Marie Senghor Basse facts for kids

Marie Senghor Basse (1930-2019), whose full name was Marie-Thérèse Camille Senghor Basse, was an important doctor from Senegal. She helped lead a center that protected mothers and children. Marie Basse also worked for Senegal at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). This organization helps make sure people around the world have enough food. She also directed an institute that studied food technology.

Early Life and Education

Marie Basse was the niece of Senegal's first Head of State. She studied medicine in Paris, France, and graduated from the Faculty of Medicine in 1957.

A Career in Medicine and Food

Helping Mothers and Children

In 1958, Marie Basse started her career as a doctor in Guinea. After two years, she returned to Senegal. There, she was put in charge of the Maternal and Child Protection Center. This center worked to keep mothers and their babies healthy.

Representing Senegal Abroad

From 1961 to 1966, Marie Basse worked in Italy. She was Senegal's representative to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. The FAO is a big organization that works to end hunger and improve nutrition worldwide. While there, she worked alongside her husband, Edouard Camille Basse, who was the Senegalese ambassador to Italy.

Improving Food in Senegal

When Marie Basse returned to Senegal, she became a medical inspector at the Dakar Medical School. In 1968, she became the director of Senegal's Institute of Food Technology. Here, she researched how to process and preserve different foods. This included fruits, vegetables, grains, and animal products.

Marie Basse often appeared on Senegalese national television. She encouraged people to eat "local foods" grown in Senegal. She showed families healthy ways to use local products. For example, she taught them how to make bread called pamiblé, cakes from corn or millet, and concentrated juices from local fruits like bissap and maad. She also promoted beef charcuterie. Her goal was to help people eat healthier by using foods found in their own country.

Working with Government Leaders

In 1981, Marie Basse became a technical advisor in the office of Prime Minister Habib Thiam. This meant she gave expert advice to the Prime Minister.

At age 51, she went back to school. She studied at the Dakar Business Management School and earned an MBA degree in business management in 1983. An MBA is a special degree that teaches you how to manage businesses. After this, she joined President Abdou Diouf's office as a technical advisor for two years.

Marie Basse was also a founding member of the Senegalese section of the African Cultural Community. This group was started by Wole Soyinka. It helps African thinkers and artists deal with the challenges of modern times.

Death

Marie Senghor Basse passed away in 2019.

See also

In Spanish: Marie Senghor Basse para niños