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Learn More about Yacouba Diarra (alias Kays)

Biography

Born in 1946 in Mali, Yacouba Diarra, alias Kays is a calligrapher, designer, cartoonist and illustrator of children’s stories, and best known as a cartoonist. He had a difficult childhood, and had spent his very young age on the street and had to fend for himself at the age of 16. He travelled to the Ivory Coast in the 70s where he was hired by the company Instant Ivoire to as designer on transportation buses. There, he met Gérard Galtier, a French linguist with whom he entertained a friendship relationship for decades. Thanks to this relationship, he went to study fine arts in France from 1980 to 1984. He began his cartoonist career in the mid 80s, working in quarterly Jamana cultural magazine of the cooperative of the same name. He drew particular caricatures and small strips, and illustrated many brochures and textbooks. Subsequently, he became the house cartoonist of the weekly Le Canard unleashed where it replaces the popular Mamadou Diarra. Kays is over twenty years old cartoonist featured daily Echoes. Meanwhile, he illustrated several books for Éditions Jamana such as goat Peasant (1980), the path of honor, sobs of Songhoy, Little potter, Holiday homework, Hyena and vulture.

Books

– Chemin de l’honneur (Le)
– Chèvre paysanne (La)
– Comment le lièvre sauva les chèvres
– Contribution à la connaissance des us et coutumes du Mali
– Devoir de vacances
– Mali des talents (Le)
– Parfums du Mali
– Petite potière (La)
– Sanglots du Songhoy (Les)