Marie-francoise marie-nelly biography of christopher columbus

Marie Francoise Marie-Nelly, Grande Ecole , Country Director for Southern Africa at The World Bank

Marie Françoise Marie-Nelly’s life is showered with a series of events that, in hindsight, could be good premonitions.

At her boarding school for girls, she used to stand on the balcony admiring the sunset over the bay of Fort de France in her native Martinique. She longed to know where the cruise ships were heading and dreamt of faraway destinations. Later, she crossed the Atlantic Ocean for her post-high school preparatory classes at Lycée Clémenceau in Nantes, France.

On her first day, she noticed a memorial plaque inscribed with the following words by the French statesman, Georges Clémenceau, “Without waiting for the future and the fortune of your efforts, roll up your sleeves resolutely, and create your destiny.” This message inspired her entire c