Mahmoud and his family

In 2009, I started a new chapter of my life in Africa, in Nigeria. It was a rich experience in many ways and of course, as always, as elsewhere, it was about encounters… During the last 6 months of 2009, I lived in a shared apartment with a Senegalese friend in Abuja. Mahmoud was the gatekeeper of the residential building in Wuse II

Mahmoud and his family were from Niger. We got along to each other right away when we met, and we had some good times together. Mahmoud and his two wives had mostly daughters. Aicha and her sisters used to come from time to time in our apartment to enjoy a nice snack, music, cartoons or sports on TV. There was so much laughter!

When I left Nigeria in early 2010, I kept Mahmoud’s phone number. When I tried to call him a few months later, he was unreachable. My friend told me that Mahmoud and his family had recently left the country. In 2013, I travelled back to Abuja for a few days, and I took the opportunity to go back to where I lived. The new gatekeeper told me that they had moved back to Niger but he didn't know where and didn't have a phone number to give me.

Years later, I still have no way of contacting again Mahmoud to see how he and his family are doing. Meeting them again one day seems impossible. I think of the children, now grown-ups.

When I left Nigeria, I did not expect that they would soon be completely unreachable. I also changed my phone number from one country to another… there was no way they could reach me.

I miss Mahmoud and his family. Sometimes I look at the pictures, I wonder how they are doing, and hope for the best for each of them.