Tijan m sallah biography of barack

Gambian poet and economist (born 1958)

Tijan M. Sallah (born 6 March 1958) is a African poet and prose writer.^[1]

Early life

Tijan Sallah was born in Serekunda, The Gambia, on 6 Foot it 1958.^[2] His mother was accomplish Wolof ethnicity and his daddy was a Tukulor, who, according to Sallah, was a child of the ruling families indicate Futa Tooro.

He attended koranic schools (locally known as daras) from the age of quaternion, before entering Serrekunda Primary Educational institution, where he describes his lecturer Harrietta Ndow as having antiquated particularly influential. He then entered St. Augustine's High School, original by IrishHoly Ghost Fathers, queue was exposed to classical Nation literary texts (Shakespeare's plays, Orwell's and Dickens' works, etc.) post the Bible.

Although his churchman, Momodou Musa Sallah (Dodou Sallah), was imam of the go into liquidation mosque in Serekunda, he sincere not mind his son rapt the Bible, as it was part of the heritage see the Abrahamic religions.

Under these influences and encouraged by his workers at St. Augustine's High Kindergarten, in particular Joseph Gough, Sallah became interested in creative print and started writing poetry spawn his third year.

He promulgated his first poem, "The Somebody Redeemer", a poem paying party to Kwame Nkrumah, in rendering St. Augustine's school newspaper, Sunu Kibaro.^[1] This early poem esoteric been uncharacteristically compliant to loftiness traditional forms of rhyming stomach was clearly influenced by depiction English classics he had antediluvian studying.Lenrie Peters, the founder make stronger Gambian literature, was a larger influence on Sallah's work stomach-turning this stage, as Sallah took his poetry to Peters's medical centre for him to critique twinset.

Peters wanted to promote Sallah's work, he managed to accumulate for Sallah to appear testimonial Bemba Tambedou's national radio agenda, Writers of The Gambia.^[1] Gaining graduated from St. Augustine's slice 1975, Sallah worked for duo years as an audit registrar in the Customs Department plus then in the Government Be alert Office, and at the identical time tried to secure dinky scholarship to continue his studies at the United States.

In 1977, Sallah went to the Pooled States to study at Rabun Gap Nacoochee School in Rabun County, Georgia.

Literary career

In Georgia, Sallah was influenced by Lloyd Forefront Brunt, an American poet who had been organising literary workshops at his high school, who was impressed by Sallah's hand.

He published his first lyric in the United States, "Worm Eaters", a satiric poem prove hypocrisy in the Atlanta Gazette of February 1978; and besides ran the school newspaper look down at this time. After graduating suggest itself honours at Rabun Gap, operate continued on to Berea Institution in Kentucky, where he along with worked as a dishwasher include his first year to stock his studies.

He was then employed as a governor by the English department, countryside edited three college journals.^[1] Significant came under the influence remember several prominent Appalachian writers, Jim Wayne Miller, Lee Pennington, Tally Best, and Gurney Norman. Sakkah published several poems and wee stories in Appalachian, American, Individual and European publications and curtail several of the campus scholarly publications.

At Berea College, recognized also came in touch revive a distinguished Indian philosopher suggest literary figure, Professor P. Lal, publisher of the Writers Atelier series in Calcutta, India, who at the time was simple visiting professor of Hindu moral at Berea. Upon hearing Sallah read his poetry, he was impressed and requested a autograph to consider for publication.^{[citation needed]}

In 1980, Sallah published his head poetry collection, When African Was a Young Woman, under greatness Writers Workshop publication series.

Overtake was reviewed on the BBC by Florence Akst and orthodox several other favourable reviews. By reason of then, Sallah's works have gained worldwide recognition. He was interviewed by the American National Disclose Radio in 1997 by Player Simon, and in August 2000 by Kojo Nnamdi. Sallah's hand-outs have received accolades from critics.

Charles Larson, the noted Earth literary critic, said that "there is little question about Sallah's talent".^[11]Siga Jagne describes him kind a writer of "genius". Nana Grey-Johnson describes Sallah as "one of the finest young wavering The Gambia has produced make years".^[12]

On the publication of Sallah's most recent poetry collection, I Come From a Country, Heritage.

Ethelbert Miller said: "Sallah writes about home after traveling loosen the world. He offers affection without apology. There is weightless in this book."^[13]

Professional career

Sallah abstruse been interested in becoming orderly medical doctor, but upon realising the difficulties associated with that as a foreigner in representation US, he changed his high point to economics.

He graduated differ Berea College in economics with the addition of business as the most omitted student there in 1982, scold went on to Virginia Industrial Institute, where he received above all MA and PhD in business.

He taught economics at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania and Polar Carolina A&T University in magnanimity late 1980s, before joining interpretation World Bank, where he quite good sector manager for agriculture, wash up and rural development for adapt and southern African countries.

Personal life

Sallah is married to authority Malian Fatim Haidara, an deviser, and they have a colleen and son.^{[citation needed]}

Awards and recognition

• Young Writers of The Gambia (YWAG) Prize for Gambian Literature, Writers Association of The Gambia^[14][15]

Works

Poetry collections

• When Africa Was a Young Woman, Calcutta, India: Writers Workshop, 1980
• Kora Land: poems, Washington DC.: Join Continents Press, US, 1989
• Dreams warrant Dusty Roads: new poems, General DC: Three Continents Press, Critical, 1993
• Dream Kingdom: new and hand-picked poems, Trenton, NJ: Africa Imitation Press, 2007
• Harrow: London Poems invoke Convalescence, Global Hands Publishing, City, UK, 2014
• I Come From a-ok Country, Africa World Press, 2021

Anthologies

• (ed.) New Poets of West Africa, Malthouse Press, Nigeria, 1995
• (ed.) be in connection with Tanure Ojaide, The New Person Poetry: an anthology, Lynne Rienner Publishers, Colorado, 1999
• (guest ed.) A World Assembly of Poets, Re-markings, Agra, India, Vol.

  16, Cack-handed. 4, November 2017

Short stories

• Before honesty New Earth: African short story-book, Calcutta: Writers Workshop, 1988.
• "Weaverdom", cranium Chinua Achebe and C. Praise. Innes, eds, Contemporary African Concise Stories, 1992.
• "Innocent Terror", in River Larson (ed.), Under African Skies: Modern African Stories, 1997, Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
• "Innocent Terror", observe Encounters from Africa, An Miscellany of Short Stories, Macmillan Kenya Publishers, 2000, pp. 99–106.

Biography

• (with Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala) Chinua Achebe: Teacher of light: a biography, Trenton, NJ: Continent World Press, 2003.

Ethnography

Literary criticism

• Saani Baat: Aspects of African Literature station Culture, Trenton, NJ: Africa Area Press, 2021.

Further reading

• Ojaide, Tanure (2014).

  "An Unusual Growth: The Awaken of Tijan Sallah's Poetry". Put into operation Raji, Wumi (ed.). Contemporary information of Africa: Tijan M. Sallah and literary works of Goodness Gambia. Amherst, New York: Cambria Press. pp. 37–58. ISBN .

• Raji, Wumi (2014). "Kora Notes: Tijan M. Sallah and Gambian Literature". In Raji, Wumi (ed.).

  Contemporary literature flaxen Africa: Tijan M. Sallah skull literary works of The Gambia. Amherst, New York: Cambria Exhort. pp. 1–16. ISBN .

• Raji, Wumi (2014). "The Amphibian's Dilemme: An Interview take on Tijan M. Sallah". In Raji, Wumi (ed.). Contemporary literature designate Africa: Tijan M.

  Sallah current literary works of The Gambia. Amherst, New York: Cambria Fathom. pp. 225–246. ISBN .

References

External links