Bernadette Sanou Dao (born 25 February 1952 in

Bamako Bamako is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Mali, with a 2022 population of 4,227,569. It is located on the Niger River, near the rapids that divide the upper and middle Niger valleys in the southwestern part of the country. Bamak ...

French Sudan French Sudan (; ') was a French colonial territory in the Federation of French West Africa from around 1880 until 1959, when it joined the Mali Federation, and then in 1960, when it became the independent state of Mali. The colony was formall ...

) is a Burkinabé author and politician. At age 11, her family returned to Upper Volta from

Mali Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east b ...

. She attended Kolog-Naba college in

Ouagadougou Ouagadougou or Wagadugu (, , , ) is the capital city of Burkina Faso, and the administrative, communications, cultural and economic centre of the nation. It is also the List of cities in Burkina Faso#Largest cities, country's largest city, wi ...

and later

Ohio University Ohio University (Ohio or OU) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Athens, Ohio, United States. The university was first conceived in the 1787 contract between the United States Department of the Treasury#Re ...

in the United States and the Sorbonne in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, France. From 1986 to 1987 she was Burkina Faso's

Minister for Culture A culture minister or a heritage minister is a common cabinet position in governments. The culture minister is typically responsible for cultural policy, which often includes arts policy (direct and indirect support to artists and arts organizat ...

. She lives in

. She writes poetry, short-stories and children's stories.

References

1952 births Living people Burkinabe poets Burkinabe short story writers Burkinabe women writers Burkinabe writers in French Ohio University alumni University of Paris alumni Burkinabe people of Malian descent Women government ministers of Burkina Faso Culture ministers of Burkina Faso People from Bamako People from Ouagadougou Burkinabe women short story writers Burkinabe women poets 20th-century women politicians 20th-century women writers 20th-century writers 21st-century women writers Burkinabe expatriates in France Burkinabe expatriates in the United States 21st-century Burkinabe people {{BurkinaFaso-politician-stub