An association took advantage of the month of Ramadan, conducive to sharing, to cut the isolation of young foreigners prevented from returning home because of Covid-19.
With Ramadan, which has punctuated the daily life of Algerians since April 13, Mamo had a unique experience. This Malian student from the University of Science and Technology of Bab Ezzouar, near Algiers, shared a ftour, the fast-breaking meal, with an Algerian family. “When I was told about the initiative, I was hesitant. But in the end, it was a magnificent experience. Beyond the meal, it allows an exchange of cultures and points of view, ” says the 22-year-old man, wearing blue pleated pants and black waxed shoes.
Among sub-Saharan students residing in Algeria, many spend their entire university course without returning to the country. If some were forced to do so by their financial situation, almost all are now housed in the same boat because of the border closures, since March 2020, because of the Covid-19 pandemic. “We can leave, but at the risk of not coming back,” says Maria Gorbena, a 26-year-old Equatorial Guinean who studies telecoms in Bab Ezzouar and has not returned to her native country for two years.
So to cut them off from their isolation, the Carrefour Cadenkoso association took advantage of the month of Ramadan, conducive to sharing, to call on Algerian families to welcome one or more foreign students, such as Mamo or Maria, for the time of a ftour. “The Covid was a difficult period, there was a break in contact and a financial breakdown for some students who were receiving help from their families,” explains Moussa Sissoko. The Malian doctoral student in the biology of infectious diseases, installed in Algeria for almost ten years, created Carrefour Cadenkoso in 2019 to “bring together sub-Saharan talents and promote their training in Algeria”.
More than 8,500 foreigners
When he launched the “Ftoor en famille” initiative in early April, he did not expect such “enthusiasm” from the participants. With his team of volunteers, he manages all the logistics: from visiting host families to arranging transport. “In the space of six days, six Algerian families welcomed around twenty students. Discussions last until very late in the evening! », Exclaims the 30-something.
“Among international students, there is this missing family bond, so I put on my bazin [traditional Malian outfit], I was happy and stressed as if I were going to see my own family,” says Mamo, who does not have seen his relatives since his arrival in Algeria for studies in computer networks, four years ago. “I had to return at the end of my license, but it was not possible because of the Covid-19”, he explains.
In 2020, the Algerian Ministry of Higher Education estimated the number of foreign students at just over 8,500. But according to Moussa Sissoko, their actual number would be larger. Because while some students, like Mamo and Maria, benefit from a scholarship granted by their country to study in an academic context, others come by their own means to follow various training courses.
“Some remain in Algeria”
This mixing “is an immense opportunity for us Africans to meet and learn about others”, specifies Moussa Sissoko: “It not only allows to create a link with the Algerian population, but also a bridge between the different African populations. “
Since the country’s independence in 1962, Algerian universities have welcomed 60,000 foreign students from 62 countries, according to the Ministry of Higher Education. “ Sub-Saharan students are a real gateway to the economies and markets of their country. For Algerian entrepreneurs, they are a source of information on the languages, traditions and consumption patterns of their society, ” continues Moussa Sissoko, who is currently working on the formation of a network of former African students in Algeria.
“There is a new society forming. Some sub-Saharan students stay in Algeria, they get married and work here. The others, once back in their country, often occupy important positions. These are people with whom Algeria must maintain contact, ” repeats the doctoral student. And to cite the example of the current Malian ambassador to Algeria, who graduated from the diplomatic section of the National School of Administration in Algiers in 1982 – the same promotion as the current Algerian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sabri Boukadoum.
