Echati Maoulida, full name Echati Maoulida Mwenge, was a Mahorese activist who promoted the culture of the department and advocated for its separation from Comoros.[1]

Echati Maoulida
Born
Echati Maoulida Mwenge

(1935-03-13)March 13, 1935
DiedSeptember 15, 2019(2019-09-15) (aged 84)
Bouéni, Mayotte
CitizenshipFrance
OrganizationChatouilleuses

Biography

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Maoulida was born in 1935 in the canton of Bouéni on the island of Grand-Terre in Mayotte. In the 1960s and 70s, she was a member of the Chatouilleuses movement, a women's activist group which used tickle torture to coerce politicians into supporting Mayotte's separation from Comoros.[2] Additionally, Maoulida campaigned for increased educational opportunities for young boys and girls.[3]

As a fundi, or spiritual leader, Maoulida was able to travel all over the island of Mayotte. She began singing in her hometown, learning the political and religious songs known as maulida at a Koranic school. Throughout her life, she visited religious services to sing the memorized songs.[4]

Maoulida died at the age of 84 in 2019. She was the last living member of the Chatouilleuses, with her death causing a call by the Collective of the Citizens of Mayotte to begin efforts to collect oral histories from the island's elders, and to name a new school in her honor.[3]

References

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  1. ^ "Hommage du collectif des citoyen de Mayotte | L'info KWEZI" (in French). Retrieved 2022-04-04.
  2. ^ Inter, France (2019-10-21). "Qui sont les "Chatouilleuses", ces militantes de Mayotte à qui Emmanuel Macron va rendre hommage ?". www.franceinter.fr (in French). Retrieved 2022-04-04.
  3. ^ a b "Hommage du Collectif des citoyens de Mayotte à Echati Maoulida | Le Journal De Mayotte". lejournaldemayotte.yt. Retrieved 2022-04-04.
  4. ^ "Indian Ocean, Mayotte Intangible Heritage" (PDF). Ministry of Culture. Archived from the original on 12 April 2021. Retrieved 3 April 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)