Niger under former President of Niger, Hamani Diori. He studied at the École normale supérieure William Ponty and began his career as a teacher, in the mid-1920s becoming the first French-trained primary school teacher from what would soon become Niger. As a writer he worked in many genres including history and theater. His writing gained international attention when his autobiography Kotia-nima (published with the support of UNESCO in 1971) won the Grand prix littéraire d'Afrique noire. Quotes "Africa in its essence is a conception of man and life." 1973 interview with Senegalese journalist Niaky Barry, Hama was asked, “What then is Africa?” "Traditional history is not a return to the past, but a constant, active exploration of our history and how it has shaped our African identity." 1973 interview with Senegalese journalist Niaky Barry, Hama was asked, “What then is Africa?” “The study of traditional history, far from being a return to the past, is, on the path to our renewal, the essential factor in our renaissance.” 1973 interview with Senegalese journalist Niaky Barry, Hama was asked, “What then is Africa?” “Comfort, however extravagant it may be, does not by itself make human beings happy.” 1973 interview with Senegalese journalist Niaky Barry, Hama was asked, “What then is Africa?” “Africa, having brought humanity out of animality at the beginning of history, must obviously, in the natural order of things, give it the human elements of its new beginning.” 1973 interview with Senegalese journalist Niaky Barry, Hama was asked, “What then is Africa?” External links Category:Historians Category:Politicians from Niger Category:Authors from Niger Category:Literary critics Category:1906 births Category:1982 deaths