Katoucha Niane

Katoucha Niane (30 December 1960 in Conakry, Guinea – 2 February, 2008 in Paris, France) was a French supermodel—one of the world's first to have come from Africa. Nicknamed "The Peul Princess" (in reference to her ethnic Fula background), she worked, and later wrote, under the single name "Katoucha". She was the daughter of author, playwright and historian Djibril Tamsir Niane. She had three children.

Early life and career

As a child, Katoucha's family was forced into exile after her father came into conflict with Guinean President, Sekou Toure. Living with an uncle in Mali, she rejoined her family in Dakar at age twelve. There she lived with the family of her paternal uncle, whose wife was private secretary to the President of Senegal, Léopold Sédar Senghor. [Pierrette Fofana. [http://grioo.com/ar,katoucha_la_mode_et_l_excision_vues_par_elle_meme_dans_ma_chair_paris_2007,12938.html Katoucha, la mode et l'excision vues par elle même : "Dans ma chair", Paris 2007 (Review)] . 11 February 2008.] After marrying her husband at age seventeen and giving birth to her first child, they emigrated to France.

It was there in the 1980s that she began modeling; first for Thierry Mugler, then for Paco Rabanne and Christian Lacroix, and became known as Yves Saint Laurent's "muse." [cite web |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/02/29/wmodel129.xml |title=Supermodel Katoucha Niane found dead - Telegraph |accessdate=2008-02-29 |format= |work=] She remained one of the best known models in France, and an icon in Guinea. Recently, she worked as host of the French language television program Top Model.

Activist

Niane stopped modeling in 1994 to focus on activism. She had been an outspoken activist against female circumcision, a rite performed in some African nations. Following her success as a model, she started the organization "KPLCE - Katoucha pour la lutte contre l’excision" (English: "Katoucha for the battle against female circumcision"). Niane herself was circumcised at age 9. In 2007, she published a book about her personal circumcision experience, "Dans ma chair" (Eng: "In My Flesh"), in France.

Quotes

Katoucha wrote about the experience of female circumcision in "Dans ma chair":

'One day, mother said we were going to the cinema. And I found myself the victim of a horror movie.'An unimaginable trauma that I had never managed to talk about, until I found love and wrote In My flesh,' she said.

She said she saw her success as a form of revenge for the excision.

'I embodied the most arrogant and admired kind of femininity, I who was supposed to be diminished.'

Death

Katoucha lived in a houseboat on the Seine, near the Alexander III bridge in Paris. On February 1, 2008, she returned to her houseboat from a party. This was the last time she was reportedly seen alive. On February 4, 2008, police opened a missing persons case for her. Her purse was found untouched outside the door to her boat. Police believed that no foul play was involved, and that she was likely intoxicated and fell into the Seine.Cite web|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article3345987.ece|title=Supermodel Campaigner Missing After Party|accessdate=2008-02-28|date=2008-02-11|author=Adam Sage|work=Times Online]

Her body was found in the Seine River on February 28, 2008. The 47 year old model is believed to have died from an accidental drowning.

ee also

*Naomi Campbell

References

* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7271011.stm Top model's body found in river] , BBC, Friday, 29 February 2008, 14:23 GMT.
*fr [http://www.guineenews.org/articles/article.asp?num=200822963511 Confirmation du décès de Katoucha Niane : le corps du mannequin guinéen a été identifié] . Alpha Issa Thiam, Guineenews.org, 29 February 2008.
* Katoucha and Sylvia Deutsch. [http://www.michel-lafon.fr/livres-temoignage/titre-496,dans-ma-chair.html Dans ma chair] . Paris: Michel Lafon Publishers (2007) ISBN : 978274990666

External links

* [http://www.katoucha-niane.com/ Official website]
* [http://kplce.over-blog.com/ KPLCE blog]
* [http://www.sudonline.sn/spip.php?article8981 Review of "Dans ma chair"]
* [http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20071010/CPACTUEL/710100581/-1/CPACTUEL Interview sur cyberpresse.ca]
* [http://www.lefigaro.fr/actualites/2008/02/06/01001-20080206ARTFIG00466-l-ancien-top-modele-katoucha-a-disparu.php Annonce disparition Le Figaro]
* [http://www.lobservateur.sn/articles/showit.php?id=16351&cat=culture L'Observateur : Katoucha retrouvée morte dans la Seine] (cette annonce de découverte est démentie par la police [http://fr.news.yahoo.com/purepeople/20080207/ten-katoucha-la-police-nationale-lance-u-0111c6b_1.html] )
* [http://www.respectance.com/KatouchaNaine/ Mémorial Katoucha Naine]
* [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article3460071.ece Katoucha Niane: obituary] . The Times (London): 1 March 2008.