Souleyman Bah (also known as Soulay Thiâ’nguel) is a qualified journalist and holds a doctorate in information and communication sciences. He is now a theatre director and author and has been living for several years in exile in France.
He entered the cultural world through his writing for theatre, creating while at college the theatre company Djibril Tamsir Niane. It was there that he made his first steps as an actor, writer and later director. The arrival in Guinea of the director Fifi Tam’sir Niane (a former actress who worked with Peter Brook) allowed him to consolidate his acting experience, playing the principal role in Il était une fois… l’alphabète, with performances in Guinea and at the Limoges Festival. He learned the art of directing as assistant to Tam’sir Niane, and it was only natural that he begin his directing career with her company, of which he had been artistic director. In France, a meeting at the Limoges Festival with Koffi Kwahulé led to his decision to pursue directing as a career, and his discovery of Kwahulé’s play Bintou led to a growing interest in contemporary African theatre. He created the company Grain de Sable, which he has directed ever since his arrival in France. A winner of the ‘Visa pour la création’ grant, he has taken part in the training of many young actors in his native Guinea.