Kane, author of the 1961 novel “Ambiguous Adventure,” died in Dakar. The book became a landmark of African literature and won the Grand Prix littéraire d’Afrique noire.
Senegalese writer and former government minister Cheikh Hamidou Kane has died in Dakar at the age of 98. President Bassirou Diomaye Faye offered condolences and highlighted the importance of Kane’s work to Senegal and Africa, RIA Novosti reported. Senegal’s national news agency APS also confirmed his death.
Kane became internationally known for “Ambiguous Adventure,” published in 1961. The novel won the Grand Prix littéraire d’Afrique noire and has been translated into more than 40 languages, APS reported. His later work included “The Guardians of the Temple,” published in 1995.
Kane also held senior public posts. He served as governor of the Thiès region, then as minister of industrial development and crafts under President Léopold Sédar Senghor and minister of planning and cooperation under President Abdou Diouf.