Black History Month

- Auteurs Noirs Français Populaires sur Culturethèque -

Black History Month celebrates the contributions of black culture throughout history and in many fields - political, literary, scientific and more.

Originating in the US, it is now celebrated in several countries around the world including the UK, Netherlands, Canada and Ireland. While France does not celebrate the month, citing its incompatibility with their ideal of Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité, which ignores race as a differentiator in the republic, it still has some presence in the country as explained on this recent FrenchTogether blog.

What better time to honor the impactful literary contributions of celebrated Francophone authors past and present? Little known is the fact that one of the most famous French authors was a person of color whose father was born into slavery. The son of a white French nobleman and a Black woman, Alexandre Dumas’ father was freed when he was brought to France opening the path for Dumas to become the acclaimed author beloved in the French canon and around the world. You can find a number of great titles by wonderful French black authors on the AFSF Culturethèque e-library. Marie NDiaye is the first black woman to win France's most prestigious literary award, the Prix Goncourt, winning in 2009 with her novel Trois femmes puissantes (Three Powerful Women). Maryse Condé earned her PhD in literature at ParisSorbonne University and went on to have a distinguished literary career. Gael Faye’s literary debut bestseller novel, Petit Pays (Small country), was published to wide acclaim in France and has since been translated into 35 languages.

Visit the AFSF Library page for instructions on how to sign up for the Culturethèque e-library.  Bonne lecture des journaux et magazines sur Culturethèque!