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Cycling Across West Africa: The Journey of Mamadou Safayou Barry
A 4,000km Trek Through Six Countries for a Chance at Al-Azhar University
Nwslettr Team
September 21, 2023
Mamadou Safayou Barry, a 25-year-old married father of one, has accomplished what many would consider an impossible feat.
He cycled 4,000km (2,500 miles) across six countries in West Africa, enduring arrests and blazing heat, for a chance to study at Egypt's prestigious Al-Azhar University.
The university is one of the most influential centers for Sunni Islamic learning in the world, as well as one of the oldest, having been founded in the year AD670.
Barry set off from his home in Guinea "seeking Islamic knowledge," but he experienced suspicion and adversity in some of the countries he biked through. In Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, attacks by Islamist militants on civilians are frequent, and recent coups have led to political instability.
To travel through these countries is very hard because they don't have security at this time. They have so many problems, and people there are very scared - in Mali and Burkina Faso, people were looking at me like I am a bad man. All over, I was seeing the military with their big guns and cars.
Despite the challenges, Barry pressed on, fueled by his dream of studying at Al-Azhar University. He could not afford the Islamic Studies course at the university, or flights to Egypt, but the institution's reputation spurred him to take his chances on the epic trek through Mali, Burkina Faso, Togo, Benin, Niger, and Chad.
Throughout his journey, Barry was arrested and detained three times for no good reason - twice in Burkina Faso and once in Togo.
His luck, however, took a turn when he reached Chad. A journalist interviewed him, and his story was posted online, prompting some Good Samaritans to fund a flight to Egypt for him. This meant he avoided cycling through Sudan, parts of which are currently war zones.
Al-Azhar University
On September 5, after four months of cycling and enduring the trials of his expedition, Barry finally arrived in Cairo.
His determination earned him a meeting with the Dean of Islamic Studies, Dr. Nahla Elseidy. After speaking to Barry, Dr Elseidy offered him a place on Al-Azhar's Islamic Studies course, with a full scholarship.
The dean said on her social media channels that the university was keen to offer its knowledge to students worldwide and that this philosophy "not only covers international students in Egypt but also extends abroad.