Mali's Seydou Badian was a member of the second generation of African intellectuals that rose to defend the value of their own culture and to take a greater role in their political future. His personal involvement in government began in 1957, when he served as French Sudan's minister of rural economy and planning. After the establishment of the Republic of Mali in 1960, he was leader of the radical Marxist group in the government of Modibo Keita. He spent ten years in prison after Keita's 1968 overthrow.