Guinea is a country in West Africa where Mamadou Safaiou Barry resides. He desired to enrol in a prestigious Cairo, Egypt school to study Islamic theology. Barry sketched a map of Africa and set out on an old bicycle to travel across the continent since he didn’t have enough money for transportation. The 25-year-old rode through battle zones, jungles, and deserts with only a change of clothes, a lantern, and a small tool in the hopes of being accepted to the school and figuring out how to pay for it.
After four months and seven countries, he is in Cairo, where he is attending Al-Azhar University on a full scholarship. That is among the most revered and ancient Sunni Muslims in the world. Barry traveled 100 kilometers a day on his bike. He cycled across Niger, Benin, Togo, Burkina Faso, and Mali. Due to the ongoing turmoil in Sudan, he was forced to make a stop at the capital city of N’Djamena, Chad. He claimed to have already been arrested three times, once in Togo and twice in Burkina Faso. Before releasing him for $56, he was detained by security personnel there for nine days without being charged.
He stated it was all the money he had left over for the trip. “I often slept in the bush because I was afraid of people in the cities,” Barry recalled. “I thought they would take my bike and hurt me.” In Chad, Barry’s luck shifted once more. After learning about his journey online, a local benefactor offered to take him straight to Egypt so he could escape the conflict in Sudan.
After arriving in Cairo on September 5, Barry was awarded a full scholarship to Al-Azhar a few days later. After completing his education, he plans to return to Guinea in order to share the faith that has guided him thus far. “When I return to my country, I would like to be someone who teaches Islam and tells people how to do good things,” he stated.
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