Katoucha Niane (30 December 1960 in Conakry, Guinea – 2 February 2008 in Paris, France) was a Guinean/French
supermodel—one of the world's first to have come from Africa/Guinea. Nicknamed "The Peul Princess"
(in reference to her ethnic Fula background), she worked, and later wrote, under the single name "Katoucha".
She was the daughter of author, playwright and historian Djibril Tamsir Niane. She had three children.
Niane stopped modeling in 1994 to focus on activism. She had been an outspoken activist against female
circumcision, a rite performed in some African nations. Following her success as a model, she started
the organization KPLCE - Katoucha pour la lutte contre l’excision (English: Katoucha for the battle against
female circumcision). Niane herself was circumcised at age 9. In 2007, she published a book about her personal
circumcision experience, "Dans ma chair" (Eng: "In My Flesh"), in France.
More information at: http://www.katoucha-niane.com
