Quote by Mariama Bâ: “There is no happiness in polygamy for women.”

This quote powerfully states a core argument against polygamy from a female perspective, asserting that it inherently denies women genuine contentment. It challenges traditional assumptions, highlighting the emotional distress and unfairness experienced by women in such unions, regardless of cultural norms.

This direct statement from "So Long a Letter" encapsulates the protagonist Ramatoulaye's experience and Bâ's critique of polygamy in Senegalese society. It was a groundbreaking assertion at a time when such institutions were often culturally defended, giving voice to women's suffering.

Senegalese novelist and feminist who gained international recognition with her 1979 epistolary novel So Long a Letter, which won the first Noma Award for Publishing in Africa. The novel depicted the lives of two Senegalese women confronting polygamy and social expectations in post-independence Senegal. She died in 1981 before seeing the global impact of her work.