Sadjio

Sadjio tells the story of a young girl, Sadjio, who did everything to overcome childhood adversity. She refused to let her challenges define her. Sadjio was exceptionally intelligent and used that intelligence to overcome her challenges. She was born in a struggling peasant family that survived on subsistence farming and an on and off petty trade. Though both parents loved Sadjio beyond compare, they just hadn't invested enough time into knowing and understanding her strength. Sadjio, nonetheless, was destined to travel a delicate path in life, one that was seldom traveled by most of humanity. Defying all odds, she'd make an immeasurable difference. Nothing could dim her light, not even a separation from her biological parents-a separation occasioned by her being given to a maternal aunt who had problems bearing children of her own to the chagrin of her husband and his family. Sadjio was a remedy meant to heal this aunt-a dream that would remain a deep reverie forever.

Fatoumata Nabie Fofana, a skilled journalist and girls' rights campaigner, creatively blends her unwavering passion for advocating evolution in some traditional systems in which girls right to education is still restricted, with a lifelong enthusiasm for fictional storytelling to create compelling characters in Sadjio. A seasoned nonprofit development and management professional, Fatoumata's firsthand experience of gender inequality in education and immerse knowledge of African women's continued battle for equality on all fronts reinforce the authenticity of the characters in this thriller. Sadjio is Fatoumata's first novel.