Informal female mentorship in Fatou Diome’s Celles qui attendent (Women Who Wait)

This chapter explores informal female mentorship in Fatou Diome’s 2010 novel Celles qui attendent (Women Who Wait). The novel’s protagonists attempt to better their circumstances by developing their own codes of female mentorship in a context far removed from orthodox mentoring settings. Informal mentor-mentee partnerships between friends and family members ultimately redefine intellectual and emotional growth whilst underscoring the important role that context plays in mentorship expression.