Human Rights Advocate & Storyteller
Author, The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After
Clemantine Wamariya is an internationally renowned speaker, a NYTimes bestselling author, and an accomplished human rights advocate. Her memoir The Girl Who Smiled Beads debuted with Crown Press in April 2018 and is published in 5 languages and dozens of countries. In “vivid prose,” the book describes Clemantine’s journey from her idyllic childhood in Kigali, Rwanda up until 1994 to seeking refuge in eight different countries throughout Africa, to finally receiving a refugee status in the USA in 2000.
Clemantine received her BA in Comparative Literature from Yale University in 2014 and built her career as “a compelling storyteller and fierce advocate" (Amy Poehler). Clemantine has appeared four times as a guest on The Oprah Show and was appointed by President Obama in 2016 to serve on the board of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. She brings her powerful perspective to various organizations, from her 2018 TED Talk to the boards of Women for Women International and Refugee & Immigrant Transitions.