Florence Mahoney
Florence Mahoney | |
|---|---|
| Born | Asi Florence Kezia Omolara Peters School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London |
| Occupation(s) | Author and historian |
| Known for | First Gambian woman to obtain a PhD (SOAS, 1963) |
| Spouse | Dr John Mahoney |
| Children | 3 sons: Omotunde, Sola and Ayodeji Mahoney |
| Relatives | Lenrie Peters (brother) |
Florence Mahoney (née
Asi Florence Kezia Omolara Peters; born 6 January 1929)
Background and early life
Florence Mahoney was born in 1929 in Bathurst, Gambia, to Lenrie Ernest Ingram Peters (1894–14 February 1968) and Kezia Rosemary. Lenrie was a Sierra Leone Creole, while Rosemary was a Gambian Creole or Aku. Because Gambian Creoles, or Akus, are descendants of Sierra Leonean Creoles who worked and settled in The Gambia, Mahoney has ties on both sides to Sierra Leone.
The Peters family was of
Education
Mahoney attended St. Mary's Anglican Primary (1935–39) and then the Methodist Girls' High School (now
Return to the Gambia and educationalist work
In 1953, she returned to the Gambia
In 1972, Florence Mahoney was made a "
She is the author of four books: Stories of Senegambia (1982), The Liberated Slaves and the Return to Africa (2001), Creole Saga: The Gambia's Liberated African Community in the Nineteenth Century (2007), and the essay collection Gambian Studies.
Family
Florence Mahoney has three sons – Omotunde, Sola and Ayodeji – from her marriage to Dr John Andrew Mahoney (1919–2012).[8]
Selected works
- Stories of Senegambia (1982)
- The Liberated Slaves and the Return to Africa (2001)
- Creole Saga: The Gambia's Liberated African Community in the Nineteenth Century (2007)
- Gambian Studies (2008)
References
- ^ a b c David Perfect, "Mahoney, Dr (Asi) Florence Kezia Omolara", Historical Dictionary of The Gambia (Fifth edition), Rowman & Littlefield, 2016, p. 281.
- ^ "'Gambia Studies' by Dr Florence Mahoney", St Hilda's College, University of Oxford.
- ^ a b c Pamela Roberts, "Florence Mahoney, 1929–present, St Hilda's College | Historian and author", in Black Oxford: The Untold Stories of Oxford University's Black Scholars, Oxford: Signal Books, 2013, pp. 89–90. 2014 digital version by Andrews UK Limited.
- ^ Hassoum Ceesay, "Tribute to a Great Gambian historian: Dr Florence Mahoney at 80", The Point, 30 January 2009.
- ^ Catherine Coquery-Vidrovitch, "African Historiography in Africa", cairn-int.info.
- ^ Catherine Cymone Fourshey, "'The Matter is a Bit Urgent' Education of Miss Florence Peters: One Gambian Fathers Petitions to the British Colonial Government 1948–1952", JENdA: A Journal of Culture and African Women Studies, No. 20 (2012).
- ^ Hassoum Ceesay, "Tribute - Dr John Andrew Mahoney (1919–2012) Gambian surgeon, health administrator and international civil servant", The Point, 7 February 2012.
- ^ "Dr Florence Mahoney". 10 October 2008.
Sources
- Isatou Bittaye, "Gambia: Encounter With Dr. Florence Mahoney, a Historian" (interview), Foroyaa Newspaper (Serrekunda), 2 July 2010. Via AllAfrica.
- Hassoum Ceesay, "Tribute to a Great Gambian historian: Dr Florence Mahoney at 80", The Point, 30 January 2009.
- Ruby Lerina Agnes Peters obituary notice, Daily Observer Gambia, 3 June 2008, via Africa.gm.
- Cherno Omar Barry, "Gambia: A Literary Giant Has Fallen", Foroyaa Newspaper (Serrekunda), 8 June 2009. Via AllAfrica.
- "Adieu Lenrie Peters", The Point, 28 May 2009.
- Rose Marie Beck & Frank Wittmann, African media cultures: transdisciplinary perspectives
- "Dr. Florence Mahoney" at SheAwards.
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