Chantal Biya ( Chantal Pulchérie Vigouroux; born 4 December 1969) is the current first lady of

Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...

Early life

Chantal Biya was born in

Dimako Dimako is the name of a sub-division district and small town situated in Upper Nyong Division of the East Province of Cameroon, Africa. It lies a little way south of East Province capital of Bertoua. The local language is Kwakum, spoken by th ...

, East Province, Cameroon.. Her father was French expatriate Georges Vigouroux. Her mother, , was a Miss Doumé pageant winner. Her mother was elected mayor of Bangou following the July 2007 municipal elections.. She spent her adolescence in

Yaoundé Yaoundé (; , ) is the Capital city, capital city of Cameroon. It has a population of more than 2.8 million which makes it the second-largest city in the country after the port city Douala. It lies in the Centre Region (Cameroon), Centre Region o ...

Philanthropy

She established the ' in 1994. In 1996, she hosted the inaugural First Ladies Summit in

. The ''Jeunesse active pour Chantal Biya'' is an organ of her husband's

Cameroon People's Democratic Movement The Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (CPDM; , RDPC) is the ruling political party in Cameroon. Previously known as the Cameroonian National Union, which had dominated Cameroon politics since independence in the 1960s, it was renamed in 1985 ...

Corruption

Paul and Chantal Biya's corruption and the theft of national assets of Cameroon has been well-documented. With her son , she purchased apartments in Paris despite no visible income. U.S. diplomatic cables confirm endemic corruption in Cameroon, which reportedly amounted to more than $650 million between 2017 and 2022.

Bertrand Teyou

In November 2010,

Bertrand Teyou Bertrand Zepherin Teyou (March 17, 1969 - January 22, 2020) was a Cameroonian author. Book and arrest Teyou is notable for his book ''La Belle de la république bananière : Chantal Biya, de la rue au palais'' (English: "The Beauty of the Bana ...

published a book, ' (English: "''The Belle of the Banana Republic: ChantalBiya, from the Streets to the Palace''"), tracing Biya's rise from humble origins to become First Lady.. He was subsequently given a two-year prison term on charges of "insult to character" and organising an "illegal demonstration" for attempting to hold a public reading.

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...

and

PEN International PEN International (known as International PEN until 2010) is a worldwide professional association, association of writers, founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere. The association ...

's Writers in Prison Committee both protested his arrest and issued appeals on his behalf. Amnesty International named him a

prisoner of conscience A prisoner of conscience (POC) is anyone imprisoned because of their race, sexual orientation, religion, or political views. The term also refers to those who have been imprisoned or persecuted for the nonviolent expression of their conscienti ...

. He was freed in April 2011 when a well wisher agreed to pay his fine in order that he might seek treatment for his worsening health.

Personal life

She married

Paul Biya Paul Biya (born Paul Barthélemy Biya'a bi Mvondo, 13 February 1933) is a Cameroonian politician who has been serving as the second president of Cameroon since 1982. He was previously the fifth Prime Minister of Cameroon, prime minister under Pre ...

, who is 36 years her senior, on 23 April 1994, after his first wife,

Jeanne-Irène Biya Jeanne-Irène Biya (12 October 1935 – 29 July 1992) was the former First Lady of Cameroon and the first wife of Paul Biya, who has served as the President of Cameroon since 1982. Jeanne-Irène Biya died in office in Yaoundé at age 56. Sh ...

, died in 1992.. Chantal Biya with Obamas 2014

She has twin sons Franck and Patrick Hertz (born 1987) with her first husband. With Paul Biya, she has two children: Paul Jr. and Brenda Biya. Chantal Biya is known for her elaborate

hairstyle A hairstyle, hairdo, haircut, or coiffure refers to the styling of hair, usually on the human head but sometimes on the face or body. The fashioning of hair can be considered an aspect of personal grooming, fashion, and cosmetics, although ...

s.. Particularly Mrs. Biya's use of wigs, her signature style is called ''the banane'', and is used for formal occasions. Biya has popularised other styles. Collectively, they are known as ''the Chantal Biya''. She is known for her exotic wardrobe. Among her favourite designers are high-end European labels such as

Chanel Chanel ( , ) is a French luxury fashion house founded in 1910 by Coco Chanel in Paris. It is privately owned by French brothers, Alain and Gérard Wertheimer, through the holding company Chanel Limited, established in 2018 and headquarte ...

Dior Christian Dior SE (), commonly known as Dior, is a French Multinational corporation, multinational luxury goods company that is controlled and chaired by French businessman Bernard Arnault, who also heads LVMH. , Dior controlled around 42% of ...

and

Louis Vuitton Louis Vuitton Malletier SAS, commonly known as Louis Vuitton (, ), is a French Luxury goods, luxury fashion house and company founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton (designer), Louis Vuitton. The label's LV monogram appears on most of its products, ...

. File:Chantal Biya and Laura Bush, 2003.jpg, Chantal Biya and

Laura Bush Laura Lane Welch Bush (née Welch; born November 4, 1946) is an American educator who was the first lady of the United States from 2001 to 2009 as the wife of George W. Bush, the 43rd president of the United States. Bush was previously the fir ...

after a coffee in the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

Yellow Oval Room The Yellow Oval Room is an oval room located on the south side of the second floor in the White House, the official residence of the president of the United States. First used as a drawing room in the John Adams administration, it has been used ...

, 2003 File:First Ladies 2008.jpg, At a global First Ladies meeting in New York, 2008 File:Paul Biya with Obamas.jpg, The Obamas with Chantal and

, 2009 File:Paul Biya with Obamas 2014.jpg, The Obamas with Chantal and Paul Biya, 2014

References

Bibliography

* . * Dorall, Charyl, ed. (2004). ''Commonwealth Ministers Reference Book 2003''. Commonwealth Secretariat. * . * . * . * * . * . * * . * . * .

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Biya, Chantal 1970 births

Chantal Biya Chantal Biya ( Chantal Pulchérie Vigouroux; born 4 December 1969) is the current First Lady of Cameroon, first lady of Cameroon. Early life Chantal Biya was born in Dimako, East Province (Cameroon), East Province, Cameroon.. Her father was Fre ...

Living people First ladies of Cameroon People from East Region (Cameroon) Cameroonian philanthropists Cameroonian women philanthropists Cameroonian people of French descent UNESCO goodwill ambassadors