On October 25th, 2017 Tisch College of Civic Life, in Medford, MA, honored Saïda Oumulkhairy Niasse as the inaugural recipient of the Global Humanitarian Citizen Award. Known by her followers as “Mama Kiota,” Oumoulkhairy Niasse is the leader of a Sufi Muslim women’s movement with over 200,000 members across West Africa. A tireless advocate for women’s rights, education, and peace, Mama Kiota has spent more than 50 years establishing schools, mentoring female leaders, and promoting religious tolerance in a region menaced by Boko Haram.
The ceremony recognized the impact of Mama Kiota’s leadership, feature Tufts University Political Science Professor Pearl Robinson’s research on Mama Kiota’s movement, and celebrated Sufi musical and cultural traditions with a live performance by musicians from the New England Conservatory DÜNYA Ensemble and Zikr singer, Ibrahima Ndao, from Senegal. The event included messages from:
- Peter Levine, The Associate Dean of Tisch College
- Celene Ibrahim, Tufts Muslim Chaplain
- Hassana Alidou, Niger’s Ambassador to the United States
- Ousmane Kane, Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Professor of Contemporary Islamic Religion and Society, Harvard Divinity School – Speech
- Sékou Aboubacar Hassoumi, son of Mama Kiota – Speech
The event was sponsored the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life and Tufts Departments of Music and Political Science.
A corresponding ceremony was held Niamey, Niger by Jamiyat Nassirat Dine (JND) and the U.S. Embassy in Niger on January 6th, 2018. Please visit the GHC Award Ceremony page for that event to learn more and read speeches from noteworthy attendees.
Mama Kiota's Message 