Katoucha Niane

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.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Katoucha Niane — (* 30. Dezember 1960 in Conakry, Guinea; † vermutlich am 2. Februar 2008 in Paris) war ein französisches Model. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Leben 2 Schriften 3 Weblinks …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Katoucha Niane — Katoucha Niane, née le 23 octobre 1960, à Conakry (Guinée) morte à Boulogne Billancourt le 1er février 2008, dite « la Princesse Peule », est l une des premières tops models noires, et fut l égérie d Yves Saint Laurent.… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Niane — Katoucha Niane (* 30. Dezember 1960 in Conakry, Guinea; † vermutlich am 2. Februar 2008 in Paris) war ein französisches Model. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Leben 2 Schriften 3 Weblinks …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Katoucha — Niane Katoucha Niane, ex égérie de Yves Saint Laurent, née le 30 décembre 1960, à Conakry (Guinée) morte à Paris le 1er février 2008, dite « la Princesse Peule », est mannequin et l une des premières tops models noires.… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Niane, Katoucha — ▪ 2009       Guinean born French fashion model born 1960, Conakry, Guinea found dead Feb. 28, 2008, Paris, France became the muse of French designer Yves Saint Laurent in the 1980s as one of the first black African top models in Paris. Katoucha,… …   Universalium

  • Djibril Tamsir Niane — (born 9 January 1932) is a historian, playwright, and short story writer, born in Conakry, Guinea. His secondary education was in Senegal and his degree from the University of Bordeaux. He is an honorary professor of Howard University and the… …   Wikipedia

  • Djibril Tamsir Niane — est un écrivain et historien guinéen, né le 9 janvier 1932 à Conakry (Guinée). Il est spécialiste de l’histoire du Mandé, notamment l Empire du Mali. Étudiant en histoire à l’Université de Bordeaux (France), Djibril Tamsir Niane est… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Найан, Катуша — Катуша Найан Дата рождения …   Википедия

  • France's Next Top Model, Cycle 1 — Infobox Television show name = France s Next Top Model, Cycle 1 caption = format = Reality runtime = 60 minutes (with commercials) creator = Tyra Banks developer = executive producer = starring = country = France network = first aired = last… …   Wikipedia

  • Seine — Infobox River | river name = Seine caption = The Seine as seen from the Pont Royal. The Musée d Orsay is visible in the left foreground and the Grand Palais is in the right background. origin = Burgundy mouth = The English Channel (Bay of the… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”