Actor Will Smith has tapped into one man’s pursuit of happiness, surprising a college student who rode his bike across Africa to start school in a prestigious Islamic university with a new 10-speed, a laptop, and some travel vouchers for him and his family.
The man was floored just by meeting the Oscar Award-winning actor.
After hearing his story, Smith set up the virtual meeting with Mamadou Safaiou Barry, a 25-year-old Guinean who cycled nearly 2,000 miles through seven countries to enroll at al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt.
In addition to the young man’s remarkable fortitude and resilience as he navigated challenging weather conditions and hostile borders with a positive attitude, the West Philadelphia native was deeply impressed by Barry’s decision to embark on the journey without being accepted into the school.
The celebrity and philanthropist shared with his 9.75 million subscribers the video conference call in a 7:36-minute edited video on his YouTube channel.
The movie star secretly worked with a man named Kori to set up the surprise meeting. When Barry came on the camera, he was first unsure who he was talking to.
“Yo,” Smith says in his signature smiley voice, “Mamadou!”
The young man responds, “Hello.”
Smith continues, tipping his hat and saying, “What is happening, man?”
By this time, Mamadou realizes who he is talking to and flashes a big smile, “This is Will Smith!”
“A lot of your films, I know,” he says as the two start to get acquainted.
“This is such an absolute pleasure for me to talk to you and to share your story,” Smith said before recounting how Barry left his wife and young daughter in his homeland to pursue his dreams.
Mamadou, who said he is studying electrical power generation and later hopes to become a teacher, said that he originally wanted to take a plane or train to Cairo but could not afford it. After traveling by bicycle for months, he arrived in Chad and reluctantly shared his story with a journalist, who broadcasted his story to millions.
Despite his initial hesitance to discuss his own experiences, he eventually agreed, realizing that sharing his story might encourage others to pursue their dreams. One individual moved by his narrative went as far as purchasing a ticket for him from their country to Egypt, completing his remarkable trek.
When asked about his best and his worst days, Mamadou told a story about how he was reading his Quran on the side of the road when he was picked up by police and arrested for no reason.
“Two policemen, they came,” he said while recalling his worst day. “They took me to the police station, and they locked me in nine days.” Dutiful to God’s promise to support him through this journey, even as he was behind bars, he said he dreamed about getting back on his bike and riding to the university.
According to the cyclist, the best moments of his journey were at the African country borders, where he encountered the military guards responsible for granting or denying entrance.
After informing them of his ambitious journey from Guinea to Egypt for educational pursuits, the guards verified his credentials and identification and then generously gave him money to support him on his extraordinary expedition.
Smith had gifts for him also, providing Mamadou with a new bike, a laptop, and travel vouchers for his family to fly to him or him to fly to see them. He also promised to check in with him in a few months.
The Fresh Prince believed Mamadou’s story of faith would inspire others. After posting excerpts on his Instagram, comments from some of his 64.7 million followers validated both the journalist’s and the actor’s conviction about the story’s power.
“Damn. This reframes my challenges,” one person said. Another replied, “If faith without works is dead was a person.”
“The very definition of seeing the vision and to #keeppedaling until you hit it!” one comment read, playing on the bicycle theme, while others predicted that this is the kind of feel-good movie that Smith likes to put his star power behind — and possibly make into a movie.
