Guinean man cycles 4,000km to join dream university for Islamic studies in Egypt

A man, Mamadou Safayou Barry, from Guinea cycled 4,000 kilometres through several countries in West Africa, fuelled by the determination to join a prestigious university in Egypt and gain Islamic knowledge.

The 25-year-old, who got detained three times during his audacious journey, not only bagged a seat at the university but also a full scholarship, according to media reports.

Barry, a father of one, left his home in Guinea in May with an aim to enrol in the Islamic Studies course at Al Azhar University in Cairo, capital of Egypt. According to The Times Higher Education, Al Azhar University was founded in 970 AD and is among the world’s oldest universities. It has also been a respected centre of Islamic learning.

Barry told BBC that he knew he could not afford the course but still embarked on the four-month journey on a cycle. He traversed through some West African countries that have seen political instability, coups, and violence lately. These included Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Togo, Benin, and Chad.

“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,” Barry was quoted as saying.

Barry said he faced arrest and detention twice in Burkina Faso and once in Togo. Upon reaching Chad, Barry was interviewed by a journalist who highlighted his plight through social media and soon help started pouring in for the student, reported BBC.

People raised money and funded Barry’s flight ticket to Egypt. This saved him from cycling through Sudan which has been ravaged by conflict.

Barry’s efforts paid off when he finally reached his dream university on September 5 and was selected for the Islamic Studies course and awarded a scholarship by Dr Nahla Elseidy, Dean of Islamic Studies at Al Azhar University.

Al Azhar University has shared a photo from a meeting with Barry on Facebook and said that the university was keen to offer its knowledge to students from all over the world.

“Al Azhar receives students from all countries, takes care of them, and offers them grants,” she said.

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