A conversation about “La route à bout de bras”

Mamadou Sow has turned his disability into a source of strength, a gateway to crossing Africa and braving all its dangers. Storyteller Lorette Andersen will read the story of this brave man paralysed by polio at the age of 3. He went from begging to starting a small business, from Guinea to Italy, by sheer force of will and strength of his arms, as well as those of his companions who helped him on his journey. La route à bout de bras, L’abécédaire de l’Afrique à l’Europe en zigzag (Migrilude, 2020, compiled by Elisabeth Zurbriggen) is a poignant and enlightening account of Mamadou’s journey to Europe. In it, he expresses his wish to be fitted with a hearing aid so as to regain a little freedom and dignity. When he describes his life in his village, his survival in Conakry, then the nightmarish desert crossing, his miraculous escape from Libya and the crossing of the Mediterranean, his memories are organised like a glossary. And at the end of his story, there is always hope. Musician Kassoum Coulibaly will accompany Lorette Andersen on the traditional kora.

Special ticket price: 45 francs for non-members / 30 francs for SdL members / 5 francs for students / free for FIFDH accredited members and Festival Pass(limited number of places, registration required: secretariat@societe-de-lecture.ch), buffet included.