Dr. Kadiatu Sesay widely known as Kadi Sesay is a Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...

an politician

Politician

A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

, feminist, pro-democracy advocate

Advocate

An advocate is a term for a professional lawyer used in several different legal systems. These include Scotland, South Africa, India, Scandinavian jurisdictions, Israel, and the British Crown dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man...

 and the current deputy chairman of the Sierra Leone People's Party

Sierra Leone People's Party

Sierra Leone People's Party is one of the two major political parties in Sierra Leone, along with the All People's Congress .-Formation:...

 (SLPP), She serves as Sierra Leone Minister of Trade and Industry from 2002 to 2007. She is the founder and Managing Director of Leone Consulting & Advisory Services – for Trade, Investment and Development. She is the mother of CNN International

CNN

Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...

 news anchor

Anchor

An anchor is a device, normally made of metal, that is used to connect a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the vessel from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ancora, which itself comes from the Greek ἄγκυρα .Anchors can either be temporary or permanent...

 Isha Sesay

Isha Sesay

Isha Sesay is a British journalist of Sierra Leonean descent, and an anchor for CNN International. Based at the network's world headquarters in Atlanta, she anchors BackStory, the program that is revealing a side of the news that is rarely seen. She is also the host and reporter of Inside Africa, a...

Academic career

Kadiatu Sesay commonly known as Kadi Sesay was born in Port Loko

Port Loko

Port Loko is the capital and second largest city of Port Loko District in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone. The city lies about , as the crow flies, north-east of the nation's capital Freetown and had a population of 21,961 in the 2004 census Port Loko lies on Banka Soka River, which flows...

, Port Loko District

Port Loko District

Port Loko District is the most populous district in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone with a population of 489,488 Its capital is Port Loko and the largest city is Lunsar...

 in the Northern Province

Northern Province, Sierra Leone

The Northern Province is one of the four provincial divisions of Sierra Leone. It comprises five Districts and covers an area of 35,936 km² and with a population of 1,718,240 . Its administrative and economic center is Makeni...

 of Sierra Leone to parents from the Temne ethnic group. She received her primary education from the Rotifunk Primary School in Port Loko, and she completed her secondary education

Secondary education

Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...

 at the Magburuka Secondary School for Girls in Magburaka

Magburaka

Magburaka is the capital and largest city of Tonkolili District in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone. It is the second largest city in the Northern Province after Makeni and the 6th largest city in Sierra Leone with a population of 66,313 It is located at around , along the Rokel River...

, Tonkolili District

Tonkolili District

Tonkolili District is a district in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone. Its capital and largest city is Magburaka. The other major towns include Mathora, Magbass, Yonibana and Mile 91...

.

Kadi Sesay graduated from Fourah Bay College

Fourah Bay College

Fourah Bay College is the oldest university college in West Africa. It is located atop Mount Aureol in Freetown, Sierra Leone...

 in Freetown

Freetown

Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone, a country in West Africa. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean located in the Western Area of the country, and had a city proper population of 772,873 at the 2004 census. The city is the economic, financial, and cultural center of...

 in 1973 with BA (Hons) in English Language

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

 and Literature

Literature

Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...

. in 1974 she earned a master's degree in African Literature at the University of Sheffield

University of Sheffield

The University of Sheffield is a research university based in the city of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It is one of the original 'red brick' universities and is a member of the Russell Group of leading research intensive universities...

 in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 and took her doctorate in Applied Linguistics at the University of London

University of London

-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...

.

Political career

Dr. Sesay was a lecturer at Fourah Bay College for 20 years and became Head of the English Department. She spent 6 years chairperson for the National Commission for Democracy and Human Rights (NCDHR). She is the first woman in Sierra Leonean history to head a national commission. She left this post to serve as Minister of Development and Economic Planning which she did for 3 years.

Feminism

Dr. Sesay has championed local campaigns for more women to participate in the political process.

Private life

Dr. Sesay is a widow and the mother of three adult children. She resides in Freetown and has been hailed in the local media as "one of the most beautiful women Sierra Leone ever produced". She is the mother of CNN International

CNN

Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...

 news anchor Isha Sesay

Isha Sesay

Isha Sesay is a British journalist of Sierra Leonean descent, and an anchor for CNN International. Based at the network's world headquarters in Atlanta, she anchors BackStory, the program that is revealing a side of the news that is rarely seen. She is also the host and reporter of Inside Africa, a...

.