Quote by Aminata Sow Fall: “Our identity is not a costume we can change at will.”

This quote means that who we are deep down, our true identity, isn't something easily put on or taken off like clothes. It's a fundamental part of us that isn't subject to fleeting desires or trends.

From her 1982 novel *L'Appel des arènes*, this thought emerged during a time when African intellectuals were deeply engaged with questions of cultural authenticity and self-definition, resisting external influences while forging unique national identities in a globalized world.

Senegalese novelist whose 1979 novel La Grève des Bàttu (The Beggar's Strike) is a landmark of Senegalese and Francophone African literature. She was the first woman from sub-Saharan Africa to be nominated for the Prix Médicis and has received numerous international literary awards. Her work examines social inequality, tradition, and modernity in Senegalese society.