Mariama Hima Yankori (born 1951,

Niamey Niamey () is the capital and largest city of Niger. As the Niamey Urban Community (, CUN), it is a Regions of Niger, first-level division of Niger, surrounded by the Tillabéri Region, in the western part of the country. Niamey lies on the Nige ...

) is a

Niger Niger, officially the Republic of the Niger, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is a unitary state Geography of Niger#Political geography, bordered by Libya to the Libya–Niger border, north-east, Chad to the Chad–Niger border, east ...

ien film director,

ethnologist Ethnology (from the , meaning 'nation') is an academic field and discipline that compares and analyzes the characteristics of different peoples and the relationships between them (compare cultural, social, or sociocultural anthropology). Scien ...

and politician. She became the first female Nigerien film director in the 1980s, was State Secretary of Promotion of Women and Protection of Children, and later the first female Nigerien ambassador to France.

Early life

Hima was born in Niamey in 1951 and studied locally until she achieved a bachelor's degree. In 1973, she left for France and studied ethnolinguistics at the

École pratique des hautes études The (), abbreviated EPHE, is a French postgraduate top level educational institution, a . EPHE is a constituent college of the Université PSL (together with ENS Ulm, Paris Dauphine or Ecole des Mines). The college is closely linked to É ...

in Paris. She got her PhD in 1989 from the University Paris X in anthropology.

Cinematic and political career

In the 1980s and 1990s she shot five documentary films, becoming the first female Nigerien film director. After shooting most of her films, Hima worked in total over a decade as a conservator at the National Museum of Niger in Niamey, where between 1992 and 1996 she served as the director. In 1990, she was designated the national Director of Culture. In 1996, Hima was appointed the State Secretary of Promotion of Women and Protection of Children by president Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara. Subsequently, she became Minister of Social Development of Niger. In 1997, she was appointed the ambassador of Niger in France, becoming the first female Nigerien ambassador. Despite Maïnassara's death during the 1999 military coup, she remained the ambassador in Paris until 2003. Hima is the Chevalier and the Grand Officier of the National Order of Merit and the Commandeur of the

Ordre des Palmes Académiques A suite, in Western classical music, is an ordered set of instrumental or orchestral/concert band pieces. It originated in the late 14th century as a pairing of dance tunes; and grew in scope so that by the early 17th century it comprised up to ...

. As of 2013, she had no Nigerien decorations.

Filmography

Hima's films are documentaries, focused on artisans working in Niamey. They have been awarded prizes at international film festivals, including

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

and Beaubourg. * 1984: ''Baabu Banza'' (Rien ne se jette), documentary, 20 minutes * 1985: ''Falaw'' (L’aluminium), documentary, 16 minutes * 1986: ''Toukou'' (Le tonneau), documentary * 1987: ''Katako'' (Les planches), documentary * 1994: ''Hadiza et Kalia'', documentary

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hima, Mariama Nigerien women film directors Nigerien film directors Nigerien academics Ministers of council of Niger École pratique des hautes études alumni Grand Officers of the Ordre national du Mérite Knights of the Ordre national du Mérite Commandeurs of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques 1951 births Living people People from Niamey 20th-century women politicians Women government ministers of Niger Ambassadors of Niger to France Nigerien women ambassadors