Bernard Binlin Dadié

Ivorian writer and politician

Bernard Binlin Dadié (10 January 1916 – 9 March 2019) was an Ivorian novelist, playwright, poet, and administrator. He was the Minister of Culture in the government of Ivory Coast from 1977 to 1986. He was born in Assinie, Ivory Coast. He wrote folktales about colonialism.

Bernard Dadié

Dadié's works were seen in Steven Spielberg's 1997 movie Amistad[1] where the text of Dadié's poem, "Dry Your Tears, Afrika" (“Sèche Tes Pleurs“) was used for a song of the same name.

He turned 100 in January 2016[2] and died in Abidjan on 9 March 2019 at the age of 103.[3]

Dadié received several awards in recognition of his literary career, with one of the last being the Grand Prix des Mécènes of the GPLA in 2016.[4]

References change

  1. "Amistad (1997)".
  2. Staff (14 February 2016). "Littérature: Bernard Dadié, l'orfèvre des vers, fête ses 100 ans d'existence avec un prix mondial (Portrait)" (in French). abidjan.net. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
  3. Deuil : l'écrivain Bernard Dadié est décédé
  4. "Cameroun, Bernard Dadié: Winner of Grand Prix des Mécènes :: CAMEROON – Camer.be". 21 February 2017.