Clémentine Nzuji


Clémentine Faik Nzuji, also known as Clémentine Faïk-Nzuji Madiya, is a Congolese poet and writer. She was born in Tshofa, Kabinda District in the Belgian Congo. Albert S. Gérard calls her "the first poet of real significance" among a group of African writers who emerged in the late 1960s; she was also the first female writer in the Belgian Congo.

Background and early life

She graduated from Lovanium University.
She also holds a doctorate in African studies from the University of Paris.
Nzuji is married and is the mother of five children, and many of her poems refer to her family.

Literary activities

In 1964, she founded the Pléiade du Congo, a literary group in Kinshasa, and headed and helped found the International Centre for African Languages, Literatures and Traditions in favour of Development at the Catholic University of Louvain. She has made important contributions in the study of Bantu linguistics and oral literature. She is also an award-winning author of short stories and poetry.