Diariata N’Diaye is a French slam poet and activist who has become one of France’s leading figures in the battle against sexism and sexual violence.

Speaking with Paris Calling, the self-described “artivist” retraces how her dual French-Senegalese upbringing shaped her personality, including a forced marriage in Senegal, which prompted her to start writing her first songs that were private expressions of what she couldn’t say to anyone else.

N’Diaye later emerged as a powerful slam poet, and went on to found Résonantes, an association raising awareness among young people about sexual violence. She is convinced that the battle must begin by defining precisely what violence is, and educating young people on what they do and don’t have the right to do, and what should never be tolerated.

This is Paris Calling, where each week we encounter a notable person from somewhere around the world. We are breaking new ground by bringing non-English interviews into English with the use of AI tools that allow us to translate our guest’s words, without changing their voice. 

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