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Mamoudou Gassama

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For the Spanish handball player, see Mamadou Gassama (handballer).

Mamoudou Gassama
Born1996 (age 27–28)
NationalityMalian-French citizen
Other names
  • Real life Superhero
  • Real life Spiderman
  • The Malian-French Hero[1]
  • "Spider-Man" of Paris[2]
  • Black Spiderman
OccupationFirefighter[3]
Known forRescues a four-year-old boy who was hanging from highest level of building balcony[4]
(recorded with digital proof - camera - uploaded via YouTube)

Mamoudou Gassama (born 1996, also known as Spider-Man of Paris)[2] is a Malian-French citizen, living in France who, on 26 May 2018, climbed four stories on the exterior of a block of flats in the 18th arrondissement of Paris (51 rue Marx-Dormoy) in 30 seconds to save a four-year-old boy who was hanging from a balcony.[1][4] The child’s father had apparently left the boy unattended to go shopping, and was subsequently charged with leaving his son unsupervised.[5]

Aftermath[edit]

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo called Gassama "Spider-Man of the 18th" in reference to the city’s 18th arrondissement (district) where the rescue took place.[6][7] On 28 May 2018, President Emmanuel Macron met Gassama at the Élysée Palace to thank him personally. He was awarded the Médaille d’honneur pour acte de courage et de dévouement and offered a role in the fire service which he subsequently took up.[8] At the instigation of President Macron, Gassama was made a French citizen in September 2018.[9][10][11]

Personal life[edit]

Gassama was born in Mali. He travelled to Europe via Burkina Faso, Niger and Libya, where he was arrested and beaten. He crossed the Mediterranean and obtained papers to stay legally in Italy, but travelled to France in September 2017 to join his elder brother.[12] News reports emphasized the similarity between Gassama and Lassana Bathily, a Muslim immigrant from Mali who was hailed as a hero in France and offered citizenship for his bravery in the Hypercacher kosher supermarket siege of 2015.[4] On 24 June 2018 Gassama received the BET Humanitarian Award in Los Angeles.[13][14][15]

As of July 2018, Gassama was working as a firefighter in the Paris fire brigade.[3] However, he was not able to continue his experience within the Paris fire brigade, having not obtained the college certificate and suffering from a pathology incompatible with the profession of firefighter.[16][17]

In 2021, three years after the rescue that made him famous, Mamoudou Gassama alternated between unemployment and precarious work, particularly in households. Considering himself poorly surrounded, he was unable to carry out several projects close to his heart—making a film, writing a book, and founding an association raising awareness among young Malians of the dangers of migration via the Mediterranean.[16]

As of December 2023, married and father of two children, he believed that his life had become "quiet". He was then a security guard and had a series of fixed-term contracts.[18] He lives in Montreuil in accommodation offered by the town hall.[19][20]

Popular Media[edit]

A story about Mamoudou Gassama's courageous act was featured on the TV Documentary, The Proof Is Out There.[citation needed]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Sage, Adam (28 May 2018). "'Spiderman' rescues boy, 4, from balcony". The Times.
  2. ^ a b Willsher, Kim (28 May 2018). "'Spider-Man' of Paris to get French citizenship after child rescue". The Guardian.
  3. ^ a b Kennedy, Rachael (2 July 2018). "France's 'Spider-Man' begins job in Paris fire brigade". TheCube. euronews.
  4. ^ a b c Breeden, Aurelien; Cowell, Alan (28 May 2018). "'Spider-Man,' a Migrant in Paris, Scales Building to Save a Child". The New York Times.
  5. ^ Carez, Céline (27 May 2018). "Paris: Il escalade un immeuble pour sauver in extremis un enfant suspendu dans le vide". Le Parisien (in French). AC.
  6. ^ Mazza, Ed (28 May 2018). "Real-Life Spider-Man Scrambles Up Building To Save A Dangling Child". Huffington Post. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  7. ^ Nash, Konstan. ""SPIDERMAN" SAVED A BABY IN PARIS, CLIMBING FOR 30 SECONDS ON THE FOURTH FLOOR". Bobr Times. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  8. ^ Hughes, Roland (24 December 2018). "The Spiderman of Paris: What happened next?". BBC News.
  9. ^ "Mamoudou Gassama: Mali 'Spiderman' becomes French citizen". BBC News. 13 September 2018.
  10. ^ Zagdoun, Benoît; San, Louis; Daniel, Vincent (28 May 2018). "DIRECT. Enfant sauvé d'une chute à Paris : Mamoudou Gassama recevra son titre de séjour dès mardi" (in French). Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  11. ^ "France: un sans-papiers malien qui a sauvé un enfant sera naturalisé français". Le Journal de Québec (in French). AFP. 28 May 2018.
  12. ^ Corbet, Sylvie; Ganley, Elaine (28 May 2018). "France: Macron rewards migrant hero who saved dangling child". ABC News. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 29 May 2018.
  13. ^ "Mamoudou Gassama a été récompensé aux BET Awards". www.20minutes.fr (in French). 25 June 2018. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  14. ^ Clair, Benoît (25 June 2018). David, Romain (ed.). "À Los Angeles, Mamoudou Gassama reçoit un award pour son acte d'héroïsme". Europe 1 (in French).
  15. ^ Guyonnet, Paul (25 June 2018). "Aux BET Awards, Mamoudou Gassama a été récompensé pour son héroïsme". Le HuffPost (in French). Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  16. ^ a b Marnette, Elsa (15 August 2021). "Seine-Saint-Denis : le rêve déchu de Mamoudou Gassama, sauveteur d'enfant érigé en héros national". Le Parisien (in French).
  17. ^ "France : Les dessous de l'exclusion du « pompier » Mamadou Gassama". Afrique sur 7 (in French). 17 August 2021.
  18. ^ Mella, Manon (21 December 2023). "'Ce bébé a changé ma vie' : on a retrouvé Mamoudou Gassama, le sans-papiers qui avait sauvé un enfant en 2018". France Inter (in French).
  19. ^ Gonli, Donald (3 January 2024). "France : Mamoudou Gassama mène une 'vie de rêve' après son exploit de 2018". www.linfodrome.com (in French).
  20. ^ Ndapoka (30 March 2020). "Arrêt sur images: La nouvelle vie de Mamadou Gassama". Xalima.com.
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