Professor of French Joseph Mwantuali recently published a collection of articles about the work of Werewere-Liking in a book titled Werewere-Liking: Le Ki-Yi Mbock et la Renaissance Africaine (Werewere-Liking: Ki-Yi Mbock and African Renaissance).
Mwantuali describes Werewere-Liking as “a multitalented artiste,” saying she is “a novelist, a poet, a playwright, a dancer, a choreographer, a painter, a movie maker, and a singer,” and notes that she is a citizen of both Cameroon and Ivory Coast.
He said that though her formal education only goes to third grade, she has taught at the University of Abidjan and other universities around the world. She also created and manages Village Ki-Yi, a school of arts based in Abidjan. Village Ki-Yi trains mostly underprivileged children and is based on the African philosophy known as Ki-Yi Mbock.
In honor of the 30th anniversary of Village Ki-Yi, scholars around the world wrote articles on different aspects of Werewere-Liking’s multifaceted work. Mwantuali edited the collection, published earlier this month in Yaoundé, Cameroon, by Editions Ifrikiya.
