back to Dak'

5 days in Dakar. I met Pascal, freshly arrived from Paris France

and Pierre Djiba there. It was really nice to see them again; we had a good time.

I first met Pierre Clement Djiba in Paris. He arrived there from Dakar about 10 years ago to visit his very ill mother dying from cancer. Like many other Africans, Pierre has his family spread out between Africa and Europe. His mother become French by a second marriage had given him French brothers that express themselves in a language that himself masters since childhood. All this frontiers and boundaries are just limits, not a problem as long as we can go through it. But for African people they have become obsessing prison gates and walls.

Pierre was born and raised in Dakar where he had a very good education. After a while in the “Faculté des Sciences Juridiques et Politiques” of the university Cheikh Anta Diop, he finally opted for studies on electronics. He never stopped working since the obtention of his diplomas. Good job, good money, no problem, until he got to Paris. Almost ten years as a clandestine, fighting for the right to come and go wherever he likes. Life is expensive in Europe, 10 years is a long time. I remember him standing up all day long, counting hours, in one of these very chic Parisian shops, as a security guard, when sometimes I brought him up there my laptop to fix. He was sure fed up with all this mess up for nothing. In conclusion he returned to Dakar without the magical passkey in November 07, but with some projects, some money, and some anger. His patient wife was happy to recover him of course and they have now a new little daughter. He now owns his flat and a P.A. system, and has recovered a good situation, even if he would rather work on his own.

We talked good, straight to the point, and we agreed on the essential. A part of the Pierre’s P. A. system should transfer from Dakar to Ziguinchor by the middle of next month and Joel Bassene will accompany it, come and join the red little house.

The instruments and the studio should transfer from Paris to Zig by a container ship, by the beginning of February, to arrive lastly to Zig by the end of next month, if everything is all right.

Let’s keep our fingers crossed! Pascal has flown back to Paris, and I have just sailed back to Zig. We are close, we’ll soon see close to what.

Pierre Djiba