Mamadou Safayou Barry Cycles 2,500 Miles to Reach His Dream University

A sincere and hardworking man, Mamadou Safayou Barry cycled 2,500 miles across West Africa to secure a spot at his dream university.

25-year-old Mamadou Safayou Barry is a husband and father of one from Conakry, the capital city of Guinea in West Africa.

The prestigious Al Azhar University in Egypt is one of the oldest Sunni Islamic learning centers in the world, and it was Barry’s dream to study there.

However, the young man lacked the means to fly to Egypt or pay for a course in Islamic studies at his dream university.

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To try his luck, he decided to cycle all the way to Al Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt. This meant he would have to cycle across all of West Africa and the vast road networks of the Sahara Desert.

Undeterred, Barry set out through countries like Benin, southern Mali, Togo, and Chad.

Well aware that it would be a difficult journey, the adventurous man cycled through some of the most dangerous countries in the world, like Burkina Faso and Niger.

Niger and Burkina Faso, in particular, are often in a state of conflict and coups due to Islamic militants.

Barry told the BBC that, despite knowing these countries have many problems and that it is very hard to navigate through them, he still went ahead with his plan.

He also shared that he was arrested twice in Burkina Faso and once in Togo for no particular reason.

After cycling for four months through intense heat, by the time he reached Chad, he was pondering how to cross Sudan, which had been a war zone for quite some time.

Fortunately, a journalist interviewed him and shared his journey online. This prompted a kind-hearted soul to fund his expedition and purchase a flight ticket to Egypt.

After flying to Cairo, upon reaching Al Azhar University, the officials were in awe of Barry’s dedication. Not only did they offer him a full scholarship for a course in Islamic studies, but they also offered one in engineering.

Barry’s inspiring voyage has been appreciated worldwide, and even Hollywood star Will Smith video-called to congratulate him. He was pleasantly surprised to receive a video call from the megastar, but even more delighted when Smith gifted him a new bicycle and a laptop for his studies.

Barry now hopes to write a book detailing his entire 2,500-mile experience, in which he will mention the arrests and jail time, along with all the good people he met along the way.

His journey is a shining example of how far one can go for the sake of education.