Marthe Fare

Born in 1985 in Lomé, Togo, Marthe Fare worked as a journalist while studying modern literature.^[3] In 2008, she spent a year as a reporter and host on Togo's TV7.^[5] She then attended the École supérieure de journalisme in Lille, France, where she graduated in 2012. On returning to Togo, she became a journalist on the Web, making use of the latest technologies.^[3]

In August 2011, using the pen name Noun Fare, she published La Sirène des bas-fonds, a 64-page erotic story of a Togolese girl who becomes involved in prostitution before embarking on a more successful path.^[6] It turned out to be a best seller. In 2014, it was followed by the rather longer Rivales, which tells of the rape of several members of the same family and of a daughter who steals her mother's lover.^[2] Despite its pornographic style, the novel succeeds in emphasizing the threats faced by Togolese women.^[7]

As a member of PEN Togo, Fare seeks to promote Togolese literature. She is also the coordinator of Egbe Nana, a project on television and the social networks that presents 52 women who have impacted life in their communities.^[1]