BIOGRAPHY

Baboul was born in Sinnamary, French Guiana officially on 1 October 1901. She claimed birth a day earlier, and though this was widely reported in the media, both her birth record and ID card stated the recognized date. In her youth, she made a living cultivating vegetables and selling them. Throughout much of her life, she took children into her home from Mondays to Fridays, allowing them to attend school in Sinnamary.

Baboul never married but had at least two daughters, both of whom she outlived. She worked as a farmer and a seamstress. As a supercentenarian, she had three grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren, and a great-great-grandson. She attributed her longevity to eating couac, cassava, and Pimentade.

Baboul became the oldest living person in French Guiana on 25 September 2010, following the death of 109-year-old Victoire Adelon, a Cayenne resident. Until the age of 109, Baboul lived independently in her Sinnamary home. She moved in with her grandson Joubert, who lived in Matoury, a suburb of French Guiana’s capital, Cayenne. She became bedridden in 2013.

After the death of Olympe Amaury on 12 May 2015, Baboul became the oldest resident of the entirety of France, including overseas territories and departments.

On 1 July 2016, Baboul’s grandson noticed she was unwell, and had her taken to Cayenne hospital, where she died shortly thereafter at the age of 114 years, 274 days. She was the third-oldest person ever in France and was succeeded as the country’s oldest resident by 113-year-old Élisabeth Collot.

RECOGNITION

Baboul was first noted for her longevity on her 110th birthday when an article was published in a Guyanese newspaper. A video was produced for her 112th birthday. Many articles were written about her when she became France’s oldest living person, and again when she celebrated her 114th birthday.

Baboul’s death was widely reported in the media, with a large number of articles being published by a broad variety of news outlets.

ATTRIBUTION

GALLERY