Introduction to Special Feature on Chérif Keïta

Abstract

Introduction to Special Feature on Chérif Keïta Dianna Bell (bio) KEYWORDS Mande studies, Mali, Francophone West Africa, education, Francophone studies MOTS-CLÉS Études mandé, Mali, Afrique de l'Ouest francophone, éducation, études francophones By the time I met Chérif Keïta, the William H. Laird Professor of French and the Liberal Arts at Carleton College, I had heard his name so often from people working in Mande Studies that I anticipated the meeting with great intimidation. Yet, as we exchanged greetings, I felt instantly as though I were reconnecting with an old friend. Of his many achievements, the way that Keïta brings people together is one of his best attributes. And I quickly learned that when you are with Chérif, you are always with the same person; whether he is buying a rotisserie chicken from a deli counter or speaking with a member of South Africa's Constitutional Court, Keïta is the same person, and he treats everyone with the same degree of respect while sharing his playful charisma. He has a talent for making people feel heard, accepted, important, and included. As the following reflections attest, once a person has experienced these feelings, and the sense of confidence they offer, it has the potential to change the course of one's life. Following a short biographical overview of Keïta's professional life, this special tribute section offers some of the thoughts and experiences of those whose lives have been, in some way, shaped by Chérif Keïta. This tribute would be remiss to not briefly stray from Mande Studies in order to acknowledge the documentary film work that Keïta has taken on in recent years. In terms of Keïta's work in South Africa, the trilogy of documentaries that he made about Reverend John Langalibalele Dube offer fresh information and unique stylistic presentation about Dube, the first President-General of the African [End Page 175] National Congress (ANC), and a constellation of his little-known yet important associates. But it is the selflessness of his final documentary, uKukhumbula uNokutela: Remembering Nokutela (2014), that stands out to the observer as the most exquisite and generous type of scholarship. It was not enough for Keïta to lift the veil that obscured John Dube's first wife, Nokutela Mdima, for almost a century after her untimely death. Keïta looked deeper, wondering especially where this woman was buried, eventually determining that he needed to find her unmarked grave, which he did, and then properly memorializing her for posterity. If Nokutela's rightful place among the South African liberation heroes is finally recognized, it is because Keïta brought her body, her gravesite, out of obscurity and placed her to rest with her fellow South African freedom fighters. I have thought a lot about why Chérif Keïta did this, especially knowing the challenge he was up against in this undertaking, and then I had an epiphany. Once, I asked Keïta about his first memory, and he told me that he remembers sitting on a type of bucket seat that was mounted on the handles of his father's bicycle. His father used to put him in the seat, with his small legs hanging on either side of the bike's wheels, and the two of them would ride around Bamako, neighborhood after neighborhood, to greet friends and family. In essence, Keïta's first memories involve his seeing the world face forward, following no one, but with plenty of support behind him. In my view, this is the gift that he gives and continues to model: looking at the world and at situations with fresh eyes, unblocked and unencumbered by those who have come before him. The essays to follow demonstrate how Keïta has encouraged his students to approach life and their scholarship in the same way. Keïta has no interest in creating clones of himself. Rather, he sets people up front, as his father did when he placed his young son on the handles of his bicycle. Like his father, Keïta invites people to see the world for themselves. [End Page 176] Dianna Bell...